Geography
At its origin in Rockfish Gap, the parkway travels up the spine of the ridge that bears its name. Traveling through the oak-hickory forests that dominate the ridge line the land to the east falls toward the Piedmont lowlands while the land to west falls toward the Shenandoah Valley. Over its length of 469 miles the parkway weaves its way through promontories, gaps, forests, and farmlands as it moves from one side of the ridge to the other eventually crossing six mountain ranges before its final descent to the Oconaluftee River (Graham,7).
The parkway reaches its lowest point in elevation at the James River—694.4 feet above sea level. During its descent to the James the parkway follows Otter Creek for several miles before it spills in to the James.
Moving on from the James, the parkway makes its way through woodlands before eventually reaching its highest point in Virginia at 3,950 feet at the summit of Apple Orchard Mountain. From here it descends again to the Peaks of Otter, which is made up of three mountains—Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill.
Past the Peaks the parkway picks up the spine of the Blue Ridge and passes by Harvey’s Knob overlook, a popular destination for hawk watchers to gather in mid-September to catch sight of various species of hawks migrating to South America (Graham,9).
From here the parkway makes its way to its second major river crossing at the Roanoke River. The Roanoke Valley which the roadway skirts by is the largest urban area it passes between Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain national parks.
In the hundred miles from Roanoke to the North Carolina state line a transition in the landscape occurs. As the parkway moves towards North Carolina the mountains fade in the distance and the rolling hills of Virginia’s Plateau’s become more prominent. One notable exception to this transition exists at Rocky Knob along the rim of Rock Castle Gorge.
After Rocky Knob the parkway eases through farmlands and fields of overgrown grasses and eventually makes its way through stands of mature white pine before it enters into North Carolina after some 217 miles in Virginia (Graham,10).
Passing Cumberland Knob, the parkway moves through rich woodlands where it begins another ascent passing through tall pines and deciduous woodlands onto Blowing Rock eventually reaching the tallest mountain in the Blue Ridge, Grandfather Mountain. From this point the parkway makes another descent toward Linville Falls (Graham, pg13).
Beyond Spruce Pine, a “mountain piled upon mountain” theme begins as the mountains become higher and more difficult to traverse. As a result, the parkway no longer follows the ridge lines but rather tunnels through the mountains. After 355 miles the parkway leaves the Blue Ridge Mountains for the Black Mountains. Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in eastern America, can be reached by a five-mile spur road. Past the Blacks, the parkway traverses the Great Craggies that are often cloaked in clouds.
Next, the parkway plunges to the valley of the French Broad River transforming its landscape along the way from evergreens and stunted trees of the high mountaintops to the mixed deciduous forests of the valley. Along its course from its headwater’s near Devil’s Courthouse the river merges with the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers before dumping into the Gulf of Mexico. After passing through the valley, another ascent takes place as the parkway climbs up the Pisgah Ledge (Graham, 16).
Beyond Pisgah, the parkway draws near to Richland Balsam—the parkway’s highest point at 6,047 feet above sea level. These spruce-fir topped mountains along with their corresponding ridges serve as a last great refuge for a number of species that have retreated into the wilderness.
The parkway now descends to Balsam Gap whereupon it climbs up the other side and ends at Waterrock Knob. Here at Waterrock Knob the Great Balsam and Plott Balsam mountain ranges meet. These mountain ranges are the last two that the parkway travels through. With only 20 miles left the parkway descends two more times while overlooking the home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, the Qualla Boundary. The first descent is to Soco Gap and the second is to the Oconaluftee. Here the parkway comes to a close as it delivers you into the hands of the Great Smokies after a journey of 469 miles (Graham,19).
Works Cited
Graham, Scott J., and Elizabeth C. Hunter. Blue Ridge Parkway: America’s Favorite
Journey. 2003.