Blue Ridge Mountains Road Trip

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• Quick stats about this trip:
  • 🚘: 1,300 miles
  • 🚶🏻‍♀️: 26 miles
  • 💰: $78 per person per day (double occupancy)

In October 2020, when covid was still raging and I did not yet feel comfortable flying, I road-tripped with my family for four days over Chol Hamoed Sukkos. We drove down to Shenandoah National Park, along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and from there to Gatlinburg, TN. On the way back North, we stopped in Washington DC to explore the nation’s capital, before heading home.

Since we were driving, we had more than enough room for luggage, and shlepped along food for the duration of our trip. We also took along a small popup sukkah, which was perfect for our needs. While this particular model is no longer sold on Amazon, you can purchase the same exact tent without the schach-supporting poles, and just add schach on top (speak to your LOR about placing the schach directly on the tent, versus on supporting poles).

After packing and getting the grocery shopping done, we started our drive later than expected, and drove five hours straight to the hotel we had booked for the night, the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Front Royal, in Virginia. We reserved a 2-bedroom suite, which was clean and neat, and fit our entire party.

The hotel is a mere 20-minute drive from Shenandoah National Park, and being that it was Fall, as soon as we entered the park proper, we were greeted to beautiful views.

We drove along the park’s main road, Skyline Drive, and couldn’t get enough of the mountainous vistas. We kept pulling over at lookouts to admire the sight.

We thoroughly enjoyed hiking Dark Hollow Falls Trail, which is a short 1.5 miles trail, but very steep and rocky. At the end we were treated to an idyllic waterfall.

We continued driving through the park and stopped at some more lookouts.

I had previously taken a daytrip to Shenandoah National Park in October 2018. The foliage was more advanced and yellowed by then, it being later in the season. That trip had come on the heels of Acadia National Park, where the fall foliage was breathtaking, so there was somewhat of a letdown, but it was still beautiful. Similar to this trip, I drove most of Skyline Drive and pulled over at lookouts to admire the view. I also hiked along the flat and easy 4-mile Rose River Falls Trail, where the falls are isolated and serene.

Back to the October 2020 trip, after spending most of our day at Shenandoah, we drove a few miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway, again pulling over to admire the views whenever possible.

We then headed to Natural Bridge, where a large natural stone arch is located. I’m not exactly sure why this is considered a popular attraction, as I really didn’t find walking the short trail under this arch exciting, especially since there’s an $8 entrance fee to view it.

After a full day, we drove another 4 hours and checked into Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Asheville West, in North Carolina. We were not too happy with this choice, as the shower had lukewarm water at best.
The next morning, rested and eager for more nature, we headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway again, and the views further down south did not disappoint.

After spending way too much time pulling over at lookouts, we made it to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

After a short stop at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center,

we crossed into Tennessee and headed straight for Alum Cave Trail, hiking all the way up to Arch Rock. The trail here is steep, and while there are no sweeping views til high up on the trail, the lower trail runs alongside a flowing stream.

Eventually, and quite suddenly, the views opened up, and the mountains became visible again.

On the way to our next stop in the park, at another overlook we couldn’t not stop at.

Our last stop in the park was at Clingman’s Dome, which is one of the most popular places within the National Park, although I’m not sure why. The walkway is an ugly concrete monstrosity, and while the views from up top are nice, many parts of the park boast nicer ones. Perhaps there are seasons when the views are more attractive?

Approximately 30 minutes from Clingman’s Dome lies the picturesque town of Gatlinburg, TN.

We spent some time walking along the main drag, and stopped into little shops, such as this fun candy store.

There are tons of activities in Gatlinburg for both kids and adults, and we opted to check out the SkyBridge Gatlinburg. The Skybridge, a glass-bottom shaky bridge, is accessible via chairlift from the town.

Even though I’m generally scared of heights and had to psych myself up to step onto the bridge, it was a blast.

After a fun few hours, we were back on the road, this time pointed North, for the 4.5 hour drive to our hotel for the night, the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Roanoke.

The next morning, we drove another 4 hours to Washington DC, to view some of the Capital’s sites. We rented Jump Scooters (similar to Lime), and zoomed around to visit the following:

I had visited DC multiple times before this trip and found the subway system an easy way to get around as well. If you’re planning on visiting non-government museums or tours, I suggest looking into the Washington DC Sightseeing Pass which can save a few dollars if the included attractions are on your list.

My top picks for Washington DC are the Holocaust Museum (although I do not recommend this for younger kids), the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and a Capitol Tour, which can be booked easily online. I’ve also visited Madame Tussauds and taken the Hop On Hop Off Bus around the city, but those were of minor interest.

Back to the October 2020 trip, after exhausting ourselves in DC, we headed to Cocoaccino’s in Baltimore for some delicious pizza, before driving the final leg of our trip back home.

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globetrottinggeek

Visited 45/50 US States Visited 30/63 US National Parks