There's Nothing Quite As Magical As The Stone Face Tunnels You'll Find On The Blue Ridge Parkway In North Carolina
North Carolinians aren’t very accustomed to driving through tunnels. Most of our major highways seem to steer their way around our huge mountains and we’re okay with that. As a result, our natural curiosity about tunnels is piqued, we’ll admit. There’s no better place in the Tar Heel State to get your fill of tunnel love than on the stunning Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Parkway has 26 tunnels total, with only one of them falling in Virginia. The remainder cut through mountain after mountain in North Carolina adding even more allure to the extraordinary beauty of the Parkway.
Interestingly enough, the stone faces found on the front and rear facades of the tunnels weren’t original to the build out of the parkway. Tunnels were put into place in the 1930s and 40s as the parkway was built. And those beautiful cut stone faces we see on the tunnels today were added in the 50s and 60s.
A few of our favorite Parkway tunnels are detailed below. How many have you driven through?
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Some people take days or even weeks to explore the 469 miles that make up the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are so many sights, overlooks, natural attractions, tiny towns, and more along the way it’s an easy way to enjoy a nice long road trip vacation. The next time you travel the Parkway, consider adding a ‘tunnel tour’ to your agenda. The tunnels here really are spectacular!
Want to see more of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels? Read all about (and SEE) 19 of them in this previous article. For a complete rundown of things to see along the parkway and their milepost locations, you can visit this link.
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