Towing on the Blue Ridge Parkway?

[Itching2go]

I've heard a fair amount of conflicting information and suggestions relating to driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here's our situation... We will be in the Nashville area for a rally in mid July, and are considering following this up with a two or three week jaunt up the Blue Ridge Parkway from south to north. We're set up with a 38' fiver, 13' 6" tall, towed by a one-ton diesel. Retired, so absolutely no hurry. Our thinking is that we'd spend our days driving short sections of the parkway, dropping off to campgrounds off of the parkway. I have experience in mountain driving and know the capabilities of the truck well, so grades don't bother me too much.

So, is our plan and approach doable? Are there any gotcha's that I need to be thinking about? I'd be particularly interested in thoughts from folks that have 'been there and done that' in a setup similar to ours.

Thanks in advance...

[Itching2go]

wbwood wrote:
We enjoy the BRP and thankful we live only about an hour from it. Take your time, be careful and have fun.

There is a downside to driving it from time to time.

Our favorite place and campground is Linville Falls and Campground.

Julian Price Campground is ok. It's very green as you can tell in the video. They have a nice little lake that you can put your own canoe/kayak in or rent one from them. Linville is still our favorite so far.

Thanks, wbwood. Great info. I had assumed that my rig, at 38', would be too long for the parkway campgrounds, it appears from the video that this might not be the case. I'm also thinking that the sites are first-come, first-served. Right?

[Bill_T]

We have traveled the BRP/Skyline Drive twice. We love the mountains and really enjoy the trip and have camped at all the park campgrounds. The only clearance issue we have experienced is tree limbs hanging low during and after heavy rains. My camper is nearly 12' tall. When entering the rv parking at Mabry Mills
a limb removed the Jack antenna for me.

[Lynnmor]

Don't know how anyone could be bored on the BRP or the SD. There are some side roads off the drive that are extremely steep, so plan ahead before taking just any exit. There are many overlooks and a big rig will often have difficulty parking.
One time I traveled the parkway, pulling a small trailer, was quite challenging. Around almost every turn I ran into a fog bank with almost zero visibility. All day long the brakes took a beating and we made extremely slow progress. They don't call them the Smokey Mountains for nothing.

[Mocoondo]

We have done both Skyline Drive and the BRP. Did it once and really see no reason to do it again. I would skip Skyline Drive completely as it was generally quite boring. BRP was "OK" for us, but again, not something we would yearn to do again. No problem getting through with a 30' Class C. The most fun we had was an afternoon stop in a little town called Fancy Gap, VA. Neat little area with antique shops and a deli.

[wbwood]

We enjoy the BRP and thankful we live only about an hour from it. Take your time, be careful and have fun.

There is a downside to driving it from time to time.

Our favorite place and campground is Linville Falls and Campground.

Julian Price Campground is ok. It's very green as you can tell in the video. They have a nice little lake that you can put your own canoe/kayak in or rent one from them. Linville is still our favorite so far.

[Jim_Shoe]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we drive on parkways and park on driveways. 🙂

[DrewE]

Veebyes wrote:
If you have done the mountain grades of the West anything that the BRP, or anywhere in the East, is a piece of cake.

The East has some short, narrow, very steep secondary & county roads but nothing to compare to the long brake heating grades of the West.

As always, you drive to suit conditions & all will be fine.

While many of the grades in the East are shorter than many of the western grades, there are still enough long brake heating grades to get in a heap of trouble if one doesn't exercise due care. (For one example, I-68 near Cumberland, MD has a 13 mile 6 percent grade. Sure there are some longer ones in the West; but it's plenty to catch the unwary or uniformed and cause trouble.)

[jnharley]

Sky Line Drive is part of Shennandoah Natl Park and there is an entrance fee that is good for a week. Beware of bicycles on the Parkway. Nothing like going around a corner and there is a bike right in the middle of your lane. We love the Parkway but we prefer to camp off and take our tow vehicle and explore the Parkway. You may want to stop and hike, etc which may be difficult while towing. Most of the campgrounds were built years ago for much smaller rigs so that is another reason to camp off the parkway.

[Veebyes]

If you have done the mountain grades of the West anything that the BRP, or anywhere in the East, is a piece of cake.

The East has some short, narrow, very steep secondary & county roads but nothing to compare to the long brake heating grades of the West.

As always, you drive to suit conditions & all will be fine.

[hooligan]

Some of the grades in the Appalachians are very steep, in PA I remember a long 15% grade with a 15mph turn, in the town at the bottom. (Read about it- did not do)
Most grades in the east are short steep sections but some roads are very narrow and not suitable for large vehicles. The directory seems to describe them accurately.
Went to the top of Brasstown Bald in N. Georgia (in the Toad) some sections were up to 20% but all of it was steep. Saw a Class C at the top and wondered about his descent????

[Itching2go]

Wow! Lots of great info and perspectives. After reading, I'm not too sure as to what way we'll go... tow on side roads from CG to CG and spend days touring the parkway in our TV, or take the parkway the whole route. Might very well end up doing some of both. Got some time to think on it, though. We'll be spending April and May touring around the deep south, with a trip down the Natchez Trace towards New Orleans in the plan. Hadn't thought of using the Mountain Directory Guide as I think of that more for our western mountain trips. Should think again, me thinks. 🙂

And again, thanks all for the good stuff!

... Bill

[hooligan]

The BRP and Skyline drive are both doable in a motorhome or 5th wheel. Grades are not too severe. However some of the roads crossing the parkway can be a serious challenge. (Very steep, narrow and hard to negotiate.)
I have used Mountain Directory Guide and found it useful.

I enjoy the parkway, nice scenery, the viaduct at Grandfather mountain is impressive. Watch for winter closings and expect very heavy traffic in the fall "leaf Peepers". Photo from Oct 2015 visit.

[joelc]

Been there many years ago in a 1988 Class A. I would not do it in my 5er or any other camper. I almost burnt our our transmission and breaks. DON'T GO ON THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WITH ANY RV UNLESS IT IS A CLASS B.

[Jim_Shoe]

Here's a list of the tunnel heights. Make sure you measure the height of your rig. And the tunnel height is measured at the top of the tunnel on the center line of the road. The tunnel openings are oval shaped. You don't want to leave your A/C unit laying in the road.