Winter Sports Near the Parkway
Winter brings a peaceful stillness to the Blue Ridge Mountains, transforming familiar landscapes into something entirely new. While sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway often close for the season due to weather, the surrounding mountain communities offer a variety of ways to enjoy the outdoors during the colder months. From snowy trails and quiet overlooks to nearby destinations for skiing, tubing, and seasonal recreation, winter invites visitors to slow down and experience the region at a different pace. Learn more about the Different Ways you can enjoy Winter on and off the Parkway!
Several ski resorts in Western North Carolina are just minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you are looking for diversity, drops and terrain parks, then North Carolina’s High Country is a perfect destination. There’s skiing, snowboarding, and even a free municipal sledding hill in Beech Mountain (where they can make their own snow) for children to enjoy. Various levels of skiing, snowboarding, tubing, snowshoeing and even ice skating on a 10,000 square foot outdoor rink are available in Sugar Mountain, NC. But there’s also Cataloochee, nestled up to Maggie Valley and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Full-service ski resorts like Wintergreen are available in Virginia, too. And if the snow conditions are right, there’s great free sledding at Moses Cone Memorial Park near Boone, NC & Explore Park in Roanoke, VA. Check out all these great locations for winter sports! Hint: If you can plan your visit midweek, there are fewer people and lower rates for lift tickets at ski resorts.
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A Winter Wonderland
When the Parkway is closed to vehicles, it is open to pedestrians, cyclists, skiers and snowshoers alike (unless there is a full road closure to all access; temporary maintenance closures also occur in the winter). Feel free to park at a Parkway access point (as long as your vehicle is completely off the road and you are not blocking a gate) and prepare to experience America’s favorite drive in a whole new way! Be sure to check the NPS road closure chart to determine which sections of the Parkway are closed before you depart. Hint: if you zoom in on the Park Tiles map on the NPS maps page, you can find locations of Mileposts, overlooks and trails. Read on for seven options for exploring the wide-open spaces that surround the Parkway.
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