Blue Ridge Parkway · Asheville to Mount Pisgah

The Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville, out and back: from the Parkway visitor center the route crosses the French Broad River, climbs past the Mills River overlooks to Mount Pisgah and comes back the same way. It's 48 miles. There's no fuel on the Parkway, the tunnels are unlit, and in late October 2026 the Park Service had daytime single-lane traffic control near the French Broad. High sections close with ice and snow in winter, and the stretch closed by Helene, north of Asheville, isn't used.

The route starts at the Blue Ridge Parkway visitor center in Asheville, near milepost 384, and heads south. It crosses the French Broad River, with an overlook just above the water, and then climbs steadily along the ridges, through unlit tunnels and past the Mills River valley overlooks, to Mount Pisgah near milepost 408. Up there, George Vanderbilt built his Buck Spring Lodge in 1896; today the Mount Pisgah parking area holds the trailhead to the summit, and the Pisgah Inn sits just beyond.

The Pisgah Inn and its restaurant open seasonally, through October 31 in 2026, and there's no fuel anywhere on this stretch of the Parkway, so fill up in Asheville. In late October 2026 the Park Service had daytime single-lane traffic control between mileposts 388.8 and 393.6, near the French Broad. The section closed since Hurricane Helene, between mileposts 344.2 and 355.3, is north of Asheville and isn't used. High sections close with ice and snow in winter without a fixed date, so check the Parkway road status page on the day you ride.