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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Located at mile marker 349.0, the Rough Ridge Tunnel gives visitors a stunning slice of the Pisgah National Forest that makes a thin swath over the mountain the tunnel cuts through.

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You'll find them back-to-back with one tunnel at milepost 344.6 and the second tunnel at milepost 344.7. It's the only place on the parkway where two ridges so closely aligned were both penetrated for the purpose of building a highway.

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What a lovely surprise to roll up on the Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel at milepost 364.4. But you'll have some obvious clues it's coming. On one side of the tunnel you'll spot the Visitors Center for the Pinnacle, and on the other side of the tunnel, you'll find a parking area and a trailhead for the Craggy Pinnacle Trail.

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In certain seasons, it might seem the moss-covered face of the tunnel blends right into the landscape. Bunches Bald Tunnel is found at milepost 459.3.

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Found at milepost 465.6, Rattlesnake Mountain Tunnel sure has a name that makes you want to be absolutely SURE your windows are rolled all the way up as you pass over Rattlesnake Mountain. You might want to refrain from stopping and getting out of the car here too. Incidentally, we could find no evidence that Rattlesnake Mountain is infested with any more rattlesnakes than its surrounding mountain peaks.

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.