Hiking The Appalachian Trail Over Roan High Knob

After three years, I finally got onto the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain on the North Carolina-Tennessee border. I hiked about two miles to the top of Roan Grassy Knob at 5,820 feet. The view was just incredible, and the rhododendron are in full bloom. This is where you find the “Grassy Balds” that have made Roan Mountain world famous to hikers and lovers of nature. Remember to click on any photo to get the full screen effect.

After climbing from Carver’s Gap, you are rewarded with vast expanses of grasses and rocks, and the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains are laid out before you to the southeast.

At the summit, I made this short video capturing the wind and the sounds of other hikers.  http://youtu.be/pJOt9rlFslc
Looking back to the southwest, Roan Mountain at 6,330 feet is covered with a Canadian forest  left over from the last Ice Age. Red Spruce and Fraser Fir cover the steep slopes above 5,000 feet.

Heading back down the Trail, you cross the state line. Roan Mountain straddles both North Carolina and Tennessee. Roan Mountain is actually not one mountain, but a high ridge about five miles long. In mid-June, much of the mountain is ablaze with the bright magenta of the native Catawba Rhododendron. It’s the largest display of these plants in the world.

• June 9, 2012
• Our Trees and Plants, Roan Mountain, Springtime, Uncategorized
• 5 Comments