Fall leaves turn yellow, orange, and red at Fork Ridge Overlook at Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 449 in North Carolina, USA. Fork Ridge Overlook is exactly one mile high in elevation (5280 feet) in the Plott Balsam Range, a subset of the Blue Ridge Mountains, all part of the Appalachians. Local trees release hydrocarbons into the atmosphere and create a characteristic blue haze on pristine days as seen in this photo; but more often a white or gray haze obscures distant views due to air pollution. The scenic 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway was built 1935-1987 to aesthetically connect Shenandoah National Park (in Virginia) with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, following crestlines and the Appalachian Trail. This panorama was stitched from 10 overlapping photos.
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