Horseback riding (includes horses, mules, burros, donkeys, and llamas) along the Blue Ridge Parkway is limited to specific areas. There are no horse camping facilities.
Stewarts Knob (MP 110.6) to Roanoke River
Approximately 5 miles, one way
Gum Springs Overlook on Mill Mountain Parkway (MP 120.5) to roughly MP 116 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail loops around the former Roanoke Campground and then follows the Blue Ridge Parkway to near Mile Post 116, a length of approximately six miles, one way.
Fishers Peak Road within the Blue Ridge Parkway park boundary, Milepost 213.3 (from sunrise to sunset)
Doughton Park Hiking Trails (MP 238-245)
Horses are allowed on the Grassy Gap Fire Road
Moses Cone Memorial Park (MP 294)
Horses are allowed on the carriage roads except the Bass Lake Loop Trail above the dam.
Horses are allowed to cross the Blue Ridge Parkway at the following locations when using U. S. Forest Service trails:
- Jordan Road, Milepost 44.3
- Enchanted Creek, Milepost 56.1
- USFS 318E, Milepost 57.0
- USFS 318, Milepost 59.1
- Petits Gap, Milepost 71.1
- Floyd Field, Milepost 80.5
- Bobblets Gap, Milepost 93.2
- Black Horse Gap, Milepost 97.5
- Curry Gap, Milepost 101.5
There are many more opportunities to ride in the U. S. Forest Service properties along the Parkway: Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina, and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia.
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Last updated on November 19, 2023
