Best time of the year to ride the BRP, Tail of the Dragon,etc

Hi Fellow STers,
I'm coming from the great, white north an am planning to go down south to do the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tail of the Dragon, Diamondback, Back of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, etc. Basically ride through VA, WV, and NC, and Tennese.

I'm planning to camp most of the time, so I wonder what is the best time of the year to do this. I'd like to avoid as much as possible the bugs and extreme heat. Let's say tempature wise a 70-75 F(21-23 C).

Any comments are welcomed.

Cheers,
Carlos

I did that in June of last year and it was nice. Hit most of those mid-week without much traffic.

The heat and bugs are not going to get any better now until the fall if you are wanting 70 to 75 degrees. Some times it goes from heat to frost and cold over night. Right now until the end of the May will be its coolest until we get to late September or early October. The mountain at high elevations will be a little cooler. The bugs are on now until a frost gets them in the fall. Spring and the fall would be the best for the heat. Fall is great for seeing the colors of the leaves before they fall off. So it is time to get packed up before the heat set in and the bugs get bigger.

+1 on Weekdays in the Fall I like mid Sept. till mid October

Late April thorough May or late September through October, during the week. Might get chilly at night but the days are very nice and comfortable with gear on. Enjoy!

Early spring before the leaves come out and late fall after the leaves drop. You'll have the place to yourself.

st11ray said:

Early spring before the leaves come out and late fall after the leaves drop. You'll have the place to yourself.
'06 ST1300

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+1 an added advantage about early spring is you can see the vistas better on the BRP no leaves to block the views and no traffic!

I go there year round, but -
April, May Sept. early Oct., on weekdays is best. You want to avoid the leaf peepers in mid to late Oct.
June, July, August early AM or late evening. Gets hot mid day.

I did a similar trip in June of 2010 and I recall one day experience a temperature range, while riding, from 8C - 36C! A mesh jacket and an electric liner are ideal for that range.

I do echo the comments above about the leaf peepers and avoiding prime / popular roads on the weekends.