Explore Your Beautiful Mountain Community with a Drive on the Parkway

De BISAWiki

Have you been out on a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway this year? The government shutdown has made everything much more difficult, but you can still get out and see the amazing folliage.

The Government Shutdown Affects Mountain Travel

Can you believe it? That blasted govement shutdown actually forced the Blue Ridge Parkway to close down all the visitor centers, picnic areas, and even campgrounds. In other news, the Great Smokies National Park has been shut down for 16 days now. Not all was totally bleak! There was a cash infusion from North Carolina for 75K and Tennesse for 305K. This cash infusion allowed the park to reopen for 5 more days. Yay.

Replanning a Late Fall Visit

So what's the best thing to do? Well, there are parks that are still open, however, our suggestion is to wait and do a visit in later autumn. How about a science lesson? Here goes. Every night has actually had such mild temperatures that the trees are still producing chlorophyll. To get extra information, please consider checking out: boone nc real estate. Chlorophyll is, of course, the chemical that makes leaves green. The situation here that develops is that the remainly chlorophyll in the leaves covers up carotenoid (chemical that makes the orange hue). As the temperatures drop down into the 40's and 50's, the chlorophyll will disappear. At that point, the orange and yellow shades will show up and we'll have the amazing Fall season.

Drive Up to the Higher Elevations

So, should you worry? Seriously. Don't worry too much if you've planned a special trip to see the fall colors. You'll still have a lot of opportunity to see the leaves, especially at the higher elevations where the folliage changes earlier due to the cooler weather. The parks and state forests are actually all still open. So, if you end up in the area, you can just as well go to Mt Pisgah and do a short hike. Also, at Mt Pisgah, there are many places to picnic on the way up the mountain. The most interesting thing about a fun parkway drive is that, as you drive along, you'll see differnet colors at different elevations. Make sure to bring a sweater or jacket, as the difference in temperature between elevations can be as much as twenty to thirty degrees. Of course, you really should be wearing polarized sunglasses while driving. Do you have a great camera? Be sure to bring it to take fabulous pics! One of the most fun things to do is simply drive to a rocky overlook and snap pictures of friends and the scenery, whether it’s on a smart phone or nice camera. The setting makes everyone look good!.

Why We Love the Mountains

Everyone tells their friends how amazing the mountains are after they've been here.Of course, we are in love with this place because we live here! If you'd like to live in an area with amazing Autumn scenery, look into the Blue Ridge Mountain Club. An expansive mountain community located on over 6,000 acres through Blowing Rock NC, Boone NC, Banner Elk and Linville NC, this neighborhood offers its own hiking trails, streams, picnic areas and campgrounds, so the government shutdown isn’t a worry.