biketocamp

Hey all,

My Friend and I are doing a three day bikepacking trip along the Blue Ridge Pkwy. I've ridden the Blue Ridge last year during my summer U.S. tour but never camped in there. I've always wanted to revisit and camp the different areas there while riding. Last year I entered the parkway from Waynesboro, VA traveling west. I rode until I was able to camp in Buena Vista, VA at Mallard Duck where I was based for 2 days before pushing further west. I was thinking of entering the Blue Ridge at the same location (Waynesboro, VA) but only this time riding to Otter Creek, which I believe this is a total of 60miles. We can possibly push even further to Peaks of Otter.

In terms of camping I've noticed last year that it seemed as though I can pretty much pull off the side off the road and camp anywhere (stealth). However, I believe that is illegal and park rangers may ask us to leave or even fine us. So... from Waynesboro, VA our options for camping would be Sherando Lake, George Washington National Forest, Otter Creek and Peaks of Otter. We'll be doing three nights here and riding most of the days with some light hiking off the bike into some of the trails there. Any tips and or help with camping ideas please chime in. All help will be greatly appreciated.

BigAura

I've done a good bit of touring on and around the BRP, but more so in NC where you're surrounded by National Forests. Technically you're right in that the only legal camping along the Parkway is in the official pay sites. But getting off onto some side roads and exploring the flanking forests is a great way to go. I've done some stealth camping too and never had any issue, but I am totally stealth and practice leave-no-trace, virtually zero impact (change/leave/take nothing).

DropBarFan

Went on a weekend BRP tour in the late fall & was amazed on how little car traffic there was, often 15 minutes between passing a car. No other cycle tourists despite the route being famous & weather was still mild.

Felt pretty awesome, like the whole road was created to be my own deluxe bike path. Wondered about stealth camping but area is so hilly & forested it might be tough to find a camp spot that was flat, open & accessible. Maybe next to hiking trails would be fine, I doubt that park rangers would hike at night to scout out folks.


Stayed at the Peaks of Otter campground, was going to stay at the inn but they didn't have TV LOL & I wanted to try max effort of loaded mtn touring. Peaks' restaurant had the Friday nite seafood buffet which was surprisingly popular w/local who drove in from surrounding areas. I got the country ham & was so tired I could barely finish it. So foggy when setting up tent in the dark I could barely find the shower/WC even with a flashlight.

JimF22003

Just remember that to "push" on to Peaks of Otter you have to do a 3200 foot climb from the James River up to Thunder Ridge first. But it is mostly a gradual downhill from where Rt 60 crosses the parkway down to Otter Creek. If you go down to Lake Sherando you also have a heck of a climb back up to the parkway.

I have a place in Lexington, so I ride that area of the parkway all the time, but only on a road bike, so maybe my perspective is different than a tourer. I'm not mega familiar with all the available camping spots unfortunately. But I can help with other route information if you're interested.

pdlamb

Get a copy of "Bicycling the Blue Ridge" by the Skinners from your favorite bookstore for the ultimate BRP planning guide. It lists a lot of off-Parkway resources (motels, campgrounds, restaurants, etc.) that'll make your ride much easier to plan.

There are a lot more facilities in the Skyline Drive, although you have to pay an entrance fee, or on the North Carolina end of the Parkway. Of course N.C. is a half a day's drive from Waynesboro, but the scenery down south is tremendous.

tarwheel 

According to the official Blue Ridge Parkway map, there are NPS campgrounds at the following milepoints/locations:

- 60.9 Otter Creek
- 86.0 Peaks of Otter
- 120.4 Roanoke Mountain
- 169.0 Rocky Knob
- 241.1 Doughton Park
- 297.1 Julian Price
- 316.4 Linville Falls
- 339.5 Crabtree Meadows
- 408.6 Mount Pisgah

There is lodging at the following locations directly on the parkway:
- 86.0 Peaks of Otter
- 408.6 Mount Pisgah

These lists only include campsites and hotels directly on the parkway. There are many private campgrounds and hotels along roads that cross the parkway. Some of these are very close to the parkway, some not so close. Roads crossing the parkway tend to have very steep gradients, so riding to locations off the parkway can be a challenge. This website has information about facilities close to the parkway but not on it:

Blue Ridge Parkway Directory & Travel Planner - Blue Ridge Parkway

thumpism 

It is gradual but it is also about 13 miles of constant uphill. Gravity bike guys from the bike shop in Lynchburg used to love that stretch.

hokie cycler

13 miles at a constant 6% grade with no breaks. It's a beast even on a road bike with no gear.

pdlamb

It only averages about 4.5% over the 13 miles. There aren't any downhill "breaks," but there are sections where it eases off to 3% for a while. (It makes a truly great downhill going north!)

tarwheel 

I was up at Peaks of Otter last weekend and brought one of my road bikes. I had ridden sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina before, but had not ridden in that part of Virginia. Perhaps I am just getting older, but the climbs seemed much steeper and longer around Peaks of Otter than parts of the parkway I have ridden in Western NC. I was using the lowest gears on my triple on most of the ascents, and easily could have topped 40 mph on many descents. I am a wimp when it comes to descending on curvy mountain roads, so I was tapping my brakes a lot. As tough as the ride was unloaded, I can't imaging riding it with full panniers.

gorshkov

I rode the parkway south to north in 2008, and I stealth camped a couple of times without problems. Yes, it is illegal, but as long as you stay out of sight of the parkway, don't camp in picnic areas, and pitch your tent near dusk, you should be OK. One thing to consider with camping, especially in the NC part of the parkway, is bears. One came through my site in a pay campground near Mt. Pisgah. The pay campgrounds have steel boxes to store your food in, and if you stealth camp, you obviously won't have that. So make sure you know how to store your food properly (canister or hang). What I did when stealth camping was to cook dinner in a picnic area, then ride a few more miles before pitching the tent. This makes your campsite less obvious both to bears and to park rangers.

DropBarFan

Started my BRP tour at Buena Vista where there's a considerable climb just to get to the Parkway. W/camping gear weight it was really tough at first, I thought "No way I'm gonna be able to do this all weekend". But after a while muscles/system warms up. Peaks of Otter climb was so long, once I got off to walk just to relax legs. Next time I'll have to train better. Maybe run up steps for an hour at a time, heh. Roger de Vlaeminck used to run up sand dunes carrying his coach on his back--& the coach was not a skinny guy either.

biketocamp

Thanks everyone for chiming in. @DropBarFan I remember this but in reverse heading west. I imagined climbing this would be tough. I was descending for about a good 5 minutes. @gorshkov thanks for all your help and tips with the camping. We're going to start in Waynesboro, drive to Humpback Rocks visitor center to try and park our car for a few days without issues. If we can't keep it there hopefully it can stay at Sherando Lake. The idea is to stay on the parkway and keep pushing forward and return to the car on our final day. We're just a couple weeks away.

SRFS1

There is parking at the Visitors Center at the top of Rockfish Gap. I'm in Waynesboro, let me know if you need a shuttle while you are here. I close my store most days at 6pm and would be happy to help you out.

Kevin

biketocamp

Hi Kevin, thanks so much for sharing this. Would we be able to park here for 3 days without any issues? We wanted to ride to Sherando Lake to camp or park for the first night. From there we plan to push to Otter Creek the next day. Is Sherando Lakes Camp location off the parkway? Ideally we wanted to stay on the parkway which is why we inquired about stealth camping.

JimF22003

Sherando Lake is down off of the parkway five miles or so, and it's a pretty steep climb back up either by Reeds Gap or Love Road. I met a girl who was doing the Trans Am a few weeks ago

I don't think you'd want to leave the car at the visitor's center. I'm pretty sure you'd attract the attention of the rangers if you left it over night. If you don't take advantage of Kevin's offer, and you want to start a little farther south, you could leave your car and start from my place in Lexington. It's about 10 miles from the parkway, but is on a pretty part of the Trans Am Bike Route 76.

SRFS1

Here's a Strava view of the climb from Sherando to Love's Gap. From Sherando to the BRP at Love's Gap is 2.2 miles at an average of 7% with 823' of elevation gain.

Folks who section hike the AT use the parking at the Visitor's Center every day. It is outside the Park so Rangers don't worry about it. You could also park at the downtown lot in Waynesboro and I can shuttle you to the top at Milepost "0". Either way, parking is free and allowed.

Let me know if you want to start on this end and I will help however I can. My direct email is kevin@southriverflyshop.com

pdlamb

If you want to park at one of the Parkway facilities, you'd probably want to stick your nose in and tell a ranger what you're doing. Many times they'll help (park around the back and nobody will see your car), and they'll usually make a note of license, how long you'll be going, and which direction you're headed. It helps them know when you're overdue, that they don't need to worry about that car until next Thursday, etc.