Drives The Southern Appalachians
Blue Ridge Parkway
Mileposts 384 to 451, Asheville to Waterrock Knob · North Carolina
The highest stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway: from Asheville southwest past Mount Pisgah and Graveyard Fields, over the parkway's 6,053-foot high point at Richland Balsam, to Waterrock Knob. Mountain ridges, tunnels and overlook after overlook, with no stoplights.
- Distance
- 68 mi
- Drive time
- 2 hr
- Climbing
- 10,400 ft
- Highest point
- ≈ 6,000 ft
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The drive
Hurricane Helene closed much of the parkway in North Carolina in 2024. This section, from milepost 384 to 451, is open end to end in October 2026, and it's the parkway at its highest, climbing above 5,000 feet and threading tunnels through the ridges between overlooks.
The speed limit is 45 mph at most and often lower, and the Park Service's rule of thumb is that 30 miles of parkway takes about an hour: allow well over two hours without stops.
Stops along the way
- Mount Pisgah and the Pisgah Inn Milepost 408.6: the highest lodging on the parkway, above 5,000 feet, with a trail to the summit. The inn is usually open April to October.
- Graveyard Fields Milepost 418.8: one of the parkway's most popular stops, with waterfalls and trails. The lot overflows on busy days.
- Devil's Courthouse Milepost 422: a rock summit above the tunnel of the same name, reached by a short, steep trail.
- Richland Balsam Milepost 431: the parkway's highest point, at 6,053 feet.
- Waterrock Knob Milepost 451.2: the parkway's highest visitor center, at 5,820 feet, with views all around. The visitor center is seasonal.
When to go
There's no entrance fee and no fixed season, but high sections and tunnels are often closed by snow and ice from late fall to early spring, and any section can close for weather. Fall color starts in early October on the highest peaks, so this stretch is among the first to turn; weekdays are quieter. In October 2026, expect short daytime single-lane traffic control at the bridge work over I-26, between mileposts 388.8 and 393.6.
Good to know
- There's no gas on the parkway itself. Fill up in Asheville before you start.
- Cell phones don't work in many places and GPS can be unreliable, the Park Service warns. Download the route before you set off.
- Tunnel clearances go as low as 13 feet 2 inches, at Buck Spring Tunnel (milepost 407.3). Check before you take an RV.
- Mileposts count up from Virginia, and every overlook is known by its milepost: this drive runs from 384 to 451.
More drives
- Tail of the Dragon US-129 at Deals Gap · 11.3 mi · Intense
- Cherohala Skyway TN-165 and NC-143, Tellico Plains to Robbinsville · 51 mi · Twisty
- Kancamagus Highway NH-112, Lincoln to Conway · 36 mi · Sweeping
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Sources: Blue Ridge Parkway road closures (NPS), Road construction projects (NPS), Tunnel heights (NPS), Fall colors (NPS), Mount Pisgah (NPS), Wikipedia: Blue Ridge Parkway. Distance, time, elevation and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-06.