Camping sites are plentiful on and near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Please share your campfire stories, favorite campgrounds, experiences, ideas, and tips with fellow Parkway travelers.
Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs is seeking your help in identifying the High Country’s role models and young mountain sports stars. These young men and women will be recognized through the first ever A4 inititiative – Appalachian Adventure Achievement Award. Honors will include recognition on stage at the Banff Mountain Film Festivals, and a selection of prizes made possible by project sponsors.
There are two age categories for the A4: 17 and under, and 18-24 years old. Nominees must either reside or attend school in the High Country of NC (Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties) to be eligible. Nominations can be submitted for individuals in successive years, but a nominee can only receive the A4 once for their age category. The April 1 screening of Banff will recognize the 17 and under A4 winner, while the April 2 screening will honor the 18-24 year-old A4 winner.
Deadline for nominations is March 18, 2011. For more information on nominations, and to actually submit a nomination, please check out the A4 Nomination Form.
Outdoor Programs is bringing the 15th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival back to Boone for the “best of the festival” world tour Friday and Saturday, April 1-2, 2011. The films will be screened at Farthing Auditorium on the campus of Appalachian State University.
These films focus on themes of environment, culture and adventure in the mountains and represent the best of the best. Hundreds of entries were submitted from around the world and Outdoor Programs has selected films for this viewing that will not only educate, but will also inspire and entertain you.
Online ticket sales for Banff can be purchased through Farthing Auditorium, or if you’re in downtown Boone, NC you can pick up your tickets at Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. Tickets are $9 (students can grab tickets at $7).
Check out the Banff Mountain Film Festival trailer for 2010-2011: Read more »
Now Available! Having always been a popular guidemap, we are now offering all three maps together to save you money! This Blue Ridge Parkway Guidemap set covers the northern, central, and southern sections of the Parkway highlighting overlooks, campgrounds, trailheads, visitor centers, tunnels and access roads, all with handy tables listing mileposts and access points.
You’ll also find waterfalls, major recreation areas, and several backroads identified to make your trip an adventurous one. Buying all 3 maps together means you’re covered from milepost 0 to 469.1. Who wouldn’t want America’s Favorite Scenic Drive accessible at their fingertips?
You can still purchase these maps separately, in case you feel like covering a smaller area.
Happy Travels!
If you are planning a trip to the Southern Appalachians for the fall color season and want to stay in hotel or lodge accommodations, have reservations in advance. Many times I have seen travelers on the Blue Ridge Parkway during October thinking that they would just take a leisurely drive and find a motel room at the end of the day. In many cases they would find no room at the inn. I have seen people drive seventy five miles or more away from the park to find a vacant room.
October is the peak visitation season for this region of the country and a pretty weekend can see huge crowds in the parks and surrounding communities. Many small towns and rural areas will be hosting festivals and art events that draw hundreds if not thousands of people.
October is also college football season. Colleges also sponsor their family and alumni weekends durng the beautiful fall weather. Such events can fill hotels for miles. You can check college web sites for their schedules. Some of the key colleges that may affect hotel availability are:
The University of Virginia
Virginia Military Institute
Washington and Lee University
Virginia Tech
Appalachian State University
University of North Carolina At Asheville
Competition for hotel rooms can be almost as exciting as some of the football games.
Traffic in prime viewing areas may also become congested which will result in slow downs and delays. So make sure your plans for the distances to travel are reasonable and attainable. Allow a cushion of time in your planning for heavy traffic. Come the end of the day you do not want to be hundreds of miles away from your planned stop for the night.
When ever possible travel during the week. Weekends are always the peak traffic times. Hotels rooms are also more easily obtainable on weekday nights.
. One of our perks in the sponsorship is that our team gets a few tickets to go to The Banff Mountain Film Festival on it’s tour in Boone.
