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CURRENT Travel

Rocky Knob Project Takes Root

After seven years of citizen input, organizing, and research, the long-awaited “Rocky Knob Project” has acquired land in the bi-county region near the Rocky Knob Recreation Area, around Parkway Milepost 170.

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Can Blue Ridge Parkway amenities – many built in the 1940s and '50s – meet today's travelers' needs? And even if the parkway wanted to upgrade, could it be done?

Virginia Parkway Tag: It’s Time

Six years and two failed attempts later, a dedicated Blue Ridge Parkway speciality plate is at the edge of becoming a reality. Here's how to help the cause and the cash-strapped parkway.

Tackling Threats to the Blue Ridge Parkway

An anything-but-exhaustive sampling of ways the parkway is protecting parkway biodiversity…

Protecting Parkway Biodiversity

The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway has about 400 road crossings, each one a "pathway for exotics." Here's at look at how parkway officials are working to protect nearly 5,000 species.

Current Issue

Rocky Knob Project Site Map

Rocky Knob Project Takes Root

After seven years of citizen input, organizing, and research, the long-awaited “Rocky Knob Project” has acquired land in the bi-county region near the Rocky Knob Recreation Area, around Parkway Milepost 170.
With only 24 rooms, Historic Bluffs Lodge is too small to turn a profit, despite its picturesque setting in the rolling uplands of North Carolina’s Doughton Park.

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Can Blue Ridge Parkway amenities – many built in the 1940s and '50s – meet today's travelers' needs? And even if the parkway wanted to upgrade, could it be done?
The proposed Virginia license plate to support the Blue Ridge Parkway will carry the same design as the successful, six-year-old North Carolina parkway tag.

Virginia Parkway Tag: It’s Time

Six years and two failed attempts later, a dedicated Blue Ridge Parkway speciality plate is at the edge of becoming a reality. Here's how to help the cause and the cash-strapped parkway.
Out-of-control deer populations are threatening rare plant species in Virginia; parkway staff are implementing exclosures to protect plants. Photo by Joanna Pecha.

Tackling Threats to the Blue Ridge Parkway

An anything-but-exhaustive sampling of ways the parkway is protecting parkway biodiversity…
Bright orange candelabras of Turk’s Cap lilies (Lilium superbum) light up parkway roadsides in summer. Although normally lovers of moist meadows and mountain coves, these lilies occur near Mt. Mitchell Parking Overlook (milepost 349.9), at 4,825 feet.

Protecting Parkway Biodiversity

The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway has about 400 road crossings, each one a "pathway for exotics." Here's at look at how parkway officials are working to protect nearly 5,000 species.
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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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