Photos: Blue Ridge Parkway offers colorful fall vistas

Morning fog settles on Price Lake. Each autumn, as if on a pilgrimage, people visit the Appalachian Mountains to witness the splendor that only Mother Nature can provide.

Price Lake reflects fall foliage as the sun rises. The fall vistas of the Blue Ridge Parkway never disappoint, though they are sometimes unpredictable.

Trees begin to show their autumn colours as tourists walk along the parkway. Beauty can be found everywhere, regardless of the weather.

Freshly fallen leaves glide along Boon Fork Creek. The Blue Ridge Parkway spans 469 miles, winding from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains near Tennessee.

A motorcyclist navigates the Linn Cove Viaduct at Grandfather Mountain.

The iconic Linn Cove viaduct, an engineering marvel that winds around the flank of Grandfather Mountain State Park, is one of the most heavily visited spots.

Fog lies in the valleys as the sun comes up.

Accessible by car, bike, motorcycle or foot, the parkway offers anyone a chance to gaze at a changing landscape that won't last long.

As the hunter's moon rises in October, tourists hurry to take in the sights before winter closes in and sends most people back inside until spring.

Windblown trees are void of leaves while hikers use a trail at Doughton Park.

A couple takes photos as the sun rises at Price Lake along the Blue Ridge Parkway.