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CURRENT Features

“Steward of Sunshine”

Who gets a title like that on her business card? River guide extraordinaire Julie Johnson, that’s who.

50 Strange Things in the Mountains

Let’s take a look at some of the stranger things our wonderful region is home to.

‘I Come from a Place’

Tennessee watercolorist captures the people and places along the Appalachian Trail.

Photo Essay: Fabulous Falls

Ready to cool off for summer even if you can’t get outside right now? Our contributing photographers to the rescue! Dive into these cool mountain falls.

Home Again: The Chimney Rock Postcard

Things can find their proper place, even if it takes 60 years.

Current Issue

Jules Johnson—the grinning guide at rear of raft—has been taking rafters through Class III and IV rapids on the Ocoee River for 20 years.

“Steward of Sunshine”

Who gets a title like that on her business card? River guide extraordinaire Julie Johnson, that’s who.
Beams of a sunrise over the Smokies fall upon some of the 900 miles of maintained trails in the national park.

50 Strange Things in the Mountains

Let’s take a look at some of the stranger things our wonderful region is home to.
Inset Image: Record-setting Appalachian Trail runner and author Jennifer Pharr Davis and Alan Shuptrine have collaborated to create the book "I Come From A Place" which contains 80 of his paintings. Main Image: “Away for the Summer.”

‘I Come from a Place’

Tennessee watercolorist captures the people and places along the Appalachian Trail.
This is the second of four waterfalls known as “Blue Hole Falls” in the Cherokee National Forest near Elizabethton, Tennessee. Only this one and the third are readily accessible.

Photo Essay: Fabulous Falls

Ready to cool off for summer even if you can’t get outside right now? Our contributing photographers to the rescue! Dive into these cool mountain falls.
Gloria Edwards was given the postcard by her mother, who found it going through old love letters from her late husband.

Home Again: The Chimney Rock Postcard

Things can find their proper place, even if it takes 60 years.
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Departments

Smith Mountain Lake Virginia is a hidden gem within the Blue Ridge Mountains. This beautiful area features boating, sailing, hiking, shopping, fishing, and much more.
From The Editor

Sarah Smiles: The Lake Effect

Growing up, many of my weekends were spent at my late step-grandmother’s house on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.

June 26, 2026

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