Connect With Us
Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Instagram

Photo Essay: Ah, Fall is Back!

The sun rises upon the red carpet at Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia.

Temperatures cool. Colors sharpen. Trails beckon. Time to drink in the best of autumn with these great shots from our contributing photographers.

The 13.5-mile Tanawha Trail utilizes several arched bridges and boardwalks that are designed to blend with, and protect, the fragile ecosystem it passes through. Completed in 1993, this trail is accessible from several overlooks along the North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway between mileposts 299 and 305.
The 13.5-mile Tanawha Trail utilizes several arched bridges and boardwalks that are designed to blend with, and protect, the fragile ecosystem it passes through. Completed in 1993, this trail is accessible from several overlooks along the North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway between mileposts 299 and 305.
Golden light and autumn color reflect amid the time-worn boulders in a hidden stream in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.
Golden light and autumn color reflect amid the time-worn boulders in a hidden stream in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.
An early, autumn morning hike to Little Stony Man summit takes you to breathtaking views against an almost 360-degree horizon. (Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive Milepost 40, Virginia)
An early, autumn morning hike to Little Stony Man summit takes you to breathtaking views against an almost 360-degree horizon. (Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive Milepost 40, Virginia)
The Hensley Settlement School House is at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park on the Kentucky side. You can either hike up to it or join a tour and ride up with the National Park Service.
The Hensley Settlement School House is at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park on the Kentucky side. You can either hike up to it or join a tour and ride up with the National Park Service.
Within Tallulah State Park in Northern Georgia, a 1,000-foot Gorge is carved out by the Tallulah River, with Tallulah Falls visible from several overlooks along the hiking trail.
Within Tallulah State Park in Northern Georgia, a 1,000-foot Gorge is carved out by the Tallulah River, with Tallulah Falls visible from several overlooks along the hiking trail.
The Skyline Drive in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park passes through Marys Rock Tunnel on a cold October morning.
The Skyline Drive in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park passes through Marys Rock Tunnel on a cold October morning.
Amid the splendor of autumn in Southern Appalachia and with excited curiosity, Ellic (photographer’s son) and Oscar (the accompanying videographer’s son)climb the steep stairs of the Olson Observation Tower in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.
Amid the splendor of autumn in Southern Appalachia and with excited curiosity, Ellic (photographer’s son) and Oscar (the accompanying videographer’s son)climb the steep stairs of the Olson Observation Tower in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.

The story above appears in our September/October 2019 issue. For more, subscribe today or log in to the digital edition with your active digital subscription. Thank you for your support!

You Might Also Like:

Built in Roanoke, Virginia, in the 1950s, the “Queen of Steam” remains one of the nation’s most celebrated steam locomotives.

The Queen Still Reigns

More than 70 years after she first took to the rails, the legendary Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 continues to inspire both passengers and the volunteers who keep her running.
In West Virginia, the rugged trails of Dolly Sods Wilderness lead to sweeping overlooks and untamed mountain scenery.

Blue Ridge Base Camp Towns

More than outposts for gearing up, these seven mountain communities are destinations in their own right, pairing easy access to some of the region’s best outdoor adventures with walkable downtowns, local flavor, and much more.
Interior designer Maisie Leach and her pup Stella Bea traded Roanoke’s bustling Grandin Village for a slower pace of life in Eagle Rock

Refuge in the Woods

A log cabin in Eagle Rock, Virginia, is the latest project for Maisie Leach of Hermione Interiors—and her most personal.
Author Tim Carmichael’s grandmother, Granny Woman Stella Gosnell Norton, served her Madison County, North Carolina, community as a trusted healer and caregiver.

The Heart of the Hills

Long before modern healthcare reached many Appalachian communities, Granny Women became trusted healers and caregivers, delivering babies, treating illness and injury, and preserving generations of healing knowledge.
Sherwood Anderson and printer Howard White outside the Marion news office, in one of the last photos taken of Anderson.

Finding Home in the Mountains

In 1926, renowned writer Sherwood Anderson moved from center stage in Chicago to the mountains of far Southwest Virginia. Why?
Carly Pearson smiles at the summit of McAfee Knob in Virginia

Trailblazer

Former wildland firefighter Carly Pearson became an accidental advocate for people with disabilities.
The hotel’s rooftop terrace, affectionately known as The Perch, offers exceptional mountain views.

Walking in the Footsteps of an American First Lady

The owners of Wytheville’s Bolling Wilson Hotel and Graze on Main make sure the town never forgets her legacy.
Roanoke, Virginia, USA downtown skyline at dawn

2026 Happiest Mountain Towns

Ten years after this poll’s inaugural launch, we once again turned to our knowledgeable readers for their picks. The results? A brand-new collection of 71 exceptional Blue Ridge communities that excel at bringing big smiles to the faces of both residents and visitors.
Kayaks on Toccoa River Below the Falls

7 Fabulous Float-to-Stays

Paddling trips on scenic rivers to great mountain towns make for perfect summer getaways.
Blooming rosebay rhododendrons frame a lovely, fast-moving cascade along the Oconaluftee River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee, North Carolina. Photo by Robert Stephens

Currents & Cascades: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers followed the flow of summer.

Current Issue

CALENDAR OF EVENTS