EasePease life: Post 1 - Blue Ridge Parkway Mile Marker 100 to 50

NOTE - DUE TO THE NUMBER OF PICTURES AND POST SIZE - THIS WILL BE TWO POSTS FOR THIS DAY.

I have pictures of each sign to keep the photos in order. However, displaying an even number of images per site is more manageable, so I only added the sign to some locations.

I was awake at 7:15 a.m. and started to pack. If I take anything from this trip, I could still pack lighter! It was 8:00 a.m. before I was packed and finished breakfast. I checked out and ventured to the Roanoke Mountian Overlook at the 114.9-mile mark (MM), where I stopped yesterday. I only needed to stop for fuel, which I was amazed was $2.89 a gallon. Everything costs much less in Virginia.

Some overlooks or stops had no views and would only be a resting place. This included MM 110.6 Stewarts Knob Trail/Overlook, MM 109.8 Read Mountain View, MM 107.0 Coyner Mountain View, and 106.9 N&W Railroad Overlook. The first scenic stop was MM 100.9, which was the Quarry Overlook.

MM 99.6 Great Valley Overlook

MM 97 Taylor Mountain — Taylor Mountain is at the end of a mountain wall on one side of Goose Creek Valley.

MM 96.2 Iron Mine Hollow — Long-range views abound from this overlook into the valley below. This area was prospected and mined for iron ore. Many mines were in operation, but limited transportation confined development. In 1892, the mines slowly began shutting down due to the rich, easily worked ore found in Minnesota.

MM 95.4 Montvale View—Montvale was named Bufordsville after a man who gave land to the N & W Railway. He only asked that the passenger trains always stop at the station. However, this was impractical, as there were no passengers, and the trains eventually passed the station.

MM 95.3 Harveys Knob - The Great Valley is seen from this overlook, with Harvey’s Knob on the right. This is the area where Robert Harvey led the way in the local production of iron. The main draw to the overlook is to see hawks as they migrate through the Blue Ridge Mountains each September, and the parking lot is typically filled with bird watchers.

MM 95.2 Pinetree Overlook - The green valley below is filled with farms and forests and offers an excellent view of Goose Creek Valley. Sharp Top Mountain can be seen on the left side of the vista.

MM 93.1 Boblets Gap Overlook did not have a view.

MM 92.1 Purgatory Mountain - These stops are so close together that the views are similar. Purgatory Mountain rises above the Great Valley. At the base of the mountain, “Carolina” road passed through the town of Buchanan, once used as a rough path, came stagecoaches and wagons. The strenuous trip down the path and around sharp bends of a creek had drivers referring to the trip as “going through purgatory.” The creek became Purgatory Creek, and later, the mountain took the same name.

MM 91.8 Mills Gap — Mills Gap pullout overlooks the James River Valley, which is 1,585 feet lower in elevation than the Blue Ridge Parkway.

MM 90 Porter Mountain View — In 2015, the Porter Mountain View overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway was completely overgrown, but a few years later, the National Park Service came in and cleared over an acre of trees and restored the view.

MM 89.4 Upper Goose Creek Valley - Goose Creek Valley's early settlers were Quakers. The Iroquois made the first years insecure, and the Quakers fled but returned in 1758. The yellow poplar and dogwood found here add to the beauty of this area.

MM 85.9 Peaks of Otter Recreation area - The visitor center was closed. Excellent hiking trail options.

MM 81.9 Head Foremost Mountain View—Just like Rice Mountain View, this view is colorful but less impactful as the closer mountain blocks and views beyond.

MM 79.9 Black Rock View - It is made of diorite, a rock that ranges from granite to black. It covers much of the Blue Ridge between James River and Peaks of Otter. If you’ve ever seen ancient sculptures carved from a black rock, that’s most likely diorite.

MM 79.7 Onion Mountain - A short, manageable trail guides you through rhododendrons and mountain laurels to an outstanding overlook. The sign says 6 minutes, but it is much shorter to get an outstanding view.

MM 75.2 Arnold Valley—The Arnold Valley view has two parking areas. The view of the Alleghenies with Arnold’s Valley at the foot of the mountains is one of the better views on the Parkway. The valley is named after Steve Arnold, who established his homestead in 1749.

MM 74.7 Thunder Ridge - This site is an excellent stop for stretching your legs and getting an outstanding view of the Arnold Valley from a stone observation deck. There are no views from the parking lot. The towns of Glasgow and Natural Bridge can also be seen from here. The trail is rocky and rooted but should be manageable for most. If you want to take a short, easy path to the overlook, start on the right Isouth) side of the parking lot.

MM 72.6 Terrapin Ridge — This site offers an impressive view of Terrapin Mountain and the valley in the distance. The variety of the mountains makes for an interesting view, although this site is impacted by overgrowth.

MM 63.1 Otter Lake and Creek — A man-made Otter Lake from damming Otter Creek is very scenic and great for a picnic. The Otter Lake Loop Trail also circles the lake. Most of the trail is not strenuous, yet a portion has a rocky and root-filled incline that can be challenging.

There are several overlooks between MM 63 and 55. They all look over a creek and are basically parking areas. Nice place for a lunch! They include MM 61.4 Terrapin Hill, MM 60.4 Riffle Overlook, MM 59.7 Otter Creek Overlook, MM 58.2 Otter Creek Flats Overlook, MM 57.6 Upper Otter Creek Overlook, and MM 55.9 Dancing Creek Overlook.

MM 55.2 White Oaks Flats Overlook—Dancing Creek runs by this stretch of forest dominated by white oaks, which adapt well and thrive in moist areas. There is no view, yet the colors on the Parkway are outstanding.