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Tad, coming from the direction you will be coming from (north) here is what I would highly recommend for the best scenery:
Do not exit I81 onto I77 to come into NC - instead, stay on 81 and continue past the I77 exit to the town of Marion, VA at exit 45. Get off there and continue on hwy 16 south - this is the Mt. Rodgers Scenic Byway - take it toward hwy. 58. At hwy 58 go west toward Demascus. You will pass Grayson Highlands - a beautiful state park you should not miss stoping at. The little town of Damascus is very quaint and known as a stopping off point for those hiking the Appalachian Trail. There are also several bike rental shops in Damascus as people come for all over the country to ride the nearby Virginia Creeper Bike Trail - if you had time I would also highly recommend you do this - it goes thru beautiful countryside and is mostly all downhill so you don't get tired at all, you just sit and coast
Anyway, after leaving Damascus you travel back in to NC (don't know all the little road names, sorry) which take you back thru Boone. The university is in the middle of town, so you'd get to go past that, then get on hwy 321 south to head down out of the mountains into Charlotte. A few minutes after leaving Boone you come to Blowing Rock - another very quaint neat little town, and also an opportunity to enter the Blue Ridge Parkway if you wanted to see a few miles of it - I'd go south on it toward the Moses Cone House if I were you (only a couple of miles from Blowing Rock).
Hope you will consider this route, though I would only do it if you could time things to be leaving I81 at Marion, Virginia early in the day. This route truly give you the best and most scenery coming from where you are coming from.
Let us know how it all worked out once you get here!
I love this route when my brothers and I was little my mom would stop by that creek that winds with the road and have a little picnic (there are places you can pull off). You can sit on a large rock in the middle of the creek or catch craw dads or listen to the rapids. Gorgeous mountain farms homes to view as well.
We will be traveling with 3 teens, one of which is not very happy to be relocating to Union County. The purpose of our trip is to FIND a house! We figured we would take a detour and show them the breathtaking scenery other parts of the state have to offer. We have not chosen a route yet, so we are very open to suggestion! Thanks for the info so far!
hey there tad - don't know if you have had a chance to check out this thread...as there happens to be some pics of the Blue Ridge area on it!
Tad, coming from the direction you will be coming from (north) here is what I would highly recommend for the best scenery:
Do not exit I81 onto I77 to come into NC - instead, stay on 81 and continue past the I77 exit to the town of Marion, VA at exit 45. Get off there and continue on hwy 16 south - this is the Mt. Rodgers Scenic Byway - take it toward hwy. 58. At hwy 58 go west toward Demascus. You will pass Grayson Highlands - a beautiful state park you should not miss stoping at. The little town of Damascus is very quaint and known as a stopping off point for those hiking the Appalachian Trail. There are also several bike rental shops in Damascus as people come for all over the country to ride the nearby Virginia Creeper Bike Trail - if you had time I would also highly recommend you do this - it goes thru beautiful countryside and is mostly all downhill so you don't get tired at all, you just sit and coast
Anyway, after leaving Damascus you travel back in to NC (don't know all the little road names, sorry) which take you back thru Boone. The university is in the middle of town, so you'd get to go past that, then get on hwy 321 south to head down out of the mountains into Charlotte. A few minutes after leaving Boone you come to Blowing Rock - another very quaint neat little town, and also an opportunity to enter the Blue Ridge Parkway if you wanted to see a few miles of it - I'd go south on it toward the Moses Cone House if I were you (only a couple of miles from Blowing Rock).
Hope you will consider this route, though I would only do it if you could time things to be leaving I81 at Marion, Virginia early in the day. This route truly give you the best and most scenery coming from where you are coming from.
Let us know how it all worked out once you get here!
I was born in Bristol, Va. and have been along this route for many years. It is truly a beautiful ride. Blowing Rock has so much to offer. The main street section is a great place to park, walk around, have ice cream or a hot dog and just enjoy the day. Also, just beyond Moses Cone is Price Lake. You can see Grandfather mountain from the lake. Your teens would love Grandfather because of the swinging bridge (but that may have to wait to another day)
This part of North Carolina is my favorite part as there is soooo much to do and to see.
In the future you may want to go to the Asheville are and check out the Pisgah Mountain range.
Please do let us know about your trip and what you like best!
Welcome to North Carolina! Dunroven
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