Boston to the Blue Ridge Parkway

[Garandman]

A buddy has asked if I want to take a spin down to the Blue Ridge Parkway. There's a Ducati event and some other events at the time (early May).

It's 600 or so miles down there the shortest way. But there must be some more interesting routes? We're open at this point in terms of taking another day or so on the way down.

[Falko]

You want banjo music interesting, or thelma and louise interesting??

[GingahNinjah]

i may be game to join for this...

[Cheese]

Trailer from here to Front Royal, VA. In Front Royal you can pick up Skyline Drive and follow that all the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This way you get maximum days on the roads you're really after instead of wasting days commuting to and from your target route.

[DucDave]

Ah...there are a lot of cool roads to get you there. Start by heading due west then south the other side of the Hudson River. You can catch the Daks and the Catskills. Then, through Great Gorge in NJ...you would't believe some of the roads in western Jersey. Cross to PA in Phillipsburg. Maybe slab a 100 miles to West Virginia. Then, anything off the interstate (and some parts of the interstate too!) will entertain!

[NobodySpecific]

Trailer from here to Front Royal, VA. In Front Royal you can pick up Skyline Drive and follow that all the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This way you get maximum days on the roads you're really after instead of wasting days commuting to and from your target route.

I've ridden the length of Skyline Drive and the BRP twice now, and this isn't a bad idea. The ride down there is pretty long, though it is worth it if that is your only option (as that's what I did both times I've been).

[Stromper]

I have done it both ways

If time is a problem then slab/trailer is best or the do west then south

There is a famous speed trap town near great gorge called west Warwick, they will happily give you a ticket for 33 in a 30. On the west side of the Catskills there is a great N/S road old route 42. It has been de numbered because it is a hoot but if you look on a good map you can dope it out.

[Cambridge K]

Careful when the banjo stops playing !

[markbvt]

Fuck trailering. Just ride. You can make it down there in a day either way, easily.

If you've never ridden Skyline Drive before, do that as well. Careful about the speed limit -- it's generally pretty strictly enforced, and it's low -- but then again there's so much wildlife there that going fast is a good way to end up dead or broken on the side of the road. But the scenery is worth the trip.

--mark

[TheIglu]

I prefer to trailer when I'm going that far. Get down there refreshed and comfortable, enjoy the most time riding the good roads, slab it back.

Works especially well with a driving buddy. Can drive at night avoiding most traffic.

[Cheese]

Fuck trailering. Just ride. You can make it down there in a day either way, easily.
--mark

A day? It's a 520 mile slab on I95 to Front Royal, VA. That's a LONG day on a LOUSY road and I wouldn't say it's done "easily". I'm sure Dave's way includes better roads but tops 600 miles and likely he wouldn't be recommending doing that in one day either.

[NobodySpecific]

A day? It's a 520 mile slab on I95 to Front Royal, VA. That's a LONG day on a LOUSY road and I wouldn't say it's done "easily". I'm sure Dave's way includes better roads but tops 600 miles and likely he wouldn't be recommending doing that in one day either.

I agree that it's not easy, but it's definitely doable. We did it from Burlington with some non-slab roads tossed in. Long day, yes, but when it's your first day of a trip it isn't so bad. The second time we got a 3 or 4 hour head start the night before to try to lighten the load (we were camping for 2 weeks, so an extra night of camping was easy).

[Lucas]

I would suggest riding neither blue ridge nor skyline on a weekend.

[Cheese]

Long day, yes, but when it's your first day of a trip it isn't so bad.

That'll get you down there, but don't you also have to come home? I suppose "Long day, yes, but when it's the last day of a trip it's not so bad."

[NobodySpecific]

That'll get you down there, but don't you also have to come home? I suppose "Long day, yes, but when it's the last day of a trip it's not so bad."

We didn't do a straight shot home, but the first time I had wrecked pretty hard earlier in the trip and wasn't looking to push it, and the second time was at the end of a 16 day trip, so we were pretty fatigued. On a shorter trip, though, it should still be doable. I already said the trailer is a good idea

[markbvt]

A day? It's a 520 mile slab on I95 to Front Royal, VA. That's a LONG day on a LOUSY road and I wouldn't say it's done "easily". I'm sure Dave's way includes better roads but tops 600 miles and likely he wouldn't be recommending doing that in one day either.

A 520 mile day is really not bad, especially if much of it is slab.

On the other hand, you're right, I-95 sucks ass. But that's also entirely the wrong way to get from Boston to Front Royal. The better way to go is I-84 to I-78 (to throw in a little scenery, take I-84 all the way to Matamoras, PA, and hop on Rt 209 through the Delaware Water Gap, then Rt 191 to Rt 33 down to I-78). From Harrisburg, PA, two routes work: either I-81 down to Front Royal, or Rt 15 down to Frederick, MD, and Rt 340 from Frederick down to Front Royal.

Yes, this route is still a shitload of slab, but much of it is actually really nice as far as slab goes. I-78 through PA is surprisingly scenic, and even a little twisty in some areas.

I routinely make the ride from the Burlington, VT, area down to my parents' house in Leesburg, VA, and I actually spend much of my route on surface streets, not slab. It's really not bad at all.

--mark

[Cheese]

A 520 mile day is really not bad, especially if much of it is slab.

On the other hand, you're right, I-95 sucks ass. But that's also entirely the wrong way to get from Boston to Front Royal. The better way to go is I-84 to I-78 (to throw in a little scenery, take I-84 all the way to Matamoras, PA, and hop on Rt 209 through the Delaware Water Gap, then Rt 191 to Rt 33 down to I-78). From Harrisburg, PA, two routes work: either I-81 down to Front Royal, or Rt 15 down to Frederick, MD, and Rt 340 from Frederick down to Front Royal.

Yes, this route is still a shitload of slab, but much of it is actually really nice as far as slab goes. I-78 through PA is surprisingly scenic, and even a little twisty in some areas.

I routinely make the ride from the Burlington, VT, area down to my parents' house in Leesburg, VA, and I actually spend much of my route on surface streets, not slab. It's really not bad at all.

--mark

I should have looked closer at your bike. You've also got a windscreen which I didn't have. If you were on a gixxer 600 with your head bobbing around in the wind for 9 hours, you'd probably feel differently about 9 hours of slab.

Here's the breakdown of how I did it for anyone who'd rather not slab.

Day 1 - 520 miles south on the trailer to Front Royal
Day 2a - 150 miles south on Skyline Drive
Day 2b - 150 miles south on Blue Ridge Parkway
Day 3 - 300 miles south on Blue Ridge Parkway

Here you either turn around or head for Deals Gap, I went to the gap for 3 days.

Day 4 - 300 miles north on Blue Ridge Parkway
Day 5a - 150 miles north on Blue Ridge Parkway
Day 5b - 150 miles north on Skyline Drive
Day 6 - 520 miles north on the trailer to Boston

[NobodySpecific]

I should have looked closer at your bike. You've also got a windscreen which I didn't have. If you were on a gixxer 600 with your head bobbing around in the wind for 9 hours, you'd probably feel differently about 9 hours of slab.

Here's the breakdown of how I did it for anyone who'd rather not slab.

Day 1 - 520 miles south on the trailer to Front Royal
Day 2a - 150 miles south on Skyline Drive
Day 2b - 150 miles south on Blue Ridge Parkway
Day 3 - 300 miles south on Blue Ridge Parkway

Here you either turn around or head for Deals Gap, I went to the gap for 3 days.

Day 4 - 300 miles north on Blue Ridge Parkway
Day 5a - 150 miles north on Blue Ridge Parkway
Day 5b - 150 miles north on Skyline Drive
Day 6 - 520 miles north on the trailer to Boston

I did it on a naked SV, so no windscreen there. But yeah, a gsxr is not the ideal bike for long distance rides, but then again if you are looking for super fast twisties you should probably avoid the BRP and should certainly avoid Skyline drive. The speed limits aren't very high and law enforcement isn't very forgiving.

[trider143]

I have done BRP/Deal's Gap and Skyline trips twice, riding slab from MA. In both cases, I had the advantage of a good-great windshield for highway riding. Having done it twice now, I am convinced that I would trailer to Front Royal as Cheese recommends. If you do go slab, definitely go through NY and PA like markbvt says.

Definitely plan for a midweek trip if you can! You will face a lot less traffic.

Definitely be careful regarding Park police. They will ticket. (I have been fortunate because my trips were all off season so there was little traffic and little visibility of patrols.)

If you take in Deal's Gap, also do it midweek for similar reasons. (There are a lot of good roads around and leading to the Gap too. They are fun to ride and patrolled less

Allow yourself an extra day or so in your plans if you run into bad weather.

[jtryz]

i would trailer that thing down with a fiend so you can be there in one day and not worn out. then spend the weekdays as the others mentioned hitting moonshine and all the other fun stuff. Def head into SC/NC which are just empty roads of fun fun fun. Then tow it back up..... stay at "Iron horse", camp so you save money and can just relax by a fire at night. you will have fun for sure

[Garandman]

We're riding, not trailering and will be hitting the popular spots on the weekdays.

[markbvt]

if you are looking for super fast twisties you should probably avoid the BRP and should certainly avoid Skyline drive. The speed limits aren't very high and law enforcement isn't very forgiving.

Neither are the thousands of deer hanging out on the sides of the road...!

--mark

[Cheese]

Neither are the thousands of deer hanging out on the sides of the road...!

--mark

+1

The shaka hand signal above the helmet doesn't mean hang loose or changing lanes down there. It means Bambi ahead so watch for it and share it with the riders coming at you.

[DucDave]

Its all about how much time you have. There is a lot of entertainment to be had enroute if you have the time. FWIW, I've never bothered with the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Tail of the Dragon. I'm certain it's worth doing but there are tons of good roads all through WV and NC that have nothing to do with these two. I spent a solid week riding WV a couple years ago and wasn't bored for one minute....

[Garandman]

+1

The shaka hand signal above the helmet doesn't mean hang loose or changing lanes down there. It means Bambi ahead so watch for it and share it with the riders coming at you.

Thanks. I didn't know what that was, interwebz to the rescue.