The Remarkable Bridge In North Carolina That Everyone Should Visit At Least Once
There is a variety of must-see bridges in the Tar Heel State (see 11 of them in this previous article), but few are as spectacular as the concrete segmented bridge that clings to the side of Grandfather Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The famous bridge is perhaps the most acclaimed section of the Blue Ridge Parkway and is 1,243 feet long and nearly 40 feet wide.
The parkway averages more than 16 million visitors each year, many of which make it a point to travel over Linn Cove Viaduct. Countless more hikers traverse the mountain to which it clings when they hike the Tanawha Trail that travels from Beacon Heights to Julian Price Park.
For starters, there's a Visitor's Center just south of the bridge. A turn off leads to a parking lot with a nicely appointed Visitor Center at one end.
At the other end of the parking lot, a short trail (under a mile in length) leads under the viaduct providing an up close look at the underbelly of the bridge.
Grandfather Mountain is one of the most rugged peaks along the Blue Ridge Parkway making this bridge an engineering marvel. It took four years to complete this short segment of the Parkway.
The Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor’s Center is located at milepost 304.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Linn Cove Viaduct is located just to the north of the Visitor’s Center at milepost 304. The gift shop at the Visitor Center is open seasonally. See this link on the official website of the National Park Service for dates and times. The trail leading from the parking area at the Visitor Center is open year-round as long as the parkway isn’t closed due to inclement weather.
Robin Jarvis is a travel and entertainment writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She spent more than two decades living on the coast in South Carolina and currently lives in the mountains of North Carolina - although she still makes it back to see family in South Carolina quite often. When she's not working, she loves to hike, kayak, and check out new adventures. Get in touch at [email protected]
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