Photo Essays

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.
Grassy Ridge, Roan Highlands, Tennessee/North Carolina. From the photographer: “Each year there’s a three- to four-day window when the delicate magenta blossoms of Catawba rhododendron paint the shrub-dominated ridgelines of Roan Mountain with vibrant color. It’s every photographer’s dream—certainly mine—to align this short bloom period with interesting atmospheric conditions. On this morning, everything came together. Following a three-mile, dark hike over open, grassy balds along the Appalachian Trail, I perched myself high atop a natural garden of flowering rhododendron. As the sun began to rise from the east, it seemed to pull an inverted cloud from the west ever so softly over Roan High Knob.”

Summer in the Mountains: A Photo Essay

It’s cooler up here. And spectacular both up close and far away. Our contributing photographers have the proof!
Foal along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia’s Grayson Highlands, with the note that hikers and other visitors are directed to limit interaction with the wild ponies to photographs only. From the photographer: “The wild ponies are one of the highlights along the Appalachian Trail in this region and for the park. The ponies are the descendants of 50 Assateague ponies released in 1974 and are small in stature. This young foal is incredibly small standing just a few feet high.”

Spring Springs: A Photo Essay

And when it does, flora and fauna alike explode upon the lands, waters and air of the mountains.
Roan Mountain, on the North Carolina/Tennessee border, presents a stark expanse in winter. From the photographer: “This is a place I hike and photograph multiple times a year, but there’s something extra magical about being up there in the bitter cold of winter, like you are standing in a real-life snow globe.”

Winter Wonders: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers are back with the chill.
The Maple Leaf Barn is located at the Seven Islands State Birding Park in Kodak, Tennessee, east of Knoxville along the French Broad River. The park was created for birdwatching and it has a beautiful wildlife refuge and several hiking trails with views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Other activities at the park include kayaking, canoeing, biking and fishing. From the photographer: “The barn was originally built and owned by the Creswell Family who lived on the property. They operated a small farm and sand-dredging operation on the river. The quilt pattern would have been added later when the park was established.”

Murals, Barn Art & More: A Photo Essay

Color in the countryside, color in the town—our contributing photographers capture the artists' works.
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Even More Sweet Virginia Breezes

Casually cruising to Claytor Lake in southwest Virginia, I felt like I had come home – back to where it

April 12, 2018

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