This 469-mile Appalachian Drive is at its best right now – and most people are missing the window

There’s a reason why the Blue Ridge Parkway has been called “America’s Favorite Drive” for decades. But even people who know the Parkway — who have driven the 290-mile highway that connects Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park — are often surprised to learn that they’ve been there at the wrong time of year.

June is the peak. The rhododendrons are currently blooming, covering the mountain slopes with waves of purple-pink blossoms. The crowds are smaller than in October. The road is free. And the views, at 6,000 feet along the spine of the Appalachians, are as good as the American landscape can be.

America’s favorite ride

The Blue Ridge Parkway was built between 1935 and 1987 as a Depression-era infrastructure project and a nice alternative to driving the back roads of Appalachia. It has no commercial vehicles, no billboards, no traffic lights and no tolls. The posted speed limit is 45 km/h. It was designed for slow drivingwith the landscape as destination and not as background.

The Parkway attracts approximately 14 million visitors annually, making it in some ways the most visited unit in the entire National Park System – more than Yellowstone, more than the Grand Canyon. Most of those visitors come in October for the fall foliage. Those who come in June often keep the secret to themselves.

The rhododendron window

Currently, Catawba Rhododendron is at or near peak bloom along the high elevation portions of the Parkway in North Carolina. Craggy Gardens, at Milepost 364 near Ashevilleis the most spectacular concentration of flowers on the entire route: a dense, shoulder-to-shoulder carpet of color covering the bare heather at the top. As the historical review notes, “purple-pink blossoms peak in early to mid-June and draw visitors from all over the world.”

The trail from the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center to the summit takes about 20 minutes and offers 360-degree views of the mountains surrounded by flowers. It is one of the most photographed places in the eastern United States during this period.

The flowering progression works with height. Lower milestones in Virginia typically peak slightly earlier in June; higher sections in North Carolina will follow later. Roan mountainReached from Carver’s Gap near the Tennessee border, is another spectacular destination with its famous rhododendron gardens and access to the Appalachian Trail, usually peaking in mid-June.

Best stops at the moment

Otter Peaks (Milepost 86, Virginia): Early June blooms at a lower elevation combine with a Sharp Top Mountain hike and a lodge that has been in use since the 1930s.

Mabry Mill (milepost 176, Virginia): The most photographed structure on the Parkway – a working grist mill and blacksmith shop next to a lily pond – is at its greenest in early summer.

Steep Gardens (milepost 364, North Carolina): The rhododendron peak destination. On weekends, arrive early to park safely at the visitor center.

Grandfather Mountain (milepost 305, North Carolina): A natural landmark with a famous mile-high suspension bridge, wildlife habitat and one of the best rhododendron viewing spots on the Parkway. The annual Remarkable Rhododendron Ramble typically runs through the first week of June.

Planning the ride

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs from Milepost 0 near Waynesboro, Virginia, to Milepost 469 at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee, North Carolina. Most summer visitors ride portions rather than the entire route.

Asheville, North Carolina, is the natural base for a visit to Parkway in June: well served by a regional airport, full of excellent hotels, and one of the best food and craft beer scenes in the Southeast. Located right at the bend of the Parkway, the city offers easy access to the most dramatic views and the best rhododendron walks.

The window is real and narrow. The Catawba Rhododendron will be largely ready at the end of July; the crowds of October have not yet arrived. June on the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of America’s best-kept secrets.