Sherando Lake Recreation Area off the Blue Ridge Parkway: Glynn Wilson
Secret Vistas –
By Glynn Wilson –
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, Va. — The National Park Service calls this “America’s Favorite Drive,” but if you go by the traffic, U.S. Highways 81 and 66 to Washington, D.C. might better fit the bill.
After camping in the mountains of Virginia for a couple of nights in an undisclosed location on the way back south from a business trip to Washington, we entered the George Washington National Forest Tuesday morning and hit the parkway near the Sherando Lake Recreation Area, known locally as the “jewel of the Blue Ridge.”
Sherando Lake Recreation Area off the Blue Ridge Parkway: Glynn Wilson
Jefferson and I tooled down the parkway from there toward Roanoke, checking out some of the other campgrounds along the way, including Otter Creek Campground.
This was a scouting trip. We realize that summer is America’s family camping season, but we like camping in the spring and fall more. We plan on passing back through this way again to stay a little longer in the fall on the way back to Washington, D.C.
Sherando Lake Recreation Area off the Blue Ridge Parkway: Glynn Wilson
Sherando Lake Recreation Area off the Blue Ridge Parkway: Glynn Wilson
We’re now back at the Hungry Mother State Park campground for the night on the way back to Alabama to finish off the business of selling the house.
In spite of this being peak summer camping season and the week of the Fourth of July, we found the parkway nearly deserted. It is not hard to find yourself alone on this stunningly beautiful drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains for miles and miles. See you on the road again soon in another Secret Vista.
