I have been trying to decide what to do for a fall trip and am thinking about maybe driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from start to finish, then driving across the Smokies and spend a couple of days in Gatlinburg. How much time do I need to plan for the drive, with plenty of stops (maybe a few of the towns along the way)? I have not traveled this area before and would like to see as much as possible. Any suggestions for an itenerary? How crowded is it in the fall?

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/visiting.htm

This should help. Do you plan to include Skyline Drive in Shenandoah NP? At 45mph the 500 miles or so of driving gets tedious - although it is beautiful. This link can help you plan on and off for gas and lodging if you don't plan to camp.

There's a neat interactive planner on the website too.

We did this as part of our Southeast tour last Sept/Oct.
Gatlinburg 2 days: explore the park-Laurel falls-Cades cove ...
Then on the Blue ridge(starts just before the Smokies park entrance)drive to Asheville(2 days) visit Biltmore and Chimney rock.Then back on the Blueridge-Laurel springs- stayed in Roanoke
On to Charlottesville after visit Natural bridge.
Visit Monticello-Micie's tavern and Ashlawn(combined ticket obtainable by <internet.
2days)
Then the Skyline drive to Front royal and on to Harpers ferry.
The foliage was beginning to colour but or peak colours I guess you have to go around the second half of October.We were practically driving alone .Paul

Peak colors vary by what happens in the summer but Oct. 15 is usually a good target. Lots of nice towns to stop by. The area around Grandfather Mountain with the cantilevered section of the parkway is spectacular.

Thanks for the help. We were thing of doing the trip about the middle of October and was figuuuuuuuuuuring on taking a week. Is that enough time? How packed will the parkway be? Unbearable?