Don’t let weather stop you from adventures with the Rav4 Adventure SUV
Last year when we visited the Blue Ridge mountains in North GA, we visited at the coldest time of year. With low temps and rain, roads were slick. One of the highlights of a visit to Blue Ridge for any hiking enthusiast like me, is a visit to the Swinging Bridge. However, it is a windy 3 mile gravel road not well suited for sedans. When my sedan hit the slick pavement and skidded, I quickly turned around.
But lucky for me, Toyota let me try out their Rav4 adventure series SUV for my mountain getaway. This time, it was a breeze navigating the gravel road. Ice or no ice, it is still a wobbly and bumpy ride best suited for an SUV. On a bright sunny morning before leaving our cabin to head home ascended the gravel trail to get to the Swinging Bridge and what a payoff it was.
Weather has not been my friend on visits to Blue Ridge unfortunately. While last year’s trip was more about dining in Blue Ridge, this trip was meant for outdoors – hiking and fly fishing. Usually the weather in October is ideal for outdoor activities. But Mother Nature had other plans, raining on our parade…er…outdoor revelry. Cold and rainy weather caused our fishing expedition to be cancelled and hiking in the cold rain is no fun.

Family adventure in the Toyota RAV4 in the Blue Ridge mountains
But we determined to NOT let that us stop us. We hopped in the RAV4 and went in search of pretty mountain vistas and found them! Even if you aren’t a hiker, you can find some pretty fun driving areas in Blue Ridge. We found a trail called Cohutta that takes you winding through the mountains. The short drive lead us to a spectacular rock formation (see below left).

L: Scenic drives in Blue Ridge, R: The Swinging Bridge
Though I wish we had better for our fall visit to Blue Ridge, I have no complaints about how safe I felt driving the Toyota RAV4 while navigating the mountain roads.