plunge1plunge2plunge3

Along the Blue Ridge, great views are not hard to find.  The Blue Ridge Parkway offers many down into the valleys, and almost every turn of valley roads brings new vistas.  But great views away from roads offer special charm, and recently we’ve taken short hikes to two great overlooks, one at Wintergreen and one at the James River State Park.

The pictures above are from The Plunge, a trail that does indeed plunge downwards to a great overlook of the Rockfish Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains (the uphill part is on the return trip).  The Blackrock and adjoining trails wind through wonderful mountain laurel forests with an abundance of wildflowers.   The views are magnificent.

james1james2james3

These pictures are from the James Rivers State Park, about an hour away, which offers an array of hiking and biking trails as well as kayaking and canoeing on the river.  One hike took us to the overlook of the junction of the Tye and James rivers, where we also got great views of two bald eagles.  Other walks took us around a quiet pond and by a blueish snake that we believe to be a Northern Black Racer (can anyone offer a definitive identification?).  It’s a reminder that views from above include what’s at our feet too.

Click here for more views at both places.