What part of September?
If you're traveling mid week, crowds aren't too bad.
So far this year we've had decent rains so the waterfalls along the parkway are full of water and any place with a waterfall is worth stopping at and taking the hike to the falls.
Because the elevation of southern end of the parkway fall colors tend to peak earliest at at the southern end.
A few of our favorite spots.
Graveyard Fields near milepost 419 on the Blue Ridge Parkway (about 37 miles south of Asheville, NC) is one of the most beautiful spots on the Parkway.
Take the hikes to upper and lower Yellowstone Prong Falls and you'll be away from most of the crowd.
Devils Courthouse at about milepost 423 hike to the top for views of the area.
Crabtree Falls is a pretty 71 feet waterfall near milepost 340 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Linville Falls at about milepost 315 is pretty. Take the easy hike an you'll be away from many of the people but the hike is still pretty popular.
Some photos and suggestions for Blue Ridge Parkway at
http://ncsparks.com/blueridge/blueridge-main.phpCascades Falls in E.B. Jeffress Park MP 272 is a a pretty waterfall with a relatively easy hike.
Julian Price Park at Milepost 305 or so has a pretty lake that you can hike around.
Just north of Julian Price Park is Moses Cone Park MP 300 or so. Lots of trails and a really nice craft center.
If you have an interest in blue grass traditional music, you should plan on stopping at the Music Center at mile post 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Stop at the Northwest Trading Post milepost 258 for a ham biscuit.
Mabry Mill at about milepost 175 in Virginia is almost must stop. If you're interested in wine you should check out the Chateau Morrisette
287 Winery Road SW (MP 171.5 Blue Ridge Pkwy) just north of Mabry Mill. You can ask at the mill store for directions. Even if you're not interested in wines, this is a great place for lunch or dinner.
The place where the James River crosses the Blue Ridge about MP 62 in Virginia is very pretty. One of our favorite spots.
If you park your car and take any of the hikes, you'll find lots of beauty.
On the Skyline Drive
South River Falls at mile 62.8 is impressive its about about a 3 mile round trip hike. Well worth the hike.
Big Meadow at about mile 50 is worth the stop. Hike around the meadow.
Dark Hallow Falls (Parking lot for trail is just north of Bid Meadow Parking lot) is impressive waterfall The trail is about 1.5 miles round trip and is steep.
Jones Run Falls at about mile 84 is about 3.5 mile round trip. The falls is not as high as others but is a long cascade with moss covered rocks. Very pretty.
If you stop everywhere there is a hike or a picture, you'll never get to the Skyline Drive. On our first trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway (following your route), we figured a few days would be sufficient (400 plus miles at 4mph easy 3 days). We typically made 50 miles a day.
So you'll have no problem filling your several days with great places.
When you plan your trip, be sure to go to
http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm for road closures. There has been a lot of road closures along the parkway the past several years.
There's not much in the way of name brand lodging along the parkway. There are small motels just off the parkway and the small towns nearby have small motels. I suggest that you have plan how far you plan to travel each day and check out local lodging. Asheville, NC might be a good place to stop for the first day. Blowing Rock, NC might be good for a second night (100 miles from Asheville) Mount Airy, NC might work for 3rd night another 100 miles or so.
Go to the park way map at
http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/upload/BLRImap1-1.pdf for help in planning your trip.
Have fun.
Les
You won't find KFC or burger king here either.
