Road trip from Gainesville, Florida to Blue Ridge Parway

[Madness2016]

Hi, I plant to make a road trip on 02/28/2016 from gainesville to the Blue Ridge and come back to Gainesville on 03/02/2016. I want to enjoin the whole entire the natural beautiful of the forest. I need recommendation where to stop for hotel,food and thing-to-do. I will travel with my girlfriend and my dog,so I want little bit walking for my golden retriever, he loves running so much. Can I camping along the road?

Is this list useful ? http://www.romanticasheville.com/BlueRidgeParkway.htm
Many many thanks

[Foy]

Sounds like a fine trip and a striking contrast from Gainesville, FL. Just be aware that late Feb and early March are very much winter dates along the BRP both north and south of Asheville. In fact, the highest elevation along the BRP is Mount Pisgah, just 20 miles south of Asheville, and the Craggy Gardens/Mount Mitchell is nearly as high. This is relevant because the BRP administration closes sections of the BRP without notice when snow and ice create difficult travel conditions inasmuch as little to no effort or budget for snow removal exists. The higher elevations along the BRP are those most prone to see accumulating snow and ice. I expect that all BRP campgrounds, nearby commercial campgrounds, and National Forest campgrounds in the vicinity of the BRP will be closed through March and into April due to the winter weather freezing their water system pipes--they generally don't open for the season until the threat of freezing weather has passed.

The official National Park Service website for the BRP includes a map showing closed segments and a call-in recording telephone number which updates closures frequently.

Foy

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Your biggest problem is the weather/time of year. Most of the Parkway is closed right now. This is the map that Foy referenced, and so you can see for yourself just how little of the BRP is open. I just wouldn't count on that changing all that much in the next week. Also - note that not all of those closures are weather related. A big section near Asheville is closed until spring due to construction.

Camping "along the road" is essentially illegal (and unsafe) everywhere in the US. There are several campgrounds where you can legally camp along the BRP, however, they are all still closed at this time of year.

The website you linked to has some good information (which is why we let it stand, typically new users are not allowed to post off site links), however, you really can't beat going to the source - so make sure you also check out the National Parks Service's website - including the map I linked to above.