The Blue Ridge Parkway’s Asheville Visitor Center TRACK Trail was the first TRACK Trail we installed (August 29th, 2009). Located at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Asheville Visitor Center (Milepost 384), the TRACK Trail offers four self-guided adventures for kids of all ages. The 1.5-mile long loop trail follows a section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail on both sides of the Parkway. Note: there is a road crossing… be aware of Parkway traffic when crossing. The trailhead can be found at the far end of the visitor center’s parking lot. Be sure to go inside the visitor center and interact with their exhibits, watch the Parkway’s film and get more information about the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile journey through the Blue Ridge Mountains, connecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee with Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The Parkway travels along the crests of the Blue Ridge Mountains through 29 counties in North Carolina and Virginia. With breathtaking vistas around every turn, hundreds of miles of hiking trails to stretch your legs and more biological diversity than almost any other region in the United States, the Parkway is a Journey of a lifetime.
In addition to the TRACK Trail, another fun and exciting program for youth to do on the Blue Ridge Parkway is the Junior Ranger program! Become a Junior Ranger by stopping at any visitor center to pick up activity sheets specific to the local area. Complete the activities and promise to help care for and learn about America's National Parks to earn stickers, badges, and patches. Complete all 10 activity sheets for the Parkway and you will receive a special badge designed just for Blue Ridge Parkway Junior Rangers.
Location Details
Adventures for Blue Ridge Parkway - Asheville Visitor Center
Nature's Hide & Seek
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Nature's Relationships
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Animal Athletes
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Flower Power
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Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains
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Hikin' to Find Lichen
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Bug Out
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National Parks Expedition
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Types of Trees
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Blue Ridge Parkway: Buds become Blossoms
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Finding Ferns
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Blue Ridge Parkway: Nature's Hide & Seek Winter Edition
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Blue Ridge Parkway: Tracking Tree Treasures
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Blue Ridge Parkway: Fall Foliage - Nature's Painted Landscape
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Longitude: -82.479837400000
There are four main entrances to the Parkway that are within a 10 minute drive to the visitor center – one from the “north” and three from the "south".
From the North
Tunnel Road Entrance:
From the Tunnel Road entrance to the Parkway, travel “south” for 1.3 miles to the Visitor Center entrance on the right.
From the South
Charlotte Highway / US 74-A Entrance:
From the US 74-A entrance to the Parkway, travel “north” for 0.7 miles to the Visitor Center entrance on the left.
US 25 Entrance:
From the US 25 entrance to the Parkway, travel “north” for 4.6 miles to the Visitor Center entrance on the left.
US 191 Entrance:
From the US 191 entrance to the Parkway, travel “north” for 11 miles to the Visitor Center entrance on the left.
Partners
The Blue Ridge Parkway's Asheville Visitor Center TRACK Trail was made possible through partnerships formed between the Kids in Parks program and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the National Park Service.
There are several other activities available on the Blue Ridge Parkway! To find out more, visit the NPS website at http://www.nps.gov/blri/forkids/index.htm