We spent a few days this past weekend in Asheville, North Carolina. We planned this trip a few months ago in hopes of seeing the peak of fall foliage, and fortunately, the timing was perfect!
On Saturday, we set out to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a 439 mile road that runs through the Appalachian mountains from North Carolina to Virginia. I had driven on this road before in other parts of North Carolina, but it was such a long time ago, and I didn’t remember how beautiful it was. On this trip, seeing all of the autumn colors and the falling leaves as we were driving made this such a special experience! I don’t think the photos were able to accurately capture the vibrance of the fall foliage… it is even more stunning in person!
On Saturday, our first stop was the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Center to grab a map of the parkway. From there, we decided to set out North on the parkway, and I definitely recommend this route if you are driving from the Asheville area! We drove to Craggy Gardens, which is a stop along the parkway with a picnic area and several hiking trails. The elevation increased as we drove to Craggy Gardens, and when we made it there, we noticed we were literally up in a cloud (check out my Travel highlight on my Instagram page). I wish I could have captured this in a photo!
One of my favorites aspects of the parkway is that there are scenic lookout areas you can stop at along the way with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge mountains. We stopped at almost each lookout that we saw along the way, and I definitely recommend this if you are driving the parkway!
I would love to do this drive again in the spring – I read that the wildflowers are in bloom around May, and I would love an excuse to come back! We could not stop talking about our experience on the Blue Ridge Parkway the remainder of our trip. We both agreed that it was the highlight of our weekend!
Have a great week,
-A
