2 Weeks ago I flew from Charlotte to Prestonburg (E of Lex). Flew GPS direct
at 8000 (IFR). You end up just N of TRI. there are VOR routes that come
close to the direct route. You can cross the mts N of Hickory at around
6500 VFR.
Bill

"Eric Bartsch" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'll be flying a VFR-only plane from Charlotte to Lexington next
weekend, and I'm in the process of planning the best route to cross the
mountains. The sectionals should arrive in a couple of days, but in the
mean time I'm looking at the route, and the elevations appear lower in
the route from Asheville up to Greeneville. Also, it looks like this is
entirely over a major highway vs. being in the middle of nowhere.

I'd like to have as much altitude between me and the ground as
possible, but since the plane is VFR only, I can't really plan on
climbing to 10,000 feet and crossing over (the weather will be a big
factor there)

Does anyone have experience with routes in this area?

Thanks,
Eric