Blue Ridge Parkway - Asheville Visitor Center

Map of Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center TRACK Trail

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.

Track an adventure here
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center TRACK Trail sticker

Location Details

Recreational Features: Picnic Tables, Interpretive Programs, Birding
Amenities: Restrooms, Nature Center, Visitor Center, Gift Shop
ADA Compliant: No
Seasonality: Open all year
Trail Head sign
Young boy on trail with walking stick
Group of children on guided hike on trail
Young boy playing by Trail Head sign
Young boy playing with feather on trail
Curve in the trail
Young children playing by trail head sign

Adventures for Blue Ridge Parkway - Asheville Visitor Center

Hiking

Nature's Hide & Seek

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
The Nature's Hide & Seek brochure is designed so that kids of all ages can walk along the trail and discover common things that are often overlooked in nature. Some of them are hard to find, others are easy. Best of all, the adventure never ends because every time you walk the trail you will discover new things hiding in nature.
Hiking

Nature's Relationships

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
In the Nature's Relationships brochure you will discover how everything in nature is connected... even us. As you walk along the trail, the brochure will tell you a story about a few of the relationships that can be found. Many more relationships exist, so keep your eyes and heart open and you will discover many of nature's relationships - even yours.
Hiking

Animal Athletes

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
The Animal Athletes adventure challenges kids to exercise with the animals. This brochure gives kids eight different animal exercises they can do along the trail. From hummingbird hand-swings to frog hops, kids are sure to have fun getting in shape with the animals during their outdoor adventures.
Hiking

Flower Power

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
Many flowers depend on relationships with pollinators to reproduce. Use the clues in this brochure to see how a flower’s size, shape, color and smell have the power to attract unique pollinators.
Hiking

Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
The Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains brochure shows kids where to look for different birds along the trail. The brochure contains illustrations of some of the more common woodland birds and information on how to identify them through various clues. 
Hiking

Hikin' to Find Lichen

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
This brochure-led adventure takes kids deep into the mysterious world of lichen. Kids will discover the three different forms lichen can take, and some of the features that make the lichen lifestyle unique. Kids will also read the Lichen story about Alice Algae and Freddy Fungi to help them remember how lichens work.
Hiking

Bug Out

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
The "Bug Out" brochure is an investigation into the creepy crawlies of the forest. This adventure will help you learn how to identify the difference between insects, spiders and other arthropods.
Hiking

National Parks Expedition

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
The National Park Service protects and preserves some of the most important natural and historical treasures in the United States. You may have never noticed, but the NPS arrowhead emblem tells the story of what rangers protect at every National Park site.
Hiking

Types of Trees

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
It’s easy to get confused with the various types of trees that can be found in the forest. Use this guide to identify and learn about a few of the common types of trees in the area.
Hiking

Finding Ferns

Difficulty:
Easy
Trail length:
1.50
The Finding Ferns brochure is a fun and challenging adventure. Follow the illustrations and clues to find as many of the ferns as possible. You're going to have to be a nature detective to find them all.

Directions

Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center -milemarker 384, 195 Hemphill Knob Rd.
Asheville, NC 28803
Latitude: 35.564346800000
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