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Blue Ridge Parkway: Doughton Park, Blue Ridge, North Carolina
Photo: Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0

Drives North Carolina Boone, Blowing Rock and the High Country

Blue Ridge Parkway: Doughton Park

Blue Ridge Parkway · Roaring Gap → Horse Gap

Sweeping29 mi45 min3,600 ft climbHigh point ≈ 3,800 ftOne way
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The drive

This stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway starts at US 21 near Roaring Gap at milepost 230 and runs south through Doughton Park to NC 16 at Horse Gap, milepost 261. It is 28.8 miles and takes about 45 minutes, with sweeping rather than tight curves.

Brinegar Cabin sits at milepost 238.5. Martin and Caroline Brinegar bought the land in 1876 and built the log cabin around 1889. The roadside site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, also has a granary, a springhouse and an interpretive garden. The drive ends at the NC 16 crossing, where the Highway 16 drive ends too.

Along the way

  1. Roaring Gap (US-21, MP 230)
  2. Brinegar Cabin, Doughton Park
  3. Horse Gap (NC-16, MP 261)
Elevation
3,600 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 3,800 ft
Roaring GapHorse Gap
Curves
Mostly gentle, with two twisty stretches
Roaring GapHorse Gap
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • The NPS lists milepost 249.3 to 261.2 as ungated, open except in emergencies. Check its closure page for the rest of the stretch, especially in winter.
  • Short single-lane closures for roadwork can come up along the Parkway, including just south of this drive from milepost 261.2.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check National Park Service: Blue Ridge Parkway road closures.

Questions about this drive

How long does the Blue Ridge Parkway through Doughton Park take?

The Blue Ridge Parkway from US 21 at milepost 230 to NC 16 at milepost 261 is 28.8 miles and takes about 45 minutes.

Where is Brinegar Cabin on the Blue Ridge Parkway?

Brinegar Cabin is at milepost 238.5 in Doughton Park, a roadside farmstead built around 1889 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
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More drives near here

All 36 drives in North Carolina ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Blue Ridge Parkway: Doughton Park, from Roaring Gap to Horse Gap