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Photo Essay: 25th Annual Calendars Celebrate Iconic Parks

April along the parkway. Historic structures at E.B. Jeffress Park (Milepost 272.5) include a springhouse, Cool Springs Baptist Church and this one, the Jesse Brown Cabin. E.B. Jeffress was, in 1934, chairman of the North Carolina Highway Commission, and in that role helped persuade the federal government to place the Blue Ridge Parkway on the route it follows today.

Johnson City, Tennessee’s J. Scott Graham has been capturing the beauty of the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway with 25 years of wall calendars.

Photo Above: April along the parkway. Historic structures at E.B. Jeffress Park (Milepost 272.5) include a springhouse, Cool Springs Baptist Church and this one, the Jesse Brown Cabin. E.B. Jeffress was, in 1934, chairman of the North Carolina Highway Commission, and in that role helped persuade the federal government to place the Blue Ridge Parkway on the route it follows today.
Photos Courtesy of J. Scott Graham.

A long-time friend of Blue Ridge Country magazine will celebrate an anniversary of sorts in 2021, and has been kind enough to allow us to present a sneak preview to our readers.

J. Scott Graham’s 2021 wall calendars featuring images of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are now available, and we are pleased to present a few shots from each.

Graham, who lives in Johnson City, Tennessee, has a broad background of photography, but has made these two national parks his specialty, creating not only calendars but also many other niche products—mugs, coasters, postcards, books and more—based on the parks’ beauty.

We’ve long been particularly fond of Graham’s fall shots, including fall-themed Blue Ridge Country covers in 2002 and 2003.

Captions include the information on each shot from the calendars.

For more information or to purchase the calendars and other parks-related items: jscottgraham.com; 423-341-9463

The fall frame of a parkway tunnel (November). Rough Ridge Tunnel is at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 349. At only 150 feet long, it is the shortest of the 26 tunnels along the parkway.
The fall frame of a parkway tunnel (November). Rough Ridge Tunnel is at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 349. At only 150 feet long, it is the shortest of the 26 tunnels along the parkway.
July view of Grandfather Mountain. Near Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 305, mountain ash showcases its bright red berries—a favorite food of hummingbirds and black bears—as Grandfather Mountain’s MacRae Peak and Calloway Peak rise starkly on the horizon.
July view of Grandfather Mountain. Near Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 305, mountain ash showcases its bright red berries—a favorite food of hummingbirds and black bears—as Grandfather Mountain’s MacRae Peak and Calloway Peak rise starkly on the horizon.
June beauty. Just north of Price Lake (Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 296.7) are the quiet waters of Sims Pond. A loop hike can take you around it, or view from the Sims Overlook, at Milepost 295.9.
June beauty. Just north of Price Lake (Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 296.7) are the quiet waters of Sims Pond. A loop hike can take you around it, or view from the Sims Overlook, at Milepost 295.9.
Chimney Tops in November. At elevation 4,724 feet, Chimney Tops is a double-capstone knob on the eastern slope of Sugarland Mountain in the Smokies. The trailhead to reach its summit is along Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg and the North Carolina state line.
Chimney Tops in November. At elevation 4,724 feet, Chimney Tops is a double-capstone knob on the eastern slope of Sugarland Mountain in the Smokies. The trailhead to reach its summit is along Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg and the North Carolina state line.
Walk behind the falls (May). The Trillium Gap Trail in the Tennessee Smokies arrives after a 1.5-mile hike through an old-growth hemlock forest at the basin of 25-foot Grotto Falls, and provides a rare opportunity to walk behind a waterfall.
Walk behind the falls (May). The Trillium Gap Trail in the Tennessee Smokies arrives after a 1.5-mile hike through an old-growth hemlock forest at the basin of 25-foot Grotto Falls, and provides a rare opportunity to walk behind a waterfall.
Pick a spot, any November spot. Says Scott Graham of this photo: “This is just a random spot I found looking north along the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 322 (between Bear Den Overlook MP 323 and Chestoa View MP 321).
Pick a spot, any November spot. Says Scott Graham of this photo: “This is just a random spot I found looking north along the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 322 (between Bear Den Overlook MP 323 and Chestoa View MP 321).

The story above appears in our November / December 2020 issue.

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