our daily beauty

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
--John Muir (1838-1914) Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of conservation of U.S. wilderness

Here's a shot from this past weekend taken at Price Lake at Mile 297 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a marvelous place to play and pray and be reinvigorated by the beauty all around. Boat and canoe rentals are still available on the weekends through the end of October ($10 for the first hour, $8 each additional hour). There's also a 2.3 mile trail around the lake -- a beautiful hike this time of year! Click the map to see the immediate vicinity of Price Lake.

Price Lake is smack dab in the middle of it all. In fact the 15 miles from Flat Rock to the Moses Cone Estate is considered by many to be the most scenic stretch of the entire Parkway. Highlights include:

Flat Rock Overlook, mile 308
Beacon Heights Overlook, mile 305Grandfather Mountain, mile 305
Stack Rock, mile 304.6
Linn Cove Viaduct, mile 304.3
Rough Ridge Overlook, mile 302.8
Price Lake (above), mile 297
Moses Cone Estate, mile 293 (includes Bass Lake, most easily accessed via Rt. 221 in Blowing Rock)