Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Asheville’s #1 Family Photographer shares secrets for shooting Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway along with Wardrobe Inspiration for your Fall Family Portraits!

Family poses for Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Asheville, NC.

Whether you’re local or visiting Asheville with your family, shooting Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a very popular option for Family Portraits in Asheville, NC! As a third generation photographer here in WNC and having photographed families professionally are a few secrets for successfully shooting Family Portraits along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall!

I. Timing

Fall in Western North Carolina, as you can imagine, is the busiest time of the year on the Blue Ridge Parkway which means that there are many visitors and a lot of traffic on the parkway during this time of year! This also means that you’ll need to allow for extra travel time to reach your desired shooting location!

A List of Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks (and road closures): National Park Service Website

Hot Pro Tip: The speed limit on the Blue Ridge Parkway is 45 miles per hour (mph) for most of the road. The altitude up on the parkway is incredibly high, the roadway is often curvy and the views up there are absolutely stunning which means that some people, particularly folks who aren’t from around here and (are not used to driving on mountain roads) often drive well under the speed limit (which can be frustrating for other drivers). Allow extra travel time to your desired shoot location!

A note about parkway driving etiquette: If you’re not used to driving on mountain roads and choose to drive under the speed limit, please be aware of other people, traveling behind you. If you notice a line of cars behind you, the polite thing to do is to pull off at an overlook to allow the other cars to pass.

Husband and Wife embrace during Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC.

II. Safety

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a roadway with stunning Blue Ridge Mountain Views and and because of the increased traffic along the parkway in the fall, it is unsafe to shoot in the roadway or too close to the roadway. Instead, it is much safer to choose an overlook or trail providing adequate distance from the busy roadways for your Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway! This is absolutely essential if you are shooting with young children or pets. Pets should also remained leashed while on the BRPW.

Hot Pro Tip: There are 272 overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many of them also provide grassy areas by the overlook that are perfect for taking in the view, a picnic or Family Portraits with big, rolling, Blue Ridge Mountain Views as the backdrop!

Learn more about the BRPW on the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s website: BRPW Foundation

Parents snuggle their children during Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC.

III. Etiquette

As with conducting yourself anywhere that you’re a guest, exercising proper etiquette and respect for the place that you’re visiting is essential and the Blue Ridge Parkway is no different! There are three important rules of etiquette to remember for your visit to the BRPW:

If you notice a line of cars behind you, the polite thing to do is to pull off at an overlook to allow the other cars to pass.
LEAVE NO TRACE: simply put, this means that you should take back everything that you bring with you onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. It should go without saying that littering or dumping anything in this beautiful place is absolutely unacceptable. Please don’t leave any food or other trash on the trails or at the overlooks as food waste attracts bears and makes it unsafe for other visitors / hikers and the bears.
Do NOT Feed or Touch the Bears (or any wildlife for that matter!): while Black Bears are generally not aggressive and are pretty non-confrontational, feeding and / or touching them is strictly prohibited. This is for THEIR SAFETY and yours. The BRPW is their home. You are the visitor. Feeding them (or leaving food waste) will encourage them to return to areas where visitors frequent, thereby making it unsafe for other visitors and for the bears. Last year, videos circulated of tourists picking black bear cubs out of a tree and taking selfies with them on the BRPW. This was incredibly irresponsible and stupid. They could have been killed by an angry mama who was probably not too far away from her cubs.

For more information about the Blue Ridge Parkway, please visit the website: BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY

Couple embraces during Family Photos in Asheville, NC.

Thinking about Booking Fall Family Photos for your Family?

By this point, you may be thinking to yourself: “My Gosh, these Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway are STUNNING!!! I wonder if she has any availability for this fall!?” I do still have limited availability, please reach out via my website, located here: Contact Brittany

Family walks along together in autumn for Family Photoshoot in Asheville, NC.

What Should We Wear for our Fall Family Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway!?

The primary colors that you will encounter along the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Asheville, NC in the fall are: reds, oranges, yellows, browns and greens! I always love when families incorporate those warm, fall tones into their outfit choices but I also like it when my clients’ outfit choices stand out from their surroundings! Shooting Family Portraits in the Fall is fun because you get the unique opportunity to incorporate interesting colors, textures and fabrics into your wardrobe selections! I have taken the liberty of putting together a few wardrobe inspiration boards for your Fall Family Photos in Asheville!

(each board contains shopping links for the items pictured!)