Hi! Thanks for stopping by. We're Larry and Jenn, owners of Blue Ridge Mountain Life.
We're Blue Ridge Mountain travel and outdoor experts who live here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We enjoy exploring these mountains and sharing our adventures with you here on Blue Ridge Mountain Life.
Blue Ridge Mountain Life is your online travel guide to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in particular to Western North Carolina.
Let us help you find your next Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure!
Join our newsletter and get:
- Information on things to do and see in the Blue Ridge Mountains - including gorgeous photos and videos
- A free copy of our eBook 25 page eBook: Blue Ridge Mountains on a Budget
- Exclusive "newsletter only" content, not available on our website.
Blue Ridge Mountain Life is a locally owned and operated online travel guide and blog run by travel bloggers, Larry and Jenn Deane from their mountain home in Waynesville, NC.
We started Blue Ridge Mountain Life in 2013 and provide hiking guides, waterfall guides, information on things to do, area attractions, hiking and camping product reviews, town guides, scenic drives, and much, much more!
Partner with us!
We are always looking for win/win opportunities to work with tourism agencies, local businesses, corporations and more that are in or related to the Blue Ridge Mountains. We want to help you!
Our Story - Why we started Blue Ridge Mountain Life
Morning view from our home near Maggie Valley NC
In 2008, we made a life-changing move from "city living" in Charlotte, NC, to "mountain living" in Maggie Valley NC.
For Mother's Day in 2009, Jenn decided she wanted to go on a family hike that had a waterfall.
After lots of research, Larry found a trail, they gathered up the kids (we have 6), and headed out to Gabes Mountain Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (this is the very first article we published) to visit Hen Wallow Falls.
We got lost; we were tired, the kids complained, but ... We were hooked ...
That day was another life-changing event for us. Not only did we now want to live in the mountains, but we wanted to be outdoors, hiking and finding waterfalls. Exploring all the things these beautiful mountains offer.
Finding new waterfalls became almost an obsession for us and still is today.
We struggled to find good information online. Guides that had real experience, lots of good photos, directions, and tips for families. That struggle combined with our passion and experience as photographers and writing, officially became Blue Ridge Mountain Life in 2013.
Blue Ridge Mountain life was created to be an online guide for visitors and locals looking for great hikes, remote places to see, and, of course, waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
We have explored more than 50 different waterfalls, 60 different hikes, taken thousands of photos, visited 20+ different mountain towns, produced more than 150 videos about our adventures, and we've written over 200 travel guides.
Our Goal is to be Your Expert Guides to the Blue Ridge Mountains and to help you Find Your Next Adventure
Blue Ridge Mountain Life Today
Since our start in 2013, we've constantly added new content and features multiple times per week. We publish this new content to this website and our highly followed social media accounts:
Blue Ridge Mountain Life has grown far beyond our expectations and continues to amaze us each and every day. Each and every month, we reach millions of people across our website and social media channels. On social media alone, we are followed by more than 600,000 people!
We spend most of our time hiking and finding new waterfalls (we have over 200 guides written), but we also enjoy traveling The Blue Ridge Parkway, visiting locations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hiking in Pisgah National Forest, exploring new areas, and of course enjoying all the wonderful small mountain towns in the area, with their great attractions.
About Jenn and Larry, the Owners
Jenn and Larry Deane are not only Blue Ridge Mountain experts, but they are both professional photographers and videographers. In fact, most of the photos you'll find here on Blue Ridge Mountain Life were taken by them.
They deliver highly valuable and visually stunning travel guides and content for YOU. They love these mountains and love to share their beauty with others.
Jenn and Larry are also passionate about protecting these mountains and about Leave No Trace, and want these mountains to be around for generations to come.
You can often see Jenn and Larry up on the parkway or on a hiking trail, or even hanging around at one of the many restaurants in Waynesville and Maggie Valley NC
More About Larry Deane
Larry is Co-Owner, Publisher, Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Social Media Manager, Web-site designer, and SEO Guru
Larry is a native of Northern Virginia but has lived in North Carolina for more than 30 years. Larry grew interested in photography as a youth by his father who was a photographer. He purchased his first Canon SLR as a teenager, and has been hooked ever since.
Larry graduated from UNC Charlotte with a degree in Computer Science, and began working in Charlotte, NC. Soon after, he married Jenn and they started a family together.
Larry began an interest in building internet-based businesses in 2006. Blue Ridge Mountain Life was one of those and the site he's most proud of. Blue Ridge Mountain Life is truly his passion.
More About Jenn Deane
Jenn is Co-Owner, Photographer, Videographer, Writer, and Graphic Artist
Jenn is a North Carolina native, who grew up in the Charlotte area. She began visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC as a young child.
Jenn began her interest in photography as a child but really became passionate after marrying Larry and having their first child. Jenn is very artistic, and in addition to having a natural talent for art, she realized she had a talent for photography as well.
Jenn's proudest life accomplishment is raising and being mother to 6 children. She was and is passionate about keeping them outside, hiking and teaching them about nature.
Don't Forget! Let us help you find your next Blue Ridge Mountain Adventure!
Join our newsletter and get:
- Information on things to do and see in the Blue Ridge Mountains - including gorgeous photos and videos
- A free copy of our eBook 25 page eBook: Blue Ridge Mountains on a Budget
- Exclusive "newsletter only" content, not available on our website.
Join our Blue Ridge Mountain Life Community
If you're a fan of the Blue Ridge Mountains like we are, we would love to invite you to join our Facebook Group, a dedicated community of over 440,000 members who love these mountains, and love sharing beautiful photos and videos of them.
Be sure to sign-up for our newsletter as well, with inclusive members only content, photos, and more. You'll be the first to know about our new content, and you'll get to provide input into the content we provide.
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Need Help or Have a Question?
If you have a question or need to reach us, feel free to contact us. We love hearing from our followers!