Blue Ridge Parkway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 1052

est visit this harshly arctic site: Temperatures can reach 25°F below zero, with the winds
exceeding 100 miles per hour.
Craggy Dome Overlook at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 364 features views of the mountains and the thick rhododen-
drons that look gorgeous if you don't have to push through them on foot as early settlers did.
18. Craggy Gardens
Ofalltheparkway'sgloriousdisplaysofcolor,nonecanmatchtheblossomingofCatawba
rhododendrons at Craggy Gardens in June. These elegant shrubs (members of the heath
family, as are mountain laurels and azaleas) blanket the windy ridge like a vast, verdant
overcoat, and in late spring clumps of their pale purple blossoms seem to float atop the
green slopes.
Treeless highlands like Craggy Gardens are traditionally called balds because of their
smooth appearance (resembling bald spots) when observed from a distance; the shiny