The Blue Ridge Parkway

Only about 20 minutes from Lynchburg it is possible to access the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is a 750 km long road, following the Appalachians, from Waynesboro, VA, down to Waynesville, NC. It passes through several National parks.

The Parkway, 21-JAN-2001.

Building the Parkway began in 1935 and it is often running high up, along the mountain sides. The highest altitudes are in Virginia Apple Orchard (1,200 metres above sea level) and in North Carolina Richland Balsam (1,840 metres).

In 1999, the Parkway had almost 20 million (!) visitors.

George Washington National Forest, Christmas Day, 2000.

The Appalachian Trail

From the Parkway, it is easy to get to the Appalachian Trail. The trail is 3,470 km (!) long, starting in Maine and ending in Georgia. It was created in the 1920's and 1930's by volounteers from outdoor associations. It passes 14 states; Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennesse, North Carolina and Georgia. A quarter of it is located in Virginia.

A creek by the Appalachian Trail, George Washington National Forest, Christmas Day, 2000.

James River

In the Lynchburg area, the James River intersects the Parkway. The river runs from the mountains in the west, through Virginia and ending in the Chesapeake Bay (the Atlantic ocean).

James River, Christmas Day, 2000.

• National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior, Blue Ridge Parkway, brochure/map.
• National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior, Appalachian Trail, brochure/map.
• National Park Service/U.S. Department of the Interior, Blue Ridge Parkway.