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CURRENT Features

Photo Essay: The Lure of the Lake

What is it that pulls us to the calm expanse of a mountain lake? Our contributing photographers offer some wonderful visual hints.

Wildlife Biologist Tom Davis: ‘Never Been a Better Time to Visit the Parkway”

The 30-year veteran of inventorying wildlife along the Blue Ridge Parkway says the springtime presence of more than 250 bird species along the roadway is just one example of why he wakes up blessed.

Keep the Motorhome Runnin’: 12 Great RV Treks in the Mountains

Veteran RVers and first-timers alike are in luck in the Blue Ridge region, where the combination of mountain beauty and easy access makes for a perfect trip.

Back in Touch With Our National Parks: The Smokies

South of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park sprawls with high elevations, world-class species numbers and much more.

Photo Essay: Up Close With Creatures

Our contributing photographers employed a combination of stealth, care and great lenses to be able to treat us to this array of mountain wildlife upon the land.

Current Issue

This shot of South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell was taken off of S.C. 29 near Singing Pines Recreation Area. Photographer Bryan Powell “came to this spot for the sunset and stayed for the blue hour.”

Photo Essay: The Lure of the Lake

What is it that pulls us to the calm expanse of a mountain lake? Our contributing photographers offer some wonderful visual hints.
The Blue Ridge Parkway’s easy-flowing 469 miles offer a variety of habitats. INSET: Tom Davis says he’s been drawn to nature for as long as he can remember. His earning of an environmental science degree coincided with the park service’s push to tally plant and animal species, and a career was born.

Wildlife Biologist Tom Davis: ‘Never Been a Better Time to Visit the Parkway”

The 30-year veteran of inventorying wildlife along the Blue Ridge Parkway says the springtime presence of more than 250 bird species along the roadway is just one example of why he wakes up blessed.
Among the first decisions for would-be RVers is whether to tow it or drive it. Airstreamers are passionate about what they tow.

Keep the Motorhome Runnin’: 12 Great RV Treks in the Mountains

Veteran RVers and first-timers alike are in luck in the Blue Ridge region, where the combination of mountain beauty and easy access makes for a perfect trip.
The year-round lure of the Great Smokies is evident in this view of an autumn sunrise from Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park.

Back in Touch With Our National Parks: The Smokies

South of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park sprawls with high elevations, world-class species numbers and much more.
A curious elk investigates the Lake Junaluska Overlook sign on Heintooga Ridge Road, a spur adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Cherokee, North Carolina.

Photo Essay: Up Close With Creatures

Our contributing photographers employed a combination of stealth, care and great lenses to be able to treat us to this array of mountain wildlife upon the land.
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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

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