Blue Ridge Post 2

As stated in post 1, I have pictures of each sign to allow proper identification of the images.  However, displaying an even number of photos in each section is manageable, so I only added the sign to some locations.  

As a side note, I was surprised to see how many bicyclists were on the Parkway.  I am glad people respected their desire to enjoy the Parkway at 10 MPH.

MM 49.3 House Mountain View - Within the Alleghenies, after the Great Valley, are the Big House and Little House Mountains.  They are so far away that they merge into a single mountain view. 

MM 45.7 Buena Vista View—From this point, you can see Buena Vista, Virginia.  Mountains rise from the valley below, and the Green Valley continues for miles. 

MM 44.9 Chimney Rock Mountain - Two overgrown groves of trees slightly impact the view. The road to the north offers a much better view, but there is nowhere to stop and photograph the excellent site.

MM 38.3 Boston Knob Overlook - This was one of the locations with better color, yet the overgrown trees block a good portion of the view.  In addition to its natural beauty, the Boston Knob Overlook is an excellent spot for stargazing. The area is designated as a Dark Sky Park, making it an ideal spot for stargazers to marvel at the night sky and the Milky Way.

MM 34.4 Yankee Horse Trail/Wigwam Falls - FROM SIGN BELOW - Early in the 20th Century, lumber companies built narrow gauge railroads far into the mountains. This railroad, which was 50 miles long, carried more than 100 million board feet of logs to the mill. It was built in 1919-1920, and a section has been reconstructed here. Login and fires destroyed most of the virgin forest in the Blue Ridge; the trees you see today are mostly second growth.

MM 23 Fork Mountain View - Fork Mountain is between the forks of the Tye River. Beyond Fork Mountain, the Tye continues through the valley between Three Ridges on the left and the Priest.

MM 22.1 Bald Mountain Overlook - “Balds” seen along the Parkway refer to large treeless patches covering all or part of a mountaintop. 

MM20 Slacks Overlook—This site has several trails at various difficulty levels. From 1916 to 1939, lumbermen harvested the forest with two long swathes of timber clear-cut along the ridge. They were Called Big and Little Slash before locals corporately referred to them as The Slacks. 

MM19 20 Minute Cliff - From the sign: In June and July during corn choppin time, this Cliff serves the folks in the White Rock community as a timepiece. Twenty minutes after sunset strikes the rock face, dusk falls on the valley below.  

MM 13.1  3 Ridges Mountain - The vista is broken with tiny windows of overgrowth trees.

MM 11.7 Hickory Spring Parking — I searched for the spring that is supposed to be here, but there is no evidence. However, there are excellent views across the road, as shown below.

MM 10.7 Ravens Roost—The view at Ravens Roost Overlook is one of the better Blue Ridge Parkway views. The left overlook side highlights the valleys between the mountains. The right side view is an array of small farms 1,400 feet below. In the distance, the Lyndhurst and Stuart’s Draft urban sprawl are exhibited. 

MM 8.8 Greenstone - This overlook is on Catoctin Greenstone, a rock formed from a geologically ancient lava flow that inundated vast Maryland and Northern Virginia areas.  It is the most prevalent rock type over the first 19 miles of the Parkway and is recognizable by its deep-sea color.  On the left of the view from the overlook is Big Levels, part of the 30,000-acre Big Levels Game Refuge.  On the lower right is the village of Stewart’s Draft (not shown).

MM 6 Mountain Farm Museum - These exhibits tell about life in the area during the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Information panels educate visitors on home life, work, schools, entertainment, and self-sufficiency. 

MM 1.5 Rockfish Valley - The Rockfish River runs through Rockfish Valley to the James River.  In the early 1700s, the Tuscarora Indians lived by the rivers before joining the Iroquois Confederation.

MM 0.2 Afton Overlook - Previously, the community of Afton, 800 feet below, could be seen from this overlook.  It was notable because it was the route Thomas Jefferson took in 1818 to confirm plans for the University of Virginia.  Unfortunately, the view is now primarily blocked by trees.  Some of the mountains can still be seen, but the rural communities in the valley previously made the vista interesting. 

 

Thats all!  Until the next adventure - Carry on!