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Photo Essays

CURRENT Photo Essays

The Beauty of Mountain Autumn

Our contributing photographers capture the light and colors of fall.

Rivers & Waterfalls: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers know some very inviting spots.

Our Signature Mountains: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers are back with great shots of and from some of the region’s highest peaks.

Blue Ridge Parkway: Then & Now

The 469-mile roadway through the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina was designed, back in the 1930s, to be a timeless experience. In many ways it has remained so.

Photo Essay: Autumn’s Unique Drama

View more breathtaking images from Southwest Virginia photographer Michele Sons that we did not have the space to bring you in our Sept/Oct 2015 issue!

Current Issue

Early morning light reflects along Price Lake as clouds engulf Grandfather Mountain along the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina.

The Beauty of Mountain Autumn

Our contributing photographers capture the light and colors of fall.
The Blue Hole waterfall is nestled in the Cherokee National Forest, in the Holston Mountain area near Elizabethton, Tennessee. From the photographer: “It is a short but very steep hike down from the parking area. On this summer day I lucked out to find the rosebay rhododendron in bloom but starting to lose blossoms into the water, making for a picturesque scene. There are several falls in a short distance down Mill Creek, but the one plunging into the Blue Hole is the main attraction. It’s a wonderful place to take a chilly plunge or just dip your toes during the summer.”

Rivers & Waterfalls: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers know some very inviting spots.
Evening light busts through storm clouds late in the evening from the summit of North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River.

Our Signature Mountains: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers are back with great shots of and from some of the region’s highest peaks.
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Blue Ridge Parkway: Then & Now

The 469-mile roadway through the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina was designed, back in the 1930s, to be a timeless experience. In many ways it has remained so.
d98688a6-4292-11e5-8a29-22000b078648-005__A2A3999

Photo Essay: Autumn’s Unique Drama

View more breathtaking images from Southwest Virginia photographer Michele Sons that we did not have the space to bring you in our Sept/Oct 2015 issue!
VIEW MORE

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

CALENDAR OF EVENTS