The first stop along our tour, this state-run park has a visitor center with helpful staff and a gift shop featuring arts and crafts from local artists. Want to start the day off with a hike? This place has you covered, with a variety of trails for all levels of experience. There’s even a section with a zipline, obstacle course, and trampoline park.   

This hotel is within sight of the Visitor Center. It is the only food and lodging available directly on the Parkway itself. Reservations are recommended if you would like to stay in one of the rooms, but any visitor is welcome to enjoy the restaurant. There’s sit-down dining or grab-and-go food available. Don’t forget to check out the view of the Peaks of Otter from behind the lodge! There’s also a peaceful walk around a manmade lake. It’s paved, shady, and ADA-compliant. It’s the least difficult walk on your tour today, and should only take about 30 minutes, depending on how much of the scenery you want to take in.

One of the more popular overlooks along the Parkway, Thunder Ridge gives a panoramic view of the Anold Valley below. There is a stone platform that gives you the opportunity to take outstanding pictures with no interruptions. Additionally, there is a short 10-minute leg stretcher trail back to the parking lot. Also features access to the Appalachian trail for a much longer hike.

A true hidden gem just off of the parkway, Sherando lake features several outdoor activities. There is a beach, ideal for relaxing or playing in the sand. There are two man made lakes, one for fishing and the other for water sports like swimming, canoeing, or kayaking. There are multiple trails with all levels of difficulty. There is even a Visitor Center which features all of the amenities you could ask for. Fees/requirements: $8 per vehicle up to 8 passenger capacity for day use. $2 per person for vans and buses carrying more than 8 passengers.

Raven’s Roost is one of the most popular overlooks on this section of the Parkway. It should only take a few minutes for you to see why. A gorgeous panorama of the valley and mountains below, with two possible locations for photographs. As the name suggests, ravens frequently roost nearby, so it is not uncommon for you to see them perched at this overlook, or soaring high above the valley.

This is the final Visitor Center on our tour today, as well as the second-to-last stop. In addition to the museum exhibits, this is It is a great place to plan your next Virginia road trip. You can also get a last minute souvenir, or ask any questions at the ranger station. Outside of the Center itself, there are a variety of trails, including a branch of the Appalachian Trail. There’s also a very easy one that will take you through a re-creation of a settler’s farmstead. Historical reenactors will demonstrate techniques and give lectures on how the settlers survived in the Blue Ridge region. There is also a more difficult trail that leads to the Humpback Rocks themselves, with a 360 degree view as your reward.

This smaller Visitor Center is definitely worth the visit. For one thing, it is the lowest point on the entire Blue Ridge Parkway. That’s right, we’ve gone from the highest to the lowest point in Virginia, all one tour! Features in the Center include information panels about the natural history of the Parkway area, as well as a ranger-staffed desk. But don’t forget about the trails! There are two short trails that start from the Visitor Center. The Trail of Trees is an easy 30-minute walk through the woods which features plaques full of information about what you’re seeing. There’s also a pair of overlooks here, giving you a gorgeous view of the James River. The second trail is another easy 30 minute walk called the Canal Lock Tour. It leads you over a modern footbridge and along a grassy path to a real, historic part of a canal. This lock demonstration has all of the information you could want about how goods and people were moved along the James River in the 18th and 19th centuries. Finally, the James River Visitor Center features a large picnic area. There are abundant picnic tables in the shade. You also have a serene view of the James River as you eat!

There are two short walks at Yankee Horse Ridge Trailhead. One leads along the re-created tracks of an abandoned railroad, originally used to move timber from a logging operation. If you walk to the left of the tracks, you will see another trail that leads to Wigwam Falls, one of the most photographed waterfalls on this section of the Parkway.