Blue Ridge Parkway | BOONE’S TRACE (MP 285.1)

Boone's Trace on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Boone’s Trace on the Blue Ridge Parkway

View: None
Trails: None
Picnic Tables: 1 (no grill)

Boone’s Trace on the Blue Ridge Parkway is not a scenic overlook, but a stop to mark a spot near to where Daniel Boone used to traipse through on his way to Kentucky. Boone emigrated from England to Pennsylvania, where he grew up, then moved to the Yadkin Valley near present day Mocksville, North Carolina, in 1750 when he was 16 years old. In 1775 he helped build the Wilderness Road, a pioneer road that was the main route to Kentucky from the east. The Wilderness Road did not run through here, but numerous access trails were built to connect with its southern terminus near Kingsport, Tennessee. Supposedly one of the access trails personally cleared by Boone went through this area, thus the name Boone’s Trace. (Trace is another word for a trail or small road.)

Picnic table at the Boone's Trace pullout with a nice view of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Picnic table at the Boone’s Trace pullout with a nice view of the Blue Ridge Parkway

For those driving south, there is an excellent pastoral view between Boone’s Trace and Raven Rock Overlook. There is nowhere to stop to take a photo, but luckily nobody was behind me and I was able to stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a moment to get the shot.

Pastoral scene just south of Boone's Trace on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Pastoral scene just south of Boone’s Trace on the Blue Ridge Parkway


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Last updated on October 12, 2024
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