Roads Less Traveled: A First Taste of Spring

Spring made it’s appearance in the North Georgia Mountains quite some time ago, however it is just now starting to pay visits to the high country of North Carolina. Here in Boone we just got our last snow flurries of the season on May 5th, which set things back just a bit, but plenty of green and flowers are starting to spring up everywhere you look.

More beautiful weather is in store for North Georgia on Sunday, which makes it the perfect time to get out and see the blooming rhododendrons at higher elevations, and various other plants at lower elevations. My personal picks for the weekend would be Brasstown Bald, Tallulah Gorge or Minehaha Falls, but any hikes would be beautiful this weekend.

Below are a few shots from my recent adventures on the Blue Ridge Parkway in my favorite sections between Asheville and Blowing Rock, NC.


 

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Early late-March morning on Thunder Hill Overlook near Blowing Rock, NC.
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The first rhododendron bloom in Linville Gorge, NC.
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Spring at the bottom, winter at the top. Taken from Craggy Gardens looking towards Lake Junaluska, NC.
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Crabtree Falls, NC with beautiful new green growth and slightly higher than normal flow following a recent rainshower.
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A wild iris on Craggy Gardens.
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Blooming trees near Mount Mitchell, NC.
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Early spring on Boone Fork Creek.
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The Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain, NC.
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Blossoms along the road less traveled.
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Sunset from Flat Rock near Grandfather Mountain, NC.

Stay busy, my friends, and enjoy these beautiful mountains.

I’ll see you on the trail…..~TW