Design your ideal getaway to Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina

The Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina are dubbed the Yosemite of the East, and for good reason. It’s a magical place of mist-shrouded peaks, crystal-clear lakes and streams, enchanting waterfalls and breathtaking vistas. It’s the kind of destination you visit when you want to disconnect from your busy life and reconnect with soul-soothing nature. Spring and summer carpet these ancient, blue-hued mountains in emerald, which yields to a palette of fiery red, gold, amber and ochre in the fall and a blanket of white in winter.

You’ll want to be outside as much as possible here, breathing in the sweet mountain air and exploring this all-season destination. Choose a tranquil forest trail near Cashiers and set out on foot or horseback to discover a misty waterfall hidden beneath a forest canopy of green. Drop a line in a sparkling mountain stream and spend a lazy afternoon casting for trout. Tee off on a golf course with distractingly beautiful vistas, or feel the frosty breeze on your face as you ski, snowboard or snow tube down a Blue Ridge slope at Sugar or Beech Mountain near Banner Elk. Or, just find a shady spot with a view and lose yourself in the mountain-studded horizon in Lake Lure.