Second Gear WNC The Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, Carl Heilman II Books & Maps

Extending from Virginia to northern Georgia, the Blue Ridge Mountains include Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the 469-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway, Monticello and the Biltmore Estate, and Shenandoah National Park, which includes the 105-mile-long Skyline Drive. The Blue Ridge range contains the highest mountains on the East Coast, with 125 peaks above 5,000 feet in elevation. The scenic roadways, spectacular overlooks, and numerous rocky crags offer magnificent views of layer after layer of mountains rolling off into the distance. Hiking trails lead to wild mountain summits, valley streams, and waterfalls. Each season offers a fresh perspective, from fall colours and winter snow and ice to spring and summer flowers and storms. In addition, numerous homes, barns, schools, churches, and mills have been protected and preserved throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering a picturesque look at Appalachian life in past centuries. To appreciate the wonders of this region through the…