The Linn Cove Viaduct is one of the great pieces of road engineering in the United States, and it exists because of a change of heart. The Blue Ridge Parkway, begun in the 1930s as a scenic road along the crest of the Appalachians, was nearly finished when it reached Grandfather Mountain, and the owner of the mountain refused to allow a conventional road blasted across its slopes. The solution, completed in 1983, was a curving concrete bridge that hugs the mountainside, almost four hundred metres long, built from the top down so that no heavy machinery had to cross the fragile terrain. The segments were precast and lowered into place one by one. It closed the last gap in the Parkway, which opened fully in 1987.
Riding it is a pleasure. The viaduct is an S-shape, rising and curving around the side of the mountain, with the forest falling away below, and you feel the road flowing beneath you more than you see it. Its surface is smooth concrete, with a low speed limit that is enforced and sensible, because the beauty of the place calls for slow riding. A visitor centre and a short trail let you walk beneath the bridge and see how the structure was built.
The surroundings add to the experience. Grandfather Mountain, a rugged peak with a swinging bridge at a mile high, is one of the most biologically diverse mountains in the Appalachians, with rare plants and wildlife. In October the hardwood forest around the Parkway burns in red and gold, and it is the busiest time, so expect traffic and slow progress. In spring, the rhododendron and flame azalea bloom. Fog is common, and in winter ice and snow close sections of the Parkway.
Boone, about twenty kilometres away, and Blowing Rock are the usual places to refuel, and the small communities at Newland and Banner Elk have stations too. Deer and wildlife are frequent, so keep an eye on the edges. The best months are May to early June and September to mid-October.