Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Park Service unit that spans North Carolina and Virginia: about 35,040 acres of it are in Bedford County, Virginia. There is no entrance fee. It is open during posted hours; see the visitor center hours below.
Check current closures and fire restrictions for Blue Ridge Parkway on the managing agency's own page.
Blue Ridge Parkway map
Blue Ridge Parkway boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
This unit's own agency alerts list no fire restriction as of Oct. 5, 2026. We do not check a statewide fire-order feed for VA, so that is not a statement that no order exists, and not a green light for a fire. Check with the land manager and your county before you light anything.
County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.
Common questions
- Partly. About 35,040 acres of Blue Ridge Parkway are in Virginia (measured from the park's boundary map); the rest is in North Carolina.
- Yes. Blue Ridge Parkway has no entrance fee.
- Blue Ridge Parkway is open during posted hours; see the visitor center hours below.
- Sites cost $30 a night.
Fees, passes, and hours
Blue Ridge Parkway has no entrance fee.
Blue Ridge Parkway is open during posted hours; see the visitor center hours below.
Sources: nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30; nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Camping in Blue Ridge Parkway
Sites cost $30 a night.
Campgrounds inside the park's Virginia boundary: Otter Creek Campground, Peaks of Otter Campground, Rock Castle Gorge Backcountry Camping camping and Rocky Knob Campground , each with its sites, fees, season and reservations on campgroundsdb.com.
Source: nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Getting there
- Nearest town: Buchanan, 7.1 miles
Source: www2.census.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
What to see
- HighlightNPS unitNPS unit designation
Source: nps.gov, checked 2026-09-30.
Public lands next to Blue Ridge Parkway
- National Park Service unitBlue Ridge Parkway borders Appalachian National Scenic Trail, a National Park Service unit.
- National forestBlue Ridge Parkway borders George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.
- Wilderness areaBlue Ridge Parkway borders James River Face Wilderness.
- Wilderness areaBlue Ridge Parkway borders Saint Mary's Wilderness.
- Wilderness areaBlue Ridge Parkway borders Three Ridges Wilderness.
- Wilderness areaBlue Ridge Parkway borders Thunder Ridge Wilderness.
- National Park Service unitShenandoah National Park is 0.1 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
- Wilderness areaPriest Wilderness is 2 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- nps.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.