Jason Frye - Moon Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip

JASON FRYE

For the 15 minutes it took the sun to hide behind the mountains, we were silent. A crowd of strangers, wed gathered car by car at Waterrock Knob at Milepost 451 on the Blue Ridge Parkway because something in the shape of the clouds hinted at a sunset we shouldnt pass by.

Summer was in full swing and the mountains seemed 80 shades of green, but when the suns crepuscular rays shone through gaps in the clouds, they rinsed all color away, then washed the landscape in gold. It was the kind of light that had texture, like the finest silk draped over the mountains.

The birds quieted and the crickets ceased their call. The valleys darkened. The ridges gleamed like blades. The evening mist began to rise from the deepest and most secret hollows and coves.

This sunset was singular; a moment that, once it passed, would be gone from the world. So we watched. We held our breath. We waited until the last possible moment to break the spell with the click of a camera shutter, the soft glow of a cell phone screen.

Then it was gone. One minute the mountains around Cherokee were bathed in golden light; the next they were night dark. Birds calleddoves roosting, an owl preparing to take wingand the insects returned. First came the quiet fireflies, blinking their coded messages to one another, then the crickets filling in the silence.

That wasnt the first sunset Id seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it was the one that left the deepest mark. Yours is waiting. Your sunset. Your sunrise, when the mountains go from predawn blue to the faintest green. Your moonlit night. Your shooting star. Your moment of natureso pure and true your throat catches when you try to describe it later.

Go find it. Get in the car and drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. Because somewhere along these ridges, somewhere in the Smoky Mountains, somewhere in the long valleys of the Shenandoah, there are a thousand moments like this. All you have to do is find them.

Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive form the northern cap to this monumental mountaintop ride. Here, wide valleys and rivers give the landscape an interesting character. Hike a leg of the storied Appalachian Trail or discover the interesting character of the region underground at Luray Caverns. Nearby, the monuments, museums, and vibrant culture of Washington DC beckon.

This stretch of the Parkway is the easiest to drive. As the Blue Ridge Mountains give way to plains, the views are long, with many a rolling hill, pasture, and bucolic farmhouse or church in the distance. Small towns like Floyd and Bedford offer big attractions like Floyds unforgettable Friday Night Jamboree. Orchards and wineries dot the hills around Roanoke.

As you enter North Carolina, you begin to climb, and the mountains take center stage. The peak of Grandfather Mountain looms high over the Blue Ridge Parkway, and places like Blowing Rock, a stunning outcrop where snow falls upside down, add to the magic of the region. The spectacular Linn Cove Viaduct, which seems to float off the mountainside, is part of the commute, and countless waterfalls are just a short hike away.

Between Asheville and Cherokee is the highest and most crooked part of the drive. Here, the mountains are tall and steep, making for dramatic views from hikes and overlooks. Many small towns remained relatively isolated until the early 20th century and are rich with history and culture. Asheville is home to the lauded Biltmore Estate and some of the best restaurants in the South. Cherokee, where the Blue Ridge Parkway ends, is the ancestral home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited national park in the country. The scenery and wildliferounded peaks and jagged mountaintops, crystal-clear trout streams and white-water rivers, elk and bear, morning mist and evening firefly showsexplain why. The tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge welcome millions of visitors who flock to Dollywood and the park. Knoxville, one of the nations top outdoor towns, is fun in any season.

The obvious season to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway is autumn. The leaves blaze with color from the end of September through October. The timing for peak color varies by region, but youre just about guaranteed a great color show anywhere October 5-20. Expect mild weather, with warm days and chilly evenings (youll be fine in long sleeves and a vest or jacket).

Winter along the Parkway is tricky as the high elevations and exposed ridgelines are especially susceptible to snow and ice. Only a few sections of the Parkway (the ones that also double as public roadways) are plowed and salted during winter, so long stretches and point-to-point segments are closed from November through spring. The Blue Ridge Parkway maintains a live link of road closures available at www.nps.gov/blri (select Road and Facility Closures).

Spring is lovely, though trails can be muddy. Theres a great payoff to spring rains, though: wildflowers and waterfalls. Its also the time you may see young animals trailing their mothers across the road or along the woods edge.

Summer draws big numbers of visitors taking advantage of warm weather and vacation days. The elevation keeps the Parkway cooler than the flatlands, and the overlooks are rich with the deep green of summer leaves.