Appalachian Mountains: Blue Ridge Parkway offers fall splendor

Each autumn, as if on a pilgrimage, people visit the Appalachian Mountains to witness the splendor that only Mother Nature can provide.

A vehicle navigates the Linn Cove Viaduct along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, N.C., Oct. 18, 2021.

The fall vistas of the Blue Ridge Parkway never disappoint, though they are sometimes unpredictable.

A couple takes photos as the sun rises at Price Lake along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Oct. 19, 2021.

Beauty can be found everywhere, regardless of the weather.

People take in the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from atop Grandfather Mountain near Linville, Oct. 18, 2021.

The Blue Ridge Parkway spans 469 miles, winding from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains near Tennessee.

Fog settles on Price Lake as Grandfather Mountain glows in the morning light while the sun rises along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Oct. 19, 2021.

The iconic Linn Cove viaduct, an engineering marvel that winds around the flank of Grandfather Mountain State Park, is one of the most heavily visited spots.

Morning fog settles on Price Lake along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, Oct. 19, 2021.

Accessible by car, bike, motorcycle or foot, the parkway offers anyone a chance to gaze at a changing landscape that won't last long.

A fallen leaf settles in the Linville River, Oct. 18, 2021.

As the Hunter’s Moon rises in October, tourists hurry to take in the sights before winter closes in and sends most people back inside until spring.

Windblown trees are void of leaves while hikers use a trail at Doughton Park along the Blue Ridge Parkway as autumn closes in near Sparta, Oct. 19, 2021.

Price Lake reflects fall foliage as the sun rises along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, Oct. 19, 2021.

Freshly fallen leaves glide along Boone Fork Creek which flows along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, N.C., Oct. 18, 2021.

Fog lies in the valleys as the sun comes up along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone, N.C., Oct. 19, 2021.

A tourist looks out over the Blue Ridge Mountains near Boone, N.C., Oct. 19, 2021.

Trees begin to show their autumn colors as tourists walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, Oct. 18, 2021.

A motorcyclist navigates the Linn Cove Viaduct at Grandfather Mountain along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, N.C., Oct. 18, 2021.

Windblown trees are silhouetted against a Hunter’s moon as seen along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, Oct. 18, 2021.