The Blue Ridge Parkway in the Spring
Many of my posts come from questions from my clients. I have been receiving a lot of questions about the Blue Ridge Parkway. Below is some general information about the Parkway in the Spring. I will be posting again about the Parkway in late Spring in a series of posts about Day Trips from Nelson County. For complete information about the Parkway, check out www.BlueRidgeParkway.org. This is a great website with much information. If you are planning a summer vacation to the Blue Ridge Mountains, this web site can help you plan many days of adventure.
The Blue Ridge Parkway follows the Appalachian Mountains and follows through Nelson County. One personal comment is that I never advise visitors to drive on the Parkway at night. Since there are no street lights, it is very dark and some areas do not have cell phone coverage. Population is very sparse. It is very easy to miss a turn if needing to exit, etc. Along the Parkway, each mile is marked with a “mile-marker”. The first marker at the zero milepost is at Rockfish Gap, immediately south of the Shenandoah National Park. So, if you are joining the Parkway from Nelson County, you are starting near the beginning of the Parkway in the low mile marker numbers.
The Parkway makes for an interesting drive in Spring as you can watch the trees, wildflowers and wildlife awake for another season. More than 100 types of birds can be seen during the Spring migration season. Many trees will have showy blooms in Virginia, starting in April. One of my favorite areas of the Parkway in Virginia is the Otter Creek area. (more in my blog in April about this area) In mid-May in the Otter Creek area, you can see another one of my favorites, the Mountain Laurel blooms.
Here is a brief guide to seeing Spring wildflowers on the Parkway near Nelson County:
Buttercups are common along the side of the road and Tulip Poplar are common in low woods
Golden Groundsel can be found at mile marker 29.1 in April and May
Rhododendron can be found at mile marker 4 in April and May and Phlox in May
Redbud can be found between markers 54-68
False Soloman’s Seal can be found along the roadside
The Virginia Dogwood can be found at marker 6 in May
Check out the web site for a complete guide to Spring wildflowers along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
