Written by Marie DeFreitas

From poisonous air to a 50 year road project, here’s everything you didn’t know about the Blue Ridge Mountains.

An Ancient Mountain Range

When we think of the Blue Ridge Mountains, we don’t really think of them in the same way we do say, the Himalayas, or the Dolomites. But once upon a time, these rolling blue hills where the highest peaks on the planet. Spreading far and wide over 8 states, from Georgia to Pennsylvania, the Blue Ridge Mountains were once a part of what we now know as the Caledonian Mountains; it’s hard to imagine these rolling landscapes used to flow all the way to Europe. After the shifting of the North American and European tectonic plates, The Blue Ridge Mountains became what we see today. Scientists decipher that from the lack of calc-alkaline affinity, they put the Blue Ridge Mountains at about 1.2 billion years old; the second oldest mountain range on earth. In comparison, the Rockies and Swiss Alps are babies in age. Over hundreds of years, erosion and weathering has made The Blue Ridge Mountains shrink, a lot. The highest peak is now Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, at only 6, 684ft.

At a glance it’s hard to comprehend just how old the Blue Ridge Mountains are. We all have an idea of what fossils look like, but in Appalachia they’re a little different. While there are fossils found here from more recent times in younger layers of the land, most of the fossils here are so old, we wouldn’t recognize them as fossils. The majority of the ones found here were formed over 100 million years before mammals even walked the earth. They’re made from limestone rocks that were formed on the bottom of the ocean floor, and some even date back to before FISH had evolved. The blue ridge mountains truly are ancient; they are older than bones, dinosaurs and the Atlantic Ocean.

Paradise turns Poisonous

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway that cuts through these mountains there are hundreds of overlooks where travelers can gaze out at the blue-green haze. That iconic blue haze we know and love comes from the dense amount of plant life here. The trees and plants throughout this region release molecules called VOC, or volatile organic compounds. These compounds, also called volatile hydrocarbons, release compounds like isoprene, which interact with other molecules in the atmosphere that ultimately put the “blue” in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The moisture that this vegetation gives off scatters blue and violet wavelengths more than other colors on the spectrum, and since our eyes are most sensitive to these colors, we see the blue haze that covers the land.

But once upon a time, the Blue Ridge Mountains almost lost it’s blue for good. Back in the 1990’s when the area was essentially surrounded by power plants, it spelled trouble for this unique region. While plants soak up carbon dioxide, VOCs release a dangerous pollutant that’s a key part of ground-level ozone. We tend to think of the ozone layer a good thing, shielding us from the ultraviolet radiation from the sun, but at ground-level, it becomes something dangerous. The chemicals being released from VOCs began to mix with the fumes from nearby fossil fuel productions. Winds carried about one third of these harmful emissions over to the mountains, and this mixed with sunlight, created that ground level ozone, making the once majestic mountain air dangerous for us to breathe. By the mid 1990’s the Blue Ridge Mountains had ozone levels that were comparable to New York City. That iconic blue started to look more like a foggy, yellowish haze that hid the mountains.

Luckily amendments to the Clean Air Act put limits on how much sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide could be released from power plants, as well as tailpipes. Since 2015 only one new coal plant has been built in the U.S., which is a big win. Our reliance on coal energy has decreased a good 30% as a nation, which has allowed places like the Blue Ridge Mountains to flourish.

Land of the Blue Mist

In the layers of dense, fertile soil that make up the land here, if you search hard enough, you’ll find arrowheads, reminders of an earlier time when Native American tribes made this land their home. Tribes like the Cherokee of North Carolina, the Monacan, Sapooni and Tutelo of W.V, were some of the earliest settlers in this region. In the southern part of the mountains, the Cherokee Tribe inhabited the land over 11,000 years ago, the earliest humans in this region. Unfortunately, the tragic injustice of the Trail of Tears led by Andrew Jackson, forced 16,000 Native americans to walk to Oklahoma in 1838. It displaced thousands, but a few managed to escape or hide and remain in the mountains of their native land. These tribes had a flourishing society of permanent towns, structured politics, and an artfully cultivated abundance of crops like corn, squash and beans from the ultra-fertile mountain soil. The Cherokee referred to the Blue Ridge Mountains by the ancient term Shaconage (shah-con-ah-jey), or “Land of the Blue Mist.”

Today there’s tons of ways to explore Native American heritage in Appalachia, from museums, to tours and hikes, to arrow head hunting. The Cherokee’s Qualla Boundary Reservation is a also a major Blue Ridge parkway attraction.

Untold Black Appalachia

The Blue Ridge Mountains hold a deep, rich history of Native Americans and their native land, but a big part of the story that often goes untold is the deep history of black people in Appalachia. Both free and enslaved blacks were some of the earliest non-native settlers on this land.

The Saunders Farm, in Otter Virginia, purchased by George Saunders in 1912 from his parents, was one of the first black owned farms in this region. George lived here with his wife and nine children until about 1942, where they grew much of the food they ate, but also some cash crops, like tomatoes.

As construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began in the late 1930’s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, this was still a time of intense segregation. Several work programs were established as the parkway began to emerge, one of these was CCC. Notthe Carolina Climber’s Coalition, but the Civilian Conservation Corps. This group was known for beautifying much of the national parks and park resources we still use today; they planted trees, built infrastructures, and made recreation areas for park goers to enjoy. Although the CCC was initially established to be free of racial discrimination, many times black workers’ applications were discarded or placed at the bottom of the pile. In 1933 black unemployment numbers were twice the national average.

Slavery tied many black settlers to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and today there are several small cemeteries along the Blue Ridge Parkway today from this time period. At Milepost 177 of the parkway there is even a cemetery with numerous unmarked graves, most likely belonging to slaves. More recently, in 2007 a sector of the National Park Service conducted archeological surveys to confirm the existence of these graves. They concluded that the markers for these graves may have been moved or displaced during the construction of the parkway. In 2017, with the help of community members and volunteers, a marker was placed and dedicated to the individuals buried there.

Today there are number of ways to explore the rich history of black people in Appalachia. Places like the Historic Carson Home in Western North Carolina, features an exhibit telling the story of the craftsmen who built the plantation home, forged tools and produced food and textiles for the Carson family. Black in Appalachia is a great resource to discover all the ways black people were tied to these mountains and the land. This non-profit collaborates with countless organizations, universities, and libraries to highlight the history and contributions of black people in this region.

Wartime Ally

The Blue Ridge Mountains have provided a shelter for so many over decades, and the Civil War was no exception. The mountains gave a shield to confederate armies during the war, that allowed them to sneak up to Union territory, and conceal their own movements from Union forces. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, a confederate general, is particularly known for using these mountains as an ally to strategically shield his troops from Union eyes time and time again. What is now Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, once served as a significant tool for Confederate routes, specifically the well-known Skyline Drive. Passes and roads throughout the park allowed for undetected advancement, for both armies. Bigger passes like Rockfish and Thornton Gaps were popular, but Jackson had the forethought to make use of lesser known passages to move his armies. Ultimately, the Blue Ridge Mountains held an advantage for Confederate armies who knew their backyard land well.

A 400 Mile Road

The Blue Ridge Parkway started off as an idea after President Roosevelt saw Skyline Drive in Virginia in the early 1930’s. The idea was to connect two recently opened parks, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Shenandoah National Park. After the Great Depression wrecked financial havoc, particularly on poverty-stricken mountain towns, a lot of jobs needed to be created, and fast. The construction of the Parkway not only would excel the tourism already coming in from these two national parks, but would create hundreds of jobs for engineers, construction workers, and landscape architects.

“The idea is to fit the Parkway into the mountains as if nature has put it there.”- Stanley Abott, Chief Landscape Architect for the Parkway.

The parkway is a 469 mile stretch of road that cuts and weaves through the Blue Ridge Mountains, providing amazing views along the way. It’s construction started on September 11, 1935 and wasn’t completed until 1987, whopping 52 years! With over 200 amazing overlooks, visitors flock to the parkway throughout the year for mountain views, wildflower blooms, and spectacular fall foliage.

Here are some of the most popular overlooks:

Rockfish Valley Overlook: More valley than mountains, but great 180 degree views of Rockfish Valley. Milepost 1.5. Elevation: 2,150.

Roanoke River Overlook -A fantastic view of the bustling blue Roanoke River and valley sitting 1,100 beneath you. Roanoke River Trail nearby. Milepost 120.4

Water Rock Knob Overlook: Great mountain views provided with 5 picnic tables

Raven’s Roost Overlook: No trails here, but panoramic views of valleys and mountains. Trailers and RV’s cannot park at this overlook. Milepost 10.7. Elevation: 3,200 ft.

Looking Glass Rock Overlook: A great spot free of brush and trees from the view. Mountains to Sea Trail is nearby. Milepost 417.

Appalachian Trail

Now the Blue Ridge Mountains not only host tons of visitors along the parkway, but it’s also a hotspot for hikers, campers and climbers. Linville Gorge in Table Rock holds some of the best East Coast crags. Devil’s Cellar is a popular climb/rappel spot in North Carolina. Boone (N.C.) also hosts a myriad of great bouldering spots. Looking Glass Rock, Craggy Gardens and Ship Rock, which is directly on the parkway, are all great climbing spots as well. Appalachia is a hiking/camping paradise, with numerous national forests (where back country camping is free), and national parks, finding a great campsite is no challenge. Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests offer tons of great options as well. You can also quite literally go chasing waterfalls. Looking Glass Falls, Dry Falls and Moore’s Cove Falls are impressive spots, but simply just driving along the parkway you’ll see surprise trickling falls beside you at almost every bend.

The Appalachian Trail famously draws in hundreds of hikers from all over the globe. The 2,190 mile trail goes from Springer Mountain, Georgia up to Mt. Katahdin in Maine. The average hiker completes the whole trail in roughly 6 months, but only 1 in 4 hikers make it through the full hike. The trail was established in October 1968 by Benton MacKaye. In 1948 Earl Shaffer became the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail, then in 1955 at the age of 67, “Grandma” Emma Gatewood became the first woman to solo hike the entire trail- in a pair of Keds! -talk about tough. Her long, crazy journey is detailed in the bestselling book Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery. These mountains have lured nature lovers and solitude seekers for decades. The naturalist Henry David Thoreau found a love for these mountains back in the 1840’s. Adamant about seeking solitude, Thoreau built a cabin in the woods of Concord, Massachusets and lived there for two years, which is how we got Walden. In 1846 Thoreau attempted to climb the final leg of the Appalachian Trail, the strenuous 5,269 foot Mount Katahdin, and pretty much had a complete meltdown. Thoreau and his hiking companions failed the climb, they got lost in the dense fog, and had to turn around. The hike up Katahdin is long and rough, and definitely threw Thoreau, as well as many other hikers long after him, for a whirl. Thoreau wrote of his experience with Mt. Katahdin:

“This was that Earth of which we have heard, made out of Chaos and Old Night. Here was no man's garden, but the unhandseled globe. It was not lawn, nor pasture, nor mead, nor woodland, nor lea, nor arable, nor wasteland…Man was not to be associated with it. It was Matter, vast, terrific…rocks, trees, wind on our cheeks! the solid earth! the actual world! The common sense! Contact! Contact!”

Nowadays, about 30,000 people are drawn to Mt. Katahdin each year. If you’re looking to experience the Appalachian Trail, but maybe you’re not ready for the full hike, there are plenty of hikes intersecting it with National and state parks. Many hikers also section hike a part of the trail, aiming for a certain time of year, whether it’s the fall foliage, or the wildflower blooms, the Appalachian Trail definitely gives a ton of options.