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CURRENT Features

Seeking the Wild & Wonderful: Trading D.C. Honks for West Virginia Beep Beeps

Ascend West Virginia incentivizes remote workers to put down roots in the Mountain State.

Murals, Barn Art & More: A Photo Essay

Color in the countryside, color in the town—our contributing photographers capture the artists' works.

A Guide for Planning the Perfect Mountain Reunion

From rustic to luxurious, it’s time to reminisce about the past, celebrate the present and make memories for the future. It’s reunion time in the mountains!

Channeling the Pittsburgh Pirates: Hitting Apples

When you’re 11 and in love with strength, power and baseball, apples can take on a near-mystical function.

Family Apple Affair

Pick your own and more at Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard.

Current Issue

Ascender participants benefit from free gear rentals and outdoor recreation vouchers.

Seeking the Wild & Wonderful: Trading D.C. Honks for West Virginia Beep Beeps

Ascend West Virginia incentivizes remote workers to put down roots in the Mountain State.
The Maple Leaf Barn is located at the Seven Islands State Birding Park in Kodak, Tennessee, east of Knoxville along the French Broad River. The park was created for birdwatching and it has a beautiful wildlife refuge and several hiking trails with views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Other activities at the park include kayaking, canoeing, biking and fishing. From the photographer: “The barn was originally built and owned by the Creswell Family who lived on the property. They operated a small farm and sand-dredging operation on the river. The quilt pattern would have been added later when the park was established.”

Murals, Barn Art & More: A Photo Essay

Color in the countryside, color in the town—our contributing photographers capture the artists' works.
Welcome Valley Village, Benton, Tennessee, offers glamping in Conestoga wagons.

A Guide for Planning the Perfect Mountain Reunion

From rustic to luxurious, it’s time to reminisce about the past, celebrate the present and make memories for the future. It’s reunion time in the mountains!
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Channeling the Pittsburgh Pirates: Hitting Apples

When you’re 11 and in love with strength, power and baseball, apples can take on a near-mystical function.
Mike Stepp began working with his father at Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchards when he was a boy. Today he oversees a sprawling family operation that offers apple products, merchandise, pick-your-own produce and a five-acre corn maze.

Family Apple Affair

Pick your own and more at Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard.
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Departments

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
Synchronous Fireflies
Creature Feature

The Light Fantastic

Fireflies are struggling with the effects of artificial light.

June 29, 2026

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