Blue Ridge Mountains

Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mount Mitchell in North Carolina
Highest point
Peak	Mount Mitchell
Elevation	6,684 ft (2,037 m)
Coordinates	35°45′53″N 82°15′55″W / 35.76472°N 82.26528°W / 35.76472; -82.26528Coordinates: 35°45′53″N 82°15′55″W / 35.76472°N 82.26528°W / 35.76472; -82.26528
Geography
Appalachian Mountains
Country	United States
States	List North Carolina Virginia Tennessee Maryland Pennsylvania West Virginia South Carolina Georgia
Parent range	Appalachian Mountains
Geology
Orogeny	Grenville orogeny
Type of rock	granite, gneiss and limestone

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southernmost portion in Georgia, then ending northward in Pennsylvania. To the west of the Blue Ridge, between it and the bulk of the Appalachians, lies the Great Appalachian Valley, bordered on the west by the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian range.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for having a bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the "blue" in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive color.

Within the Blue Ridge province are two major national parks: the Shenandoah National Park, in the northern section, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the southern section. The Blue Ridge also contains the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile (755 km) long scenic highway that connects the two parks and is located along the ridge crestlines with the Appalachian Trail.

Although the term "Blue Ridge" is sometimes applied exclusively to the eastern edge or front range of the Appalachian Mountains, the geological definition of the Blue Ridge province extends westward to the Ridge and Valley area, encompassing the Great Smoky Mountains, the Great Balsams, the Roans, the Blacks, the Brushy Mountains (a "spur" of the Blue Ridge) and other mountain ranges.