by MARCUS WOHLSEN

In the Blue Ridge, you might think all road trips start and end with a single road. In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps began construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Today, many road trippers still consider it America’s top scenic drive.

And why not? With so many sweet views, a full day on the Parkway makes you feel like a kid who’s eaten too much candy. It offers easy access to the striking ecology of the Blue Ridge high country (wildflowers especially) and a multitude of hiking trails that lead well beyond the places roads reach. Best of all, you don’t need a map. Just get on the road and go straight.

But the Parkway is only the beginning. The endless back roads of the Blue Ridge go places most of the 17 million annual visitors to the Parkway will never see. Roads like US 100 in Virginia. Or Route 74 in North Carolina through Hickory Nut Gorge. Get on a two-lane road in these mountains and you’re almost guaranteed to wind up some place beautiful.

Sadly, most of us don’t have time to wander aimlessly. With our precious few free days, we want to see and hike and swim and relax as much as we can. To help you on your way this summer, BRO has compiled six itineraries to lead you down some of the best roads in the Blue Ridge. Each trip includes a wide variety of activities and can easily be adapted to include other attractions along the way.

And remember: If you get up one morning, climb out of your tent, look to the horizon, hear the babbling brook, and say, “I don’t feel like driving today,” don’t feel bad. Though getting there is half the fun of a road trip, the other half is having the freedom to kick back and stay right where you are.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SECRETS

This stealth route in the shadow of America’s most popular park will keep your road trip wild and crowd-free.

DAY 1

Mountain-Bike Tsali. Though not exactly an obscure destination among mountain bikers, the dozens of miles of graded trails at the Tsali Recreation Area in Nantahala National Forest (www.mtbikewnc.com) have enough dirt to go around. On days when the left-hand loop is open to MTBers, the right-hand loop is open to horses, and vice versa. Smooth enough for novices but long and varied enough for experienced cruisers, Tsali serves up panoramic views of the Smokies and Fontana Lake. Bring your own ride or rent a top-of-the-line full-suspension rig from nearby Nantahala Outdoor Center (800-232-7238; www.noc.com).

DAY 2

Hike Gregory Bald. After a quiet night at nearby Turkey Creek Campground (www.turkey-creek.com), continue north on Route 28 as the Smokies loom on the horizon. Park at the Fontana Dam Shelter, a.k.a. the Fontana Hilton, on the Appalachian Trail (828-254-3708; www.appalachiantrail.org) and head up into one of the least-hiked sections of the national park. Where the AT intersects with the Gregory Bald Trail, hang a left and head for the summit of Gregory Bald, which lies further from any paved road than any other point in the southern Appalachians. It may be dark by the time you get back down, but you’ll sleep well knowing you’ve traversed the wildest country in the East.

DAY 3

Paddle the Little Tennessee River. Ever wonder what western North Carolina looked like before the Cherokee ever laid eyes on a white man? Take a float down the Little Tennessee River and paddle into the past. Less than two hours from Asheville, the Blue Ridge’s most pristine river shelters the endangered Appalachian elktoe, the region’s only native freshwater mussel. Immerse yourself in wilderness on a mellow float through the fabled Needmore Tract, just a few miles off Route 28. Great Smokey Mountains Fish Camp & Safaris (www.fishcamp.biz; 828-369-5295) in Franklin, N.C. can provide guides, boats, and shuttles. If you’re nice, owner and world-renowned angler Jerry Anselmo may also tell you where to hook the biggest smallmouth you’ve ever seen.

DAY 4

Sea-Kayak Lake Jocassee. One of the Blue Ridge’s least spoiled lakes is also one of its least known. Lake Jocassee straddles the border between North Carolina and South Carolina, edged by some of the most lush wilderness areas each state has to offer. Head out with guides from Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman, N.C., to explore the Jocassee shoreline’s cliffs and gorges by sea kayak ($85-$125; 828-877-3106; www.headwatersoutfitters.com). One of America’s highest concentrations of rare plants finds sanctuary here beneath the soaring Blue Ridge Escarpment. Amid the calls of loons and your paddle’s gentle splash, so will you.

SLOW RIDE

Small-town America meets Blue Ridge beauty on the peachy high roads of north Georgia.

DAY 1

Hike Amicalola Falls State Park. Amicalola’s name comes from a Cherokee word that means “tumbling waters.” After breakfasting on a fried chicken biscuit at Jack’s Café (706-864-9169) in Dahlonega, head west along the southern edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest to Amicalola Falls (706-265-4703). From the Visitor Center follow the Base of the Falls Trail to the foot of the 729-foot series of cascades that gives the park its name. Take the Top of the Falls Trail back down for the full falls experience. Want more? Hike the 8-mile trail to the summit of Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, or hike a five-mile trail to spend the night at the Len Foote Hike Inn (800-864-7275).

DAY 2

Summit Brasstown Bald. From Amicalola, take the long way ‘round to get to Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia. Scenic Route 2 cuts north across the Chattahoochee National Forest (770-297-7000) through the town of Blue Ridge itself en route to Brasstown. The smell of boiled peanuts travels on the breeze here. Stop at a roadside stand to enjoy this local delicacy along with a tall glass of sweet tea. You could drive all the way to Brasstown’s summit, but you’ll only feel like you earned the views if you hike it. At the intersection of Route 180 and the 180 spur, take Jack’s Knob Trail to the Brasstown parking lot, then follow the paved trail to the visitor center at the summit (3.5 miles in all).

DAY 3

Raft the Chattooga. Known to tourists only as the Deliverance river, local paddlers have long since gotten over the Chattooga’s infamous association. For whitewater rafting, only the Gauley in West Virginia comes close to the Chattooga for scenery and sheer excitement. Still, it lacks the name recognition and therefore the crowds. Hook up with Wildwater Ltd. (800-451-9972; www.wildwaterrafting.com) to run the river. They’ll take you down Section III, which packs a punch, or Section IV, which packs a punch with brass knuckles. Sign up for the overnight trip, which includes both sections, and Wildwater will throw in a tent-side steak dinner.

DAY 4

Raise a Stein in Helen. Old World charm meets Southern hospitality in Helen, a mock Tyrolean village in the heart of the north Georgia mountains. The Chattahoochee River runs through downtown Helen and makes for great tubing. After a day in the water, get a riverfront table at the Hofbrauhaus (706-878-2248) and enjoy a cold Bier with view of the surrounding mountains. Along the Richard B. Russell scenic highway north of Helen, Anna Ruby Falls and High Shoals Scenic Area make great picnic spots.

HIGH COUNTRY HIGH

A four-day taste of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge high country will only leave you hungry for more

DAY 1

Tour the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway (828-298-0398) may not be the fastest way to get from Asheville to Boone, but what’s the hurry? Most of the North Carolina high country’s classic outdoor destinations lie along this world-class stretch of road. Make time for Craggy Gardens (milepost 364.6) and Crabtree Meadows (milepost 339.5), awash in color in summer. At the Linn Cove Viaduct (milepost 304.6), driving itself becomes the main attraction as this marvel of civil engineering sends you soaring over the valley below. Feeling cramped after a day in the car? Stretch out with a run on the carriage trails at Moses Cone Memorial Park (milepost 293-295.5) before heading into Boone for pizza at Café Portofino (828-264-7772; www.cafeportofino.net).

DAY 2

Hike Grandfather Mountain. Though some may see it as too touristy, no trip to the high country is complete without a trip to the top of the Blue Ridge’s most dramatic summit. At 5,964 feet, Grandfather Mountain (800-468-7325; www,grandfather.com) is the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Range (technically Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 feet, is in the Black Mountains) . Park in the lot below the summit and take the half-mile nature trail through the stark spruce-fir landscape to the famed Mile-High Swinging Bridge. On the clearest of days, you can see from here to Charlotte some 90 miles south, along with a 360-degree panorama of the southern Appalachians.

DAY 3

Explore High Country Back Roads. For true high country hospitality, book a room at the Mast Farm Inn (888-963-5857; www.mastfarminn.com) in historic Valle Crucis. From the rocking chairs on the porch of this 19th-century Victorian farmhouse, you can see the garden that will supply the vegetables for your four-course dinner of haute nouvelle Southern delicacies at Mast Farm’s renowned restaurant. Before you dine, visit the Mast General Store (828-963-6511) just down the road, where you’ll find barrels of old-fashioned candy alongside screwdrivers, work boots, pickled okra, and just about anything else you could think of to fit in this rustic, sprawling reminder of the pre-strip mall days. From here, head out on the back roads on either side of Boone for a scenic drive to Todd, N.C., population 50. On Saturday nights, old-time pickers like Grammy-winner Doc Watson sit in for jam sessions on the porch of the Todd General Store (336-877-1067).

DAY 4

Trek Linville Gorge. Even in the parking lot of Linville Falls (milepost 316.5), you start to feel you’re entering a more elemental world, a place dominated by rock, water, and light. From here, follow the Linville Gorge Trail to the Plunge Basin Overlook for a glimpse of one of the Southeast’s most thrilling waterfalls. A torrent of whitewater rips through a gap in a sheer cliff and falls into a pool that shimmers under a cloud of mist. Back up the trail, take the spur that leads down to the Plunge Basin itself. The deeper you go, the bigger the old-growth hemlocks get, until they nearly block the sun.

BEAUTY BY THE BAY

Scenic drive along the shores of the Chesapeake and beyond showcases a watery wonderland of history and wildlife.

DAY 1

Drive the Colonial Parkway. Head out on scenic Route 5 east from Richmond. Its low-slung wetlands will get you in the mood for a sojourn where water reigns. Once you get to Williamsburg, skip the theme-park hokum and head for Jamestown Island (757-229-1733; www.nps.gov/jame), site of the first English settlement in America. Pick up the Colonial Parkway (www.nps.gov/colo/Jamestwn/parkway.htm) here and traverse the verdant tidewater countryside of the Virginia Peninsula. Bed down for the night at the Ravenswood Inn Bed & Breakfast (804-725-7272; www.bbonline.com/va/ravenswood/) on the Mobjack Bay in Mathews, Virginia, just minutes from the historic New Point Comfort Lighthouse (www.newpointcomfort.com).

DAY 2

Hike the Cliffs at Westmoreland State Park. Up the Virginia shore, hang a left at the mouth of the Potomac and head inland, or what passes for inland this region of narrow, marshy peninsulas and rough-hewn fishing villages. At Westmoreland State Park (804-493-8821), the Potomac’s banks rise up abruptly to form soaring palisades that rise 150 feet above the water. Erosion in recent years have sent large chunks of Westmoreland’s Horsehead Cliffs toppling into the river, so watch your step along the trails that lead up to the precipices. Back down by the water, amateur paleontologists unearth giant teeth from ancient sharks embedded in newly exposed rock on Fossil Beach.

DAY 3

Sail the Potomac. After a night on the town in Washington, D.C., head south past Old Alexandria to the Belle Haven Marina. Owned by the National Park Service, the Belle Haven offers visitors a taste of seafaring life from the days of tar and pitch. Surrounding the marina, the swamp forests of Dyke Marsh stretch out for 380 acres. The Mariner Sailing School (703-768-0018; www.saildc.com) teaches would-be sailors how to crank the tiller and man the jib. They also rent boats, from canoes and kayaks to 34-foot sloops.

DAY 4

Birdwatch on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Tracing the shoreline of the Potomac, the George Washington Memorial Parkway (703-289-2500; www.nps.gov/gwmp) serves up the area’s best views of the D.C. skyline. You’ll also want to keep your eyes peeled for some of the 250 bird species that inhabit the forests and marshes that fall within the Parkway’s protected corridor. At Daingerfield Island, look for gulls and terns along the southern flats or watch the waves for rare species like ruddy duck, lesser scaup, and piping plover. Past Mount Vernon, you’ll find Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge (703-490-4979), founded in 1969 specifically to protect the bald eagle. Another few miles south, Prince William Forest Park (703-221-7181; www.nps.gov/prwi) protects the largest swath of forest in the D.C. metro area, including acres of rare Piedmont forest.

SHENANDOAH MINI-EPIC

You’ll have to get up early to pull off this multisport marathon-a lung-busting, adrenaline-pumping journey through the best of the Virginias.

DAY 1

Tame the New River Gorge. What better place to start your adventure than the epicenter of extreme sports in the Southeast. The New River, America’s oldest river, gets cantankerous by the time it reaches the Gorge. Its Class V rapids have chewed up more gall-durned whippersnappers than Old Man Potter could shake a stick at. That’s why it’s best to stick close to the seasoned guides from ACE Adventure Center (1-888-ACE-RAFT; www.aceraft.com), whose trips are known as the industry standard. To wake up rested and refreshed for your long day on the water, rent a cabin the night before your trip at ACE’s 1400-acre resort.

DAY 2

Send Seneca Rocks. You could just hang out in the New and climb there. But this is a road trip. So get on the road. At Seneca Rocks, massive geological forces have literally stood a mountain range on end. The area’s massive fins serve up the Southeast’s most serious verticality. But never fear. Big cracks and holds abound for less experienced climbers. You can also get pointers on how to tackle Seneca from the experienced rock hounds at the Seneca Rocks Climbing School (800-548-0108; www.seneca-rocks.com). Classes range from one-day refreshers to three-day comprehensive skills workshops.

DAY 3

Trail Run Tuscarora. Every year the Blue Ridge’s most serious masochists head into the Massanutten Mountains on the Shenandoah Valley’s western edge for a 100-mile running race that puts even the strongest to the test. But you don’t have to run 100 miles to prove how hardcore you are. For a good taste of what those hardy souls are up against, hit the Tuscarora Trail, built decades ago as an AT alternative. On the 14-mile stretch between Cedar Creek and the Paul Gerhard Shelter, you’ll experience the steep, rocky isolation and signature vistas that make the Tuscarora a favorite among adventurers eager to go the extra mile for a true wilderness experience. Contact the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (www.patc.net) for more information.

DAY 4

Cruise Skyline Drive. Okay, you’ve done your duty. By now, your legs should be too weak to stand. So today you’ll keep your butt firmly planted in the bucket seat as you travel the length of Virginia’s most scenic roadway. Pick a weekday to avoid tourist traffic on Skyline Drive (540-999-3500; www.nps.gov/shen/). And remember: You have a whole day to drive 105 miles, so take your time. Savor the views of Hawksbill and Old Rag. Bring binoculars and watch for warblers, deer, and even black bear at Big Meadows. Pull off at any of the innumerable overlooks between Front Royal and Waynesboro and savor the silence. You’ve earned it.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW

In the valley of America’s most ancient river, the north-flowing New winds through southwest Virginia’s best road-trip terrain.

DAY 1

Hike Rocky Knob. In southwest Virginia between Fancy Gap and Meadows of Dan, the Blue Ridge Parkway becomes much like any other rural road in this remote part of the state. Low mountains bracket rolling pastures edged by split-rail fences that zig-zag along the road’s edge. Magnolias in bloom lead down to Mabry Mill, an old waterwheel known as the most photographed site on the Parkway. The road rises up suddenly into the hills again as it mounts the twin summits of Rocky Knob. Overlooking Rock Castle Gorge, a network of trails traces the slopes that border the vast sweep of the piedmont. At night, bed down at the Park Service’s Rocky Knob Campground (milepost 167.1). Weekdays are best-campsites are first-come, first-serve.

DAY 2

Tube the New River. Back down in the valley, the New River twists and turns like a snake that doesn’t know where it’s going. Its meandering route tells geologists that the river has run here through the rise and fall of multiple mountain ranges. Stop off in Galax for some down-home BBQ at the Galax Smokehouse on Main Street (276-236-1000). Then head down the road just a few miles to where VA 94 and VA 274 meet along the banks of the New. The nice folks at Riverside Outfitters (276-238-0878) will set you up with a canoe or kayak and shuttle service. Or bring your inner tube and spend your day relaxing on the river beneath jagged cliffs and forests thick with rhodo.

DAY 3

Mountain Bike Grayson Highlands. In the shadow of Mount Rogers, Virginia’s highest peak, Grayson Highlands State Park (276-579-7092) beckons bikers from across the Blue Ridge with its expansive views and wide, well-maintained trails. Riders can traverse high alpine meadows and rolling forest trails in the highest state park in Virginia. The mellow terrain may leave hardcore singletrack fanatics wanting more. Fortunately for them, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (276-783-5196) next door offers over a 1,000 miles of bikeable backcountry. Rent bikes from New River Riders Bike Shoppe in Galax (276-236-5900; www.newriverriders.com).

DAY 4

Relax at Mountain Lake. For your final night on the road, pamper yourself at Mountain Lake (1-800-346-3334; www.mountainlakehotel.com). Best known as the resort where Dirty Dancing was filmed, this little slice of loveliness occupies the shores of the Blue Ridge’s only natural lake. Take a dip in its cool, spring-fed waters, or better yet rest your well-worked bones in the Jacuzzi nearby. You can also hike the trails on the grounds, play tennis, mountain bike, canoe, or test your wits at the giant chess board. Get a room in the resort’s classic grand hotel or rent a cottage on Blueberry Ridge. The Ripplemead cottage overlooks the New River Valley and comes complete with a fireplace where the staff has already built the fire for you. All you have to do is light the match.