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CURRENT Features

Lakes With a Story to Tell (on the Surface and Below)

Mountain lakes, by virtue of their terrain and formation backgrounds, are often home to both fun and quirky history. We visit four that offer history and fun.

MOUNTAIN BLUE: The Top 23 Water-Related State Parks in the Blue Ridge

The votes are in, now it's time to celebrate the Best Water-Related State Parks in the Blue Ridge, as selected by our readers.

The Good Colonel of Corbin, Kentucky

Yes, Colonel Sanders was a real guy. Those of us of a certain age remember Harland Sanders as the living, breathing fried chicken king. Younger people, not so much.

Photo Essay: Splash!

Our contributing photographers present the best of the region’s falls and lakes, rivers and swimming holes, and more!

MOUNTAIN BLUE: The Top 24 Waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains

The votes are in, now it's time to celebrate the Best Waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains, as selected by our readers.

Current Issue

This view of South Carolina’s Lake Jocassee is from Jumping Off Rock in the Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area.

Lakes With a Story to Tell (on the Surface and Below)

Mountain lakes, by virtue of their terrain and formation backgrounds, are often home to both fun and quirky history. We visit four that offer history and fun.
Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia.

MOUNTAIN BLUE: The Top 23 Water-Related State Parks in the Blue Ridge

The votes are in, now it's time to celebrate the Best Water-Related State Parks in the Blue Ridge, as selected by our readers.
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The Good Colonel of Corbin, Kentucky

Yes, Colonel Sanders was a real guy. Those of us of a certain age remember Harland Sanders as the living, breathing fried chicken king. Younger people, not so much.
Flying high above a gorgeous sunset at Smith Mountain Lake.

Photo Essay: Splash!

Our contributing photographers present the best of the region’s falls and lakes, rivers and swimming holes, and more!
The Cascades, Virginia.

MOUNTAIN BLUE: The Top 24 Waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains

The votes are in, now it's time to celebrate the Best Waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains, as selected by our readers.
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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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