Blue Ridge Parkway; Road to Discovery

144 pages. Maps. Magnificent color photographs. Signed with sentiment by J. Scott Graham on fep. Sentiment is Enjoy your Discoveries! DJ has a tear at the back and minor other wear and soiling. J. Scott Graham creates images of national parks, national forests, and national historic sites throughout the Southern Appalachian Mountains he calls home. Scott's defining work along the Blue Ridge Parkway and in the Great Smoky Mountains has earned him recognition as one of this country's finest photographers. Celebrated photographer J. Scott Graham has published more images and sold more products featuring the Southern Appalachians than any other person in the world. Though most well-known for his legendary images of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Graham has an impressive portfolio that he utilizes to create brands for many state parks, national historic sites, and picturesque destinations throughout the United States and in the Caribbean. His photographs and corresponding product lines have been enjoyed by millions, while providing valuable financial support and priceless interpretive tools for some of North America’s most scenic locations. Elizabeth Hunter, began contributing to Blue Ridge Country Magazine with its first issue and served as its award-winning columnist until her retirement at the end of 2014, also wrote dozens of articles, with care, awe and love, about the Blue Ridge Parkway, as well as contributed to books, including J. Scott Graham's photoessays. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for 469 miles through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It runs mostly along the spine of the Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 441 (US 441) on the boundary between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, from which it travels north to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The roadway continues through Shenandoah as Skyline Drive, a similar scenic road which is managed by a different National Park Service unit. Both Skyline Drive and the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway are part of Virginia State Route 48 (SR 48). The parkway has been the most visited unit of the National Park System every year since 1946 except four (1949, 2013, 2016 and 2019). Land on either side of the road is owned and maintained by the National Park Service, and in many places parkway land is bordered by United States Forest Service property. There is no fee for using the parkway; however, commercial vehicles are prohibited without approval from the Park Service Headquarters, near Asheville, North Carolina. The roadway is not maintained in the winter, and sections that pass over especially high elevations and through tunnels are often impassable and therefore closed from late fall through early spring. Weather is extremely variable in the mountains, so conditions and closures often change rapidly. The speed limit is never higher than 45 mph and is lower in some sections. In addition to the road, the parkway has a folk art center located at mile marker 382 and a visitor center located at mile marker 384, both near Asheville. There are also numerous parking areas at trailheads for the various hiking trails that intersect the parkway, and several campgrounds located along the parkway allow for overnight stays. The Blue Ridge Music Center (also part of the park) is located in Galax, and Mount Mitchell (the highest point in eastern North America) is only accessible via North Carolina Highway 128 (NC 128), which intersects the parkway at milepost 355.…