Day-by-Day Elevation Zooms
Mile 469 to Mile 380
Day 1. We start at Cherokee, NC at about 8:00AM
and start with a 7 mile climb. Mile 431.4 (Richland
Balsam) is the highest point on the parkway at 6050'.
By the time we get to Asheville we will have done
9000+ feet of climbing. Ironically enough we end
up at the same elevation we started at, around 2000'.
Mile 390 to Mile 310
Yipee! We start at 2000' and go right back up to
over 5600', passing Mount Mitchell with its 33%
grades (Mike wants to actually go up Mt. Mitchell
but I don't know...), and ending near Grandfather Mountain.
Mile 320 to Mile 230
Over the Linn Cove Viaduct and past the
intense metropolis of Boone, NC...
Mile 240 to Mile 150
The North Carolina/Virginia State line. We mostly
get to meander around at 2500-3000' - but...
hey, what's that little spike in there at the end?
Mile 160 to Mile 70
Roanoke, VA. Hans' old stomping grounds are
in nearby Blacksburg. Go Hokies!! Now write and
ask Hans what the heck a Hokie is. After the whole
ride is over, we are coming back to Blacksburg to
participate in a little ritual they call 'Oktoberfest'.
Mile 70 to Mile 0
Last day. Just to play around with us the Parkway
dips down to 655', then zips back up to 3334' right
before the end. No respect. We end at - you
guessed it - 2000', right where we started out on
Sunday. Kind of brings a tear to the eye...
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