What Animals Live In Blue Ridge Mountains
Stretching north to south beyond the eastern United States, the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains are truly an iconic American mural.
The Blueish Ridge range encompasses over 34,000 foursquare miles of gorgeous mountain terrain filled with towering summits, meandering rivers, lush forests, gleaming lakes, and cascading waterfalls .
So there is no shortage of breathtaking scenery to be constitute here, with countless adventures on land (meet: thousands of hiking trails) or water (see: fishing, kayaking, and whitewater rafting).
For centuries the Blue Ridge region has fascinated people with its incredible natural dazzler. In fact, it'south home to the two most popular tourist attractions in the US National Park system (the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smashing Smoky Mountains National Park ).
But there are many trivial tidbits nigh the region that may surprise yous. So keep reading to observe 30 fascinating Blueish Ridge Mountains facts, from geology and geography to history, culture, and more!
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Blue Ridge Mountains Facts Guide
- Geography
- Geology
- History
- Plants of the Bluish Ridge Region
- Animals of the Blue Ridge Region
- Folk Arts & Crafts
Blue Ridge Mountains Geography
1.The Blue Ridge Mountains are a segment of the Appalachian Mountains, located in the eastern U.s.a.. Extending southwest from Pennsylvania, these gorgeous mountains bridge 615 miles through sections of Maryland, West Virginia , Virginia, N Carolina , S Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia .
2. The Blue Ridge Mountains cover a number of smaller mount ranges, including the Roans, Blacks, Neat Balsams, Brushy Mountains, and Great Smoky Mountains. Groovy Smoky Mountains National Park is the almost pop U.s. National Parks, attracting over xi million visitors each year.
3. This dynamic terrain offers thousands of hiking trails for exploring diverse sections of the Bluish Ridge region, including the famous Appalachian Trail. Starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia and catastrophe at Mountain Katahdin in Maine, the 2,175-mile AT passes through many notable spots.
4. With about 125 peaks of 5,000+ feet in elevation, the Blue Ridge is dwelling to many of the highest mountains in eastern North America. The highest peak in the Blue Ridge range is Mount Mitchell, NC, at 6,684 feet, whose breathtaking views of the region span as far as 85 miles on a articulate day!
v. The Eastern Continental Divide is an invisible line that follows along the ridgelines of the Blueish Ridge Mountains. This line represents where water on each side will menses, separating the Atlantic Seaboard watershed in the eastward from the Gulf of Mexico watershed in the w.
6. The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a variety of lakes, rivers, and streams. Some of the most popular include the Ocoee River and the Chattahoochee River (which flows for 400+ miles). One of our favorite places is the stunning three,290-acre Lake Blue Ridge, which has 65 miles of shoreline.
7. I of the best things to do in the Blue Ridge area is to bulldoze the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, which connects Shenandoah National Park, VA to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC. Nicknamed "America's Favorite Drive" the BRP offers a perfect mode to explore the dazzler of the region.
8. These mountains are domicile to a variety of charming mountain towns. Surrounded past towering summits and dense woods , most of the Blue Ridge towns offering a multitude of outdoor activities, restaurants , shopping, and the rich traditions of Appalachian culture.
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Blueish Ridge Geology
9. The Blue Ridge range is estimated to have been created i.1 billion to 250 million years ago by the uplifting of the Globe's tectonic plates. This makes the Bluish Ridge Mountains the 2d oldest mount range in the entire globe, afterward South Africa'south Barberton greenstone chugalug.
10. These mountains are primarily made of highly deformed metamorphic rocks of Precambrian ages, including schists, slates, quartzites, and gneisses. Recent studies take found that the basement geology of the Blue Ridge is composed of gneisses and granitoids.
11. The Blue Ridge mountains contain some of the richest composition of minerals in the earth, including plentiful deposits of micra, feldspar, and quartz (which are used in everyday products similar paint and electronics). Amateur miners frequently visit the Blueish Ridge region to mine for gold and gemstones.
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Blue Ridge History
12. Humans first arrived in the Blueish Ridge region some 12,000 years agone. The Siouxan Manhouacs, Iroquois, and Shawnee hunted and fished in what is now Virginia'due south Bluish Ridge, while the Cherokee inhabited much of what is now western North Carolina and Northward Georgia .
13. During the early on and mid-19th century, countless Scots-Irish people immigrated due to famine and persecution. Many settled in N Carolina's piedmont region. The folklore , music, crafts, and agricultural practices of their homeland largely shaped the Southern Appalachian culture and history.
xiv. During the Ceremonious War, Confederate armies used the Blueish Ridge mountains as a natural shield. The roads through what is at present Shenandoah National Park were regularly used by both armies for travel. General Stonewall Jackson was particularly skilled in using these hidden passes to conceal his troops.
15. Icons like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson regularly visited the Blueish Ridge region. Describing the intrigue of the mountains, Jefferson wrote, "It is incommunicable for the emotions arising from the sublime to be felt across what they are here… the rapture of the spectator is really indescribable."
16. The idea to create the Blue Ridge Parkway came near when President Franklin Roosevelt visited Virginia's first Civilian Conservation Corps camp equally they built Shenandoah's Skyline Bulldoze. FDR was so impressed, he approved a highway linking Shenandoah and Groovy Smoky Mountains National Parks.
17. The Bluish Ridge Parkway met with controversy over its funding, location, and progress. There were 26 tunnels created through mountain ridges, and dozens of bridges. After starting structure in 1935, the BRP was completed on September 11, 1987– a whopping 52 years after its groundbreaking!
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Plants of the Bluish Ridge Region
xviii. The distinctive hue that inspired the mountain range'due south name comes from the incredible amount of vegetation in the region. The trees release volatile hydrocarbons such as isoprene, which interacts with other molecules in the temper to create the blue haze that envelopes the Blue Ridge Mountains.
xix. The Blue Ridge range is home to a broad multifariousness of trees. Lower elevations offer deciduous forests of oak, sourwood, hickory, maple, xanthous birch, yellow buckeye, American beech, and tulip poplar. At elevations higher up 4,500 feet, evergreens such as Fraser fir, balsam, and crimson spruce are more arable.
xx. Closer to the ground throughout the Blue Ridge, you'll meet an abundance of flowering shrubs, including rhododendrons that bloom in June with gorgeous white or pink blossoms. Other popular shrubs include flame azaleas, mountain laurel, serviceberry, mount magnolia, and pinxter flowers.
21. The vast assortment of spring wildflowers that bloom here are truly a sight to see. Of the ane,600 species of vascular plants hither, nearly 80% are wildflowers! Some of the nigh mutual Bluish Ridge flowers are trillium, violet, lady's slippers, black-eyed Susans, bee balm, bloodroot, spring beauty, and bluets.
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Animals of the Blueish Ridge Region
22. There are many different animals that call the region domicile, including small mammals like Commensal Rodents, Greyness Squirrels, and Chipmunks. You'll also discover larger mammals like Elk, Whitetail Deer, Wild Turkey, and Wild Boar, along with diverse types of amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates.
23. Of all the Bluish Ridge animals, mayhap the near beloved is the American Black Bear. Peachy Smoky Mountains NP is the largest protected habitat for Black Bears in the US, with an estimated 1,500 in the park. If you see one, please remember to be cautious and do not approach it for any reason!
24. Birdwatching is a popular Blue Ridge mountains action, with 250+ bird species institute along the Parkway alone! Some of the about common birds are the Primal, Common Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Bluish Jay, Red-Tailed Militarist, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Song Sparrow, and Tufted Titmouse.
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Blue Ridge Folk Arts & Crafts
25. Established in 1895, the Allanstand Craft Shop is the oldest craft shop in the U.s.. It'southward housed in the Folk Art Centre on the Blue Ridge Parkway, along with a museum of American Craft, an American Craft library, and three exhibition rooms housing the works of over 300 Appalachian artists.
26. Bluegrass music (a.thou.a. "onetime-time music") has its roots in post-Civil State of war Appalachia. It features mostly audio-visual instruments and combines traditional Scottish and Irish folk elements. If these catchy tunes have lyrics, they range anywhere from Christian hymns to stories of rural life in the mountains.
27. Woodcarving is extremely popular in the Blueish Ridge region. The Cherokee Indians held woodcarving in high regard, crafting practical items like bowls for cooking as well every bit masks for ceremonial occasions. Detailed carvings of animal totems, such as Bears and Deer, remain popular today.
28. Quilting is an extremely popular aspect of Appalachian civilisation. Backlog fabrics from dress were pieced together for quilts to keep families warm in winter. It was (and is) a communal activity for women: Quilting "bees" were often held in churches, allowing ladies to strengthen their community bonds.
29. Cherokee double-woven baskets are one of the oldest forms of basketry in the Southeast. Baskets crafted from arranged pine needles, river cane, and/or white oak were traditionally used to agree nutrient. Basket weaving is even so a prominent craft throughout the Blue Ridge surface area today.
thirty. Other crafts connected to the region include blacksmithing, doll making, pottery, and beadwork. The tradition of making these Appalachian crafts past manus has been passed down from generation to generation, and remain a prominent piece of the Blue Ridge mountain heritage. –by Christina Maggitas; photos past Bret Honey & Mary Gabbett unless otherwise noted
Source: https://blueridgemountainstravelguide.com/30-fascinating-blue-ridge-mountains-facts/
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