My husband and I are planning a driving trip in October roughly along the Appalachian Trail from Gettysburg, PA to the Smoky Mountains. The planned route actually starts in New Jersey (visiting our daughter) then to Gettysburg, south through Maryland, W. Virginia (Harpers Ferry, Charles Town), Virginia (Blue Ridge Parkway with stops at Front Royal, Charlottesville), North Carolina along the Parkway ending in the Smoky Mountains. We would fly home (to Minnesota from Asheville). The plan is to take about a week to do this drive. We are in our late 50s and will be doing a lot of driving with light hiking and/or biking.
My questions are: 1) I expect the area to be crowded during October but I have read on this forum that the crowds might be extreme (ex. bumper to bumper, 5-mile per hour on the Blue Ridge Parkway). Is this true? If true, we might choose a different time to see this area. Or, hopefully, you have some tips to avoid the worst of the crowds (different places to stay, different roads, days or times to travel)?
2) We could really use some recommendations for B&Bs or inns along the way. I have had great advice from this forum in the past. So, thanks for your help!
Blue Ridge/Smoky Mountains - Need Help
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There are many BRP & Smoky Mt. posts on here that will answer most any question. Yes, the leaf-peepers will be out in mass quantities, September or November would both be better months. Lots of Asheville posts as well.
The good thing is that you can get off and on the BRP if the traffic is bad for that section. I agree with reading the many posts to do some research and then come back with specific questions.
We visited the NC/Asheville section of BRP in early/mid October during the week, and had no problems with bumper-to-bumper traffic. We've also visited the Virginia section; we thought the NC part was more scenic. If you want to take a break or travel faster, it's easy to just take a different route parallel to the parkway; it fact, it's enjoyable to see a different view of the area - orchards with jams,pies, etc. selling wares, little towns to enjoy lunch in. The leaf colors are well worth any annoyance - go for it!!!
In Charlottesville we stayed at "The Inn At Monticello", a relaxing B&B very near Jefferson's Monticello - would recommend. There are also two lodging opportunites within the parkway in Virginia - the cabins are rustic, like you'd find in MN at the lakes, but clean, comfortable with a campground feel. Search BRP website for rates.