The Brown Mountain Lights have been witnessed for generations in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with written accounts dating back to 1913 and Cherokee legends that precede them. Described as orange or bluish balls of light, they rise from the ridges, drift across the gorge, then fade suddenly. Government geologists in the 1920s attempted to link the lights to trains or swamp gas, but reports came from times and locations that ruled those out. Best viewed from Wiseman’s View or the Brown Mountain Overlook, the lights continue to puzzle scientists and inspire ghostly folklore of Native warriors and lost travelers.