Up and Down Mill Mountain

View of Downtown Roanoke from Mill Mountain

Scenic View of Roanoke

Overlook of Roanoke Valley

Landmarks

Star on Top of Mill Mountain

Star Details

Mill Mountain Star

I went up to the top of Mill Mountain today to look down into the Roanoke Valley. Roanoke, my hometown in Virginia, is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the view is beautiful from the mountain overlook. The distant mountain ridges have names like Brushy Mountain, Rich Patch Mountain, Read Mountain and McAfee’s Knob.

On a clear day, the view of downtown Roanoke is amazing. Landmarks familiar to local residents, such as the Wells Fargo Tower, Hotel Roanoke, St. Andrews Church, and the Taubman Museum of Art are showcased. Visitors notice the copper top of the tower, the tudor styling of the historic hotel, the two gothic steeples on the yellow stone church, and the modern design of the museum.

Locals and tourists alike are in awe of the giant star at the top of the mountain by the overlook. Visitors don’t expect it to be so big. The Roanoke Star (or Mill Mountain Star) is 88 1/2 feet tall (see more details in the pictured signage) and can be seen from all over town. At night, the neon star shines brightly.

The Mill Mountain Park is wooded with walking and biking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds and even a zoo. I have fond memories of family picnics, getting temporarily lost with my brother and cousins on the Loop Trail, and touring the small zoo.

I love living in Roanoke, where mountains can be seen in all directions. The views are spectacular across the seasons. It is a beautiful area of the world and I am happy to have roots here.

*posted in part for writing 101 with the prompt to write about a topic (Ups and Downs) that readers, like Pawcific Purrsea,voted for in my previous post poll. This may be a different approach to the theme than expected so I hope you enjoy the up and down views!

*photo posting in Lucile’s photo101rehab clinic too.