A Day Seeking Fall Colors
There is something special about fall on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most scenic routes in the country. The 469 mile route extends from the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Around each corner of this drive seems to be a scenic overlook among the many hiking trails and parks. On a Friday in late October, Harry Lawson and I traveled to the North Carolina mountains seeking to photograph the change of seasons and the color it brings. Our first choice was to visit South Mountains State Park to capture cascading waterfalls and streams along the Jacob Fork River. However, we heard that the colors had not peaked yet and the water level was extremely low due to a three week rain drought. Therefore, we abandoned the plan of smooth silky water and decided to visit a higher elevation where color was showing. We plotted a course along the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Lin Cove Viaduct to Linville Falls.
Thunder Hill - A Good Beginning to a Good Day
Traveling south from the Thunder Hill overlook our next stop was the Julian Price Memorial Park, at Milepost 296.7. The smooth water reflecting the colorful leaves captivated us for awhile as we sought to photograph from different angles.
Perfect Reflections on Price Lake
Traveling south on the Blue Ridge Parkway, out next destination was the Linn Cove Viaduct at Milepost 304.4. According to virtualblueridge.com , This award-winning, quarter-mile bridge hugs the face of Grandfather Mountain and is recognized internationally as an engineering marvel. This design preserves the beauty and protects the fragile and ecologically sensitive slopes of Grandfather Mountain by curving naturally with the mountain’s contours.
Linn Cove Viaduct
To get this photo, we had to climb a half mile on the Tanawha Trail and perch ourselves carefully on a large boulder overlooking the road. Here's a photo of a couple of photographers who took our place on the boulder after we left. The other photo shows the beginning of the Tanawha Trail under the bridge.
After returning to the Linn Cove Viaduct's visitor's center, we traveled a short distance to the Yonahlossee Overlook (Milepost 303.9) and marveled over the scenic view.
More Views from the Yonahlossee Overlook
Make sure to pack a lunch if you're traveling on the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are no restaurants on the parkway and trail mix will only get you so far!
Our final destination on this day trip was Linville Falls at Milepost 316.4. Linville Falls is a series of falls that drop into a deep gorge. From the parking lot, you can access several trails. We traveled the Duggers Creek Trail to capture a small waterfall. However the water level was low which produced a trickle of water. I need to revisit this fall after a good rain.
Moving on to Linville Falls we decided to take the 1.6 mile round trip, Erwins View Trail. This trail provide four overlooks of the falls at various elevations.
Views along the Erwins View Trail
More Views from the Top!
One of the best things about reaching the end of an uphill trail is that going down is easy!
Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter. Ansel Adams
We covered 30 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway and were presented with many photo opportunities. As the great landscape photographer Ansel Adams said, "Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter." I can't wait to visit more of this scenic drive.
Credits:
All Photos by Clarence Burke. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Clarence Burke and chburke.com