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Why does the South Beyond 6,000 Challenge exclude dozens of qualified peaks? South Beyond 6,000 (SB6K) is a unique peakbagging quest that, upon completion, offers a certificate of recognition and a nice little patch.  Sponsored by the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC), the challenge involves climbing 40 peaks in the Southern Appalachians that exceed 6,000 feet [...]

Will millions in new funds make trails more sustainable—or more sanitized? Southern Appalachian trails are getting a much-needed facelift. Almost $9 million will be spent by the U.S. Forest over the next several months to clear brush, remove blowdowns, restore tread, decommission unsustainable trails, and in some cases, build brand new trail systems. It’s the [...]

The Surprising Rise of Downhill Mountain Biking in the South Ever wonder what those first mountain bikers were thinking? We’re talking about a small group of road bikers in the mid-1970s, who, for whatever reason, decided to ditch the pavement and push their beefy cruiser bikes up Mount Tamalpais in Northern California. From the top [...]

The Blue Ridge Parkway is not just America’s most scenic mountain road; it’s also America’s longest trailhead. For 469 miles, the Blue Ridge Parkway follows the ridgeline of the Southern Appalachians, connecting Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina with Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. Along that stretch of two-lane blacktop are countless trails and [...]

Ultra runner Matt Kirk smashes the South Beyond 6,000 record On the evening hours of May 30th, Matt Kirk did what many in the Southeast thought couldn’t be done: He broke the seven-year old record for the fastest ascent of the South Beyond 6,000 Challenge, completing it in 4 days, 14 hours, and 38 minutes. [...]

If the picture is worth a thousand words, then Jerry Greer’s photos of the Southern Appalachians speak volumes. The nature photographer has spent years donating his images to conservancies and environmental organizations seeking protection for specific tracts of our forests. The Blue Ridge Ancient and Majestic is Greer’s seventh book of photos. The book consists [...]

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded a contract to conduct the study of Interstate 3 (I-3) planning, cost estimate and routing. If built, the interstate, which was proposed in 2005 by a Georgia Congressman, will travel from Savannah, Georgia to Knoxville, Tenn. through some of the most environmentally sensitive stretches of the Southern Appalachians. [...]

Exploring the South’s Next Wilderness The farthest you can get from a road in the continental U.S. is 22 miles, in a deep corner of Yellowstone National Park. In the Southeast, the farthest is around five miles—in places like Tennessee’s Upper River Bald Wilderness Study Area. It’s an area so rugged, remote, and rarely traveled [...]

Zipline canopy tours are popping up all over the Southern Appalachians. See video of Go Ape canopy adventures and Class VI Tree Top Tours.

A handful of mountains define the Southern Appalachians. See video of athletes tackling the terrain on some of the most imposing mountains in the Southeast .

Will new maps and publicity ruin an undiscovered outdoor oasis—or help save it? Kurt Kornegay won’t tell me where “Fat Man’s Misery” is. “Misery” is the name Kornegay gave to a boulder-choked slot canyon inside Panthertown Valley that very few people have ever explored. “It’s off the side of Blackrock Mountain. That’s all I’ll tell [...]

Two centuries ago, native elk roamed the Southern Appalachians. Now, more than 150 years after extinction from over-hunting, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) is considering a full reintroduction of a bigger relative—Rocky Mountain Elk—in the southwestern coalfields region of the Commonwealth. An estimated 150 Rocky Mountain Elk already reside in Southwest [...]

Paddlers, Anglers, and Conservationists Fight for the Chattooga Headwaters For three decades, paddlers have yearned to paddle the pristine waters of the Upper Chattooga River. Earlier this year, the U.S. Forest Service finally granted limited access of the Upper Chattooga to paddlers, but a flurry of legal threats—including a legal challenge from the paddling community—prompted [...]

Some people hike for exercise; others are looking for views or waterfalls. Jeff Wadley hikes for plane crashes. The East Tennessee minister was a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol for 30 years, leading search and rescue missions for downed planes throughout the mountains. Retired from the patrol, Wadley now hikes the Southern Appalachians looking [...]

In the Footsteps of Celebrated Hiker and Author Johnny Molloy Over the last 14 years, Tennessee native Johnny Molloy has published 36 books about hiking, backpacking, and paddling throughout the Southern Appalachians and beyond. BRO talked with Molloy (who averages 150 nights a year in a tent) about getting lost for a living and why [...]