National Park Guide: North Carolina's Blue Ridge Parkway

— -- Winding 469 miles across North Carolina and Virginia over the highest peaks east of the Rockies, the Blue Ridge Parkway is among the USA's most famous roads.

Handbuilt stone arches frame tunnels and 32,000 linear feet of historic rock masonry walls line parts of the road, breaking into sweeping Appalachian vistas.

Mike Bové of Philadelphia visited the parkway headquarters April 25 on a trip with friends and family. "I came to see the parkway because we had seen so many beautiful pictures of the area, and the parkway, and we decided to come and see it for real this time," he says.

Side trips are a favorite of many of the parkway's 15 million visitors a year. They pump about $300 million annually into the mountain towns along the parkway, the National Park Service says.

Spend the day learning about Native American culture in Cherokee, N.C., or visit Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, in Virginia.

"We like to say that the Blue Ridge Parkway is more than a road," says Ali Mangkang, communications coordinator for the Blue Ridge Parkway Association. "Part of its ongoing legacy is the access it provides to adjacent communities — places that have rich histories and interesting stories."

Depression-era workers built most of the parkway under the New Deal. At the time, it was the federal government's largest road construction project. Linn Cove Viaduct, a sweeping concrete bridge near Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, was the last section to be completed, in 1987.

Today the parkway is a mecca for motorcyclists, bicyclists, hikers and nature lovers.

If you're planning a trip, contact the Blue Ridge Parkway headquarters or stop at any of the 15 visitor centers along the way for maps and suggested attractions.

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About the park

Size: 469 miles and 85,000 acres

Visitors: 15,382,447 in 2011

Established: 1935

History: The parkway was conceived in the depths of the Great Depression and put thousands of people to work. Originally budgeted at $16 million to be built in two years, the parkway proved to be a massive undertaking that wouldn't be completed until 1987 at a cost of $130 million.

When visiting: The parkway is open year-round as weather permits and has 15 visitor centers in North Carolina and Virginia. The headquarters are in Asheville, N.C., at 199 Hemphill Knob Rd. Visitor info: 828-298-0398.

Of note: The parkway ranges in elevation from 649 feet at James River in Virginia to almost 6,050 feet at Richland Balsam, south of Mount Pisgah in North Carolina.