Which should I do?

[AABattery]

So I'm planning on maybe going on a little day road trip next weekend, and I've thought of a few options that I'm stuck on. I'll be leaving and ending in Blacksburg, VA.

Anyways the options are:

A - Go up I-77 to around Charleston, WV and then go down US-119 until I hit US-52 (and maybe go down into Pike County in KY for a sec), and then take 52 and 460 back home.

B - Go on the Blue Ridge Parkway around Tuggle's Gap (near Floyd, VA), and then go down to Cherokee, NC. Then go back up north on I-40 and I-81

C - Go up I-81 and a bit of I-66 to Front Royal, VA, and then take the Parkway down to Tuggle's Gap.

The latter 2 however is hard to calculate how long those will take, because every time I try to plot it out on google maps, it's a pain in the ass and keeps taking me off the parkway. However, the first one is easier, as it's mostly US roads.

[cockroachking]

Option C as you describe it involves Skyline Drive, which costs $30 to drive. Something my cheap self would consider. As for time, the description in your post results in approximately 6.5 hours without stops for just the Blue Ridge Pkwy and Skyline Drive segment of Option C.

There also appear to be sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in both VA and NC that are currently closed (or at least show up as closed on Google Maps). I tried searching for more info, but couldn't find any.

[AABattery]

Option C as you describe it involves Skyline Drive, which costs $30 to drive. Something my cheap self would consider. As for time, the description in your post results in approximately 6.5 hours without stops for just the Blue Ridge Pkwy and Skyline Drive segment of Option C.

There also appear to be sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in both VA and NC that are currently closed (or at least show up as closed on Google Maps). I tried searching for more info, but couldn't find any.

IIRC, I know the segment around Roanoke has been closed for a while now. Dunno if it still is

[hbelkins]

A - Go up I-77 to around Charleston, WV and then go down US-119 until I hit US-52 (and maybe go down into Pike County in KY for a sec), and then take 52 and 460 back home.

On US 119, you will cross into Pike County twice on the US 52 concurrency before you get to the point where they diverge in Williamson.

US 52 is a long, arduous, torturous drive between Williamson and Bluefield. You might want to consider continuing on US 119 to Pikeville, then driving on the finished sections of Corridor Q (future US 460) in Kentucky and Virginia.

To do this, follow US 23 south through Pikeville beyond the US 460 split to KY 3174, Take that to the temporary end at KY 195, follow it back over to US 460, then KY 80 to where the new road picks back up. Take it into Virginia and then either follow SR 609 over to existing US 460, or to the current end of the route at SR 744, then follow it to VA 83 and rejoin US 460 at Vansant (just outside Grundy). From there, you can take US 460 back to Blacksburg.

[wanderer2575]

There also appear to be sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in both VA and NC that are currently closed (or at least show up as closed on Google Maps). I tried searching for more info, but couldn't find any.

Status of Blue Ridge Parkway segments is at https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm

Right now it shows several sections in NC are closed.  Many due to snow and/or ice, a couple due to rockslides, and some show no reason.

[Hunty2022]

Looking at Option C, you'd gain 4-5 new counties in Virginia, but the trip would probably take you all day, since Skyline Drive and probably the Blue Ridge Parkway have low speed limits.

Option B would get you plenty of new counties in NC/TN. It would likely take you all day, but probably less time than C.

Option A would get you some WV counties and Pike County, KY. This would probably be the fastest trip, and the only one where you probably won't return home when it's dark outside.

If you want an all day trip, I'd choose B/C. If you want a trip where you're not going 35 MPH half the time, I'd choose A.

[froggie]

Do whichever one floats your boat, but if you choose A or C, perhaps do them in the opposite way of what you posted.  Save the high speed route for the return trip back to Blacksburg...

[kphoger]

Save the high speed route for the return trip

More often than not, that's my plan too.  Make the return trip a speedy trip, but make the outbound trip the good part.