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Country Roads

CURRENT Country Roads

Friends Group Seeks to Protect 90,000 Acres of National Forest

Progress has been made to protect 90,000 acres in Virginia’s Highland, Augusta and Rockingham counties.

Wait, Bigfoot Habitat Preserved? (Well, at Least a Carnivorous Plant)

Foothills Conservancy has purchased a 17-acre tract in Burke County, N.C. where the legendary half-man, half-ape prowls. Or so some say.

West Jefferson’s Paddy Mountain Gets Some Love

Folks in West Jefferson, North Carolina, know it as the “backdrop of downtown,” but Paddy Mountain is also a biological gem.

Thelma Lou Still Loves Mayberry

Actress Betty Lynn, now 93, resides in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and still gets to play the part.

Elkmont Comeback: 17 Cabins to be Restored

The former getaway community fell victim to the coming of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Now, part of it will come to life again.

Current Issue

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Friends Group Seeks to Protect 90,000 Acres of National Forest

Progress has been made to protect 90,000 acres in Virginia’s Highland, Augusta and Rockingham counties.
Becky and Wayne Welch sold a 68-acre tract along the Jacob Fork River to the Foothills Conservancy, which will transfer it to North Carolina State Parks.

Wait, Bigfoot Habitat Preserved? (Well, at Least a Carnivorous Plant)

Foothills Conservancy has purchased a 17-acre tract in Burke County, N.C. where the legendary half-man, half-ape prowls. Or so some say.
The view from Paddy Mountain is only part of what will be preserved at The Paddy Mountain Preserve.

West Jefferson’s Paddy Mountain Gets Some Love

Folks in West Jefferson, North Carolina, know it as the “backdrop of downtown,” but Paddy Mountain is also a biological gem.
Betty Lynn played Thelma Lou on TV.

Thelma Lou Still Loves Mayberry

Actress Betty Lynn, now 93, resides in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and still gets to play the part.
Elkmont dates to the early 1900s, when it was established as a cluster of summer cottages in what is now part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Elkmont Comeback: 17 Cabins to be Restored

The former getaway community fell victim to the coming of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Now, part of it will come to life again.
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Departments

Vibrant Monarch butterfly clings to its translucent dew covered cocoon
Creature Feature

Monarch Mimickers

It’s easy to mistake other orange species for the king of fall butterflies.

August 26, 2026
At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026

CALENDAR OF EVENTS