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The range takes its name from the dark appearance of the red spruce and Fraser fir trees that form a spruce-fir forest on the upper slopes which contrasts with the brown during winter or lighter green during the growing season appearance of the deciduous trees at lower elevations. The Eastern Continental Divide , which runs along the eastern Blue Ridge crest, intersects the southern tip of the Black Mountain range. The Black Mountains are home to Mount Mitchell State Park , which protects the range’s highest summit and adjacent summits in the north-central section of the range.

Much of the range is also protected by the Pisgah National Forest. The Black Mountains are mostly located in Yancey County , although the range’s southern and western extremes are part of Buncombe County. The Black Mountains form a J-shaped semicircle that opens to the northwest. A few miles south of Celo, the crest drops to 5, feet 1, m at Deep Gap before rising steeply again to the summit of Potato Hill in the north-central section of the range.

The crest continues southward across the north-central section, which contains 6 of the 10 highest summits in the eastern United States, including the highest, Mount Mitchell, and the second-highest, Mount Craig. South of Mount Mitchell, the crest drops to just under 6, feet 1, m at Stepp’s Gap before rising again to 6, feet 1, m at the summit of Mount Gibbes. On the slopes of Potato Knob, just south of Clingmans Peak , the Black Mountain crest bends northwestward across Blackstock Knob before dropping again to 5, feet 1, m at Balsam Gap, where it intersects the Great Craggy Mountains to the southwest.

The northern section of the Black Mountains are drained by the Cane River to the west and the South Toe River to the east, both of which are part of the upper Nolichucky River watershed. The southwestern part of the range is drained by the upper French Broad River which, like the Nolichucky, is west of the Eastern Continental Divide and thus its waters eventually wind up in the Gulf of Mexico.

The southern face of the hook drains into Flat Creek and the north fork of the Swannanoa River which also heads to the French Broad River. The North Fork Reservoir, supplied with the ample rain caused by moisture pushing up the southern face, serves as the primary water source for the Asheville region. A few of the streams in the southeastern section of the range are part of the Catawba River watershed, and are thus east of the Eastern Continental Divide.

While the crest of the Black Mountain range is just 15 miles 24 km long, within these fifteen miles are 18 peaks climbing to at least feet meters above sea level.

The Black Mountains rise prominently above the surrounding lower terrain. This is particularly noticeable from the range’s eastern side, which rises over feet meters above the Catawba River Valley and Interstate 40 , providing some impressive mountain scenery. The Black Mountains consist primarily of Precambrian gneiss and schists formed over a billion years ago from primordial sea sediments.

The mountains themselves were formed roughly — million years ago during the Alleghenian orogeny , when the collision of two continental plates thrust what is now the Appalachian Mountains upward to form a large plateau. Weathering and minor geologic events in subsequent periods carved out the mountains. During the last ice age , approximately 20,—16, years ago, glaciers did not advance into Southern Appalachia, but the change in temperatures drastically changed the forests in the region.

A tree-less tundra likely existed in the Black Mountains and surrounding mountains in elevations above 3, feet 1, m. Spruce-fir forests dominated the lower elevations during this period, while hardwoods “fled” to warmer refuges in the coastal plains. As the ice sheets began retreating 16, years ago and temperatures started to rise, the hardwoods returned to the river valleys and lower slopes, and the spruce-fir forest retreated to the higher elevations.

The forests of the Black Mountains are typically divided into three zones based on altitude: the spruce-fir forest, the northern hardwoods, and the Appalachian hardwoods.

The southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest , though sometimes referred to as “boreal” or “Canadian,” is a unique plant community endemic to a few high peaks of the Southern Appalachians. In fact, it is more akin to a high elevation cloud forest. The northern hardwoods, which consist primarily of beech , yellow birch , and buckeye , thrive between 4, feet 1, m and 5, feet 1, m.

The more diverse Appalachian hardwoods, which include yellow poplar and various species of hickory , oak , and maple , dominate the slopes and stream valleys below 3, feet m. Pine forests, consisting chiefly of Table Mountain pine , pitch pine , and Virginia pine , are found on the drier south-facing slopes. Wildlife in the Black Mountains is typical of the Appalachian highlands. Mammals include black bears , white-tailed deer , raccoons , river otters , minks , bobcats , and the endangered northern flying squirrel.

Bird species include the wild turkey , the northern saw-whet owl , and the pileated woodpecker , although peregrine falcons and various species of hawk are known to nest in the upper elevations. Brook trout , which are more typical of northern latitudes, are found in the streams at the base of the Black Mountains. Native Americans have likely been hunting in the Black Mountains for thousands of years. At Swannanoa Gap, just south of the range, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of habitation dating to the Archaic period — BC , the Woodland period BC — AD , and the Mississippian period c.

The Mississippian-period village of Joara was located near the town of Morganton to the southeast. The Hernando de Soto expedition, which was attempting to travel from the Florida coast to the Pacific Ocean, is believed to have passed through the North Toe River valley in May , and thus would have included the first Europeans to see the Black Mountains.

Both expeditions spent considerable time at Joara. For much of the 18th century, the Black Mountains were a hunting ground on the eastern fringe of Cherokee territory. By , however, the Cherokee had signed away ownership of the Black Mountains to the United States, and Euro-American settlers moved into the Cane and South Toe valleys shortly thereafter.

The early settlers farmed the river valleys and sold animal furs, ginseng , tobacco, liquor, and excess crops at markets in nearby Asheville. The early farmers also brought large herds of cattle and hogs, which thrived in the valleys and mountain areas. Michaux returned to the Blacks in August , and collected several plant specimens that thrive above 4, feet 1, m. Michaux’s findings, published in the early 19th century, were among the first to bring attention to the diversity and significance of the plants of Southern Appalachia.

In the early 19th century, Mount Washington in New Hampshire was believed to be the highest summit in the Eastern United States, an assumption many North Carolinians began to question in light of Michaux’s findings Michaux believed that Grandfather Mountain was the highest.

In , the state dispatched North Carolina professor Elisha Mitchell — into the western part of the state to measure the elevation of Grandfather, the Roan Highlands , and the Black Mountains. Using a crude barometer , Mitchell gained measurements for Grandfather and Roan with apparent ease, although he struggled to discern which of the Blacks was the highest. Two local guides one of whom was William Wilson, a cousin of the later renowned mountain guide, Thomas “Big Tom” Wilson led Mitchell up a bear trail to what they believed to be the highest summit.

Although exactly which mountain they summited has long been disputed, it was likely Mount Gibbes, Clingmans Peak, or Mount Mitchell. Nevertheless, Mitchell obtained a measurement of 6, feet 1, m later determined to be too low , placing the Blacks at a higher elevation than Mount Washington and thus the highest in the Eastern United States.

Mitchell returned to the Blacks in and , gaining a higher measurement on each trip. Several surveyors visited the Blacks in subsequent years, including Nehemiah Blackstock — in , Arnold Guyot — in , and Robert Gibbes in the early s. In , Thomas Lanier Clingman — , a politician and former student of Mitchell’s, climbed a summit north of Stepps Gap known as Black Dome what is now Mount Mitchell and measured its elevation at 6, feet 2, m.

Clingman reported his findings to Joseph Henry, the head of the Smithsonian Institution. Henry, using Guyot’s more careful and accurate measurements taken several years earlier, agreed with Clingman that Black Dome was higher although Guyot noted Clingman’s measurement of 6, feet was off by feet , and the highest mountain in the Appalachians was to be named for Clingman. When Mitchell learned of Clingman’s find, he claimed that the mountain he had measured in was, in fact, Black Dome, and that locals had mistakenly named the summit to the south the modern Clingmans Peak after him.

Clingman rejected Mitchell’s claim, arguing that the route Mitchell took led south of Stepps Gap i. The two bickered back and forth in the local newspapers throughout , each claiming to have been the first to summit and measure the higher Black Dome.

The debate was intensified by the political climate of the s, as Mitchell was a Whig supporter and Clingman had recently left the Whig party to join the pro-secession Democrats. Zebulon Vance , a Whig politician and friend of Mitchell’s, located the two guides Mitchell had recruited for his excursion, and when the two described the route they had followed, it appeared that Mitchell had indeed summited Mount Gibbes.

Finally, in , Mitchell returned to the Blacks in an attempt to gain still more accurate measurements. One evening, while attempting to reach the Cane River Valley, he slipped and fell into a gorge along Sugar Camp Fork, near the waterfall that now bears his name. His body was found 11 days later by the legendary mountain guide Thomas “Big Tom” Wilson — Mitchell’s death sparked an outpouring of public sympathy across North Carolina.

Zebulon Vance led a movement to verify Mitchell as the first to summit the highest mountain in the Eastern United States and to have the mountain named for him. Vance convinced several mountain guides to change previous statements and claim the route they had taken actually led to Black Dome, rather than Mount Gibbes. Clingman continued to deny that Mitchell had measured Black Dome first, but was unable to overcome the shift in public sentiment. Guyot’s measurements in the Smokies rejected Clingman’s assertions, although Guyot did manage to have the highest mountain in that range, known as Smoky Dome, renamed Clingmans Dome.

The revelation that the Black Mountains were the highest in the Appalachian Range made them an immediate tourist attraction. By the s, a lodge had been established in the southern part of the range, and locals such as Jesse Stepp and Tom Wilson had built several rustic cabins on the higher mountain slopes and were thriving as mountain guides. The American Civil War — brought a temporary halt to the tourism boom, but by the late s, the industry had recovered.

In the s, brothers K. As forests in the north were cut down to meet the growing demand for lumber in the late 19th century, logging firms turned to the virgin forests of Southern Appalachia. Between and , northern lumber firms, namely Dickey and Campbell later Perley and Crockett , Brown Brothers, Carolina Spruce, and Champion Fibre, bought up timber rights to most of the Black Mountains and began a series of massive logging operations in the area. In , Dickey and Campbell managed to construct a narrow-gauge railroad line connecting the Swannanoa Valley with Clingmans Peak.

Other narrow-gauge lines quickly followed. Between and , much of the forest on the upper slopes and crest was cut down. An increase in demand for red spruce during World War I led to the rapid deforestation of much of the spruce-fir forest in the higher elevations.

As forests were removed, forest fires caused by the ignition of dried brush and slash left by loggers and erosion denuded what was left of the landscape. Many North Carolinians, among them Governor Locke Craig and state forester John Simcox Holmes, were alarmed at the abusive logging practices that were stripping bare the Black Mountains.

After the North Carolina state legislature rejected an initial attempt to create a state park at the summit of Mount Mitchell in , Craig began negotiating with and may have threatened Perley and Crockett to preserve the forest atop Mitchell while he and Holmes lobbied for the creation of a state park.

The state legislature finally approved the purchase of a stretch of land between Stepps Gap and the summit of what is now Big Tom in , which became the core of Mount Mitchell State Park. The Pisgah National Forest, established in , also began buying up and replanting lands that had been logged over. In , the Mount Mitchell Development Company which had been formed by Fred Perley, a partner in Perley and Crockett completed the first automobile road to Mount Mitchell, connecting the summit with the Swannanoa Valley.

The state eventually condemned the Wilsons’ road, but allowed Ewart Wilson to operate an inn at Stepps Gap until the early s. The Black Mountains, like many other ranges in the Appalachians, are currently threatened by acid rain and air pollution. Much of the range’s once-famous red spruce and Fraser fir trees are dead or dying due in part to the pollution. A more significant threat to the firs, however, is the balsam woolly adelgid , an insect which may have an easier time killing the firs than it normally would due to them being weakened by the acid rain.

In some recent studies, individual Fraser fir trees which are resistant to the adelgid have been found, lending hope to the possibility that these will again repopulate a healthy, mature fir forest at the mountains’ highest elevations. At lower elevations of the Black Mountains, eastern and Carolina hemlock trees grow on moist slopes near streams a National Forest recreation area on the Toe River at the base of Mount Mitchell is called “Carolina Hemlocks” for this reason.

These too are under attack by an introduced pest, the hemlock woolly adelgid. Arriving only in the last few growing seasons, the health of the hemlocks in the region is rapidly declining. Research is currently underway in releasing predator beetles that will, hopefully, eat enough adelgids to balance their population and allow the hemlocks to flourish. The area around the Black Mountains is also experiencing rapid population growth as retirees from other states pour into the region.

Due to a lack of zoning laws, this has resulted in rapid development of ridgetop cabins, large second-homes on the lower ridges, and deforestation that threatens the natural beauty of the region. The Clean Smokestacks Act of S. Nitrogen Oxide emissions have plummeted from over , tons a year in to under 25, by

Black Mountains (North Carolina).Black Mountain, NC Insider’s Guide

The Black Mountains, a small range of little renown, is the highest group of mountains in eastern North America. Mount Mitchell ‘in the middle of the range, is the apex of the entire Appalachians and is a better-known landmark than where are the black mountains in north carolina range itself. The Black Mountains are a relatively short crest 15 miles long that is joined to the main Blue Ridge Mountains. They are a long way from the much more famous Great Smokies, which are often assumed to be higher.

The Blue Ridge Parkway crosses the southern part of the where are the black mountains in north carolina and is the main route in for most visitors. The name “Black Mountains” comes from the thick forests of dark spruce and fir that blanket the peaks to their very tops. The Black Mountain crest begins abruptly south of Burnsville, NC, rising over feet to Celo Knob ‘then continues south, dropping below feet only once for the next twelve miles.

Horse Rock ‘ and Gibbs Mountain ‘ are the next minor bumps on the ridge, and Winter Star Mountain ‘with its subpeak Deer Mountain ‘is the next major summit. The crest then drops to well-named Deep Gap ‘its low point. Moving where are the black mountains in north carolina, subpeaks Potato Hill ‘ and Cattail Peak ‘ are the prelude to Balsam Cone ‘and beyond that Big Tom ‘ guards the northern flank to Mount Craig ‘the second highest peak in eastern North America, just north of the highest, Mount Mitchell.

The ridge from Celo Knob to Mount Mitchell is not paralleled by a where are the black mountains in north carolina, and the Deep Gap trail, the highest in the Appalachians, runs along its crest, with some views through the trees at some of the summits. This is probably the nicest hike in the Blacks. Mount Mitchell and its summit road mark that start of the more developed southern part of the Black Mountains, where paved roads pass near the summits.

That is a total of seven main foot peaks, sixteen including subpeaks. From Celo Knob to Potato Knob, the main section of the Black Mountains, they rise directly from valleys on either side, usually over feet.

From Potato Knob a high ridge connects the Black Mountains to the Blue Ridge at the Pinnacle ‘which the Blue Ridge Parkway uses to leave its namesake ridge for good and start its abbreviated journey over the short southern stretch of the Blacks. Stretching southwest from Balsam Gap as sort of нажмите для деталей extension of the Black Mountains is the long, high ridge of the Great Craggy Mountains.

Not particularly great or craggy, they do boast Craggy Dome ‘ as a high point; Craggy Pinnacle ‘a popular and scenic hike from the Blue Ridge Parkway; and Craggy Gardens, an area where spectacular rhododendron flowers bloom in spring. That is a shame, since away where are the black mountains in north carolina the roads there is some nice backcountry.

Even though the Black Mountains do not have the vast wilderness areas of ranges like the Great Smokies, White Mountains, or the Rockies, there are nice hiking trails that are often less crowded than ones in more famous areas. So while there are no rocky summit pinnacles, above-treeline tundra, or even any open “Balds” in the crowning range of the eastern North American mainland, it still invites exploration.

Map of Black Mountains Click on red triangle icons for links to other ranges. Note: Range borders shown on map are an approximation and are not authoritative. Click Here for a Full Screen Map. Peak Lists. Log In. Other Ranges: To go to pages for other ranges either click on the map above, or on range names in the hierarchy snapshot below, which show the parent, siblings, and children of the Black Mountains.

Central Blue Ridge Ranges. Sub-peaks are excluded from this list. List may not be complete, since only summits in the PBC Database are included. Photo by Todd Grey Click here for larger-size photo.

Edit Photo Info. Photo by Bruce Hicks. Big Tom Plaque on top of Big Tom Gibbes Photo by Bryan Marchant. Mount Hallback Mt. Hallback summit sign Photo by Jason Crane. Celo Knob view from summit of Celo Knob Photo by Marcus Lostracco.

Deer Mnt on right Photo by Steven Fishback. All Rights Reserved. See the Contact Page. Terms of Service.

Where are the black mountains in north carolina –

 
The Black Mountains are a mountain range in western North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Province of the. Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7, at the census. It is part of the Asheville.

Black Mountain | Asheville, NC’s Official Travel Site – Black Mountain & Swannanoa Valley

Home to the highest peak in the eastern United States and the Appalachian Mountainsthe Black Mountains is a mountain range located in the westernmost part of the US state of North Carolina. However, with nearly half of its peaks cresting over 6, feet 1,mthe Black Mountains are among the tallest in the eastern part of the United States. Interestingly, the Black Mountains are also among the most prominent in the eastern United States.

The range is contained almost entirely within Yancey Countythough a very small section of the southern Black Mountains is within Buncombe County.

Moreover, the range is bounded by rivers on 2 sides, including the Cane River to the west and the South Toe River to the east. Within North Carolina, the Black Mountains are situated in a highly mountainous привожу ссылку of the state. The range is part of the Blue Ridge Mountainswhich extends from northern Where are the black mountains in north carolinathough Maryland to southern Pennsylvania. It is surrounded by some of the smaller peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as by blaxk of its other sub-ranges.

The Blue Nkrth Mountains are a geological province with its own unique features and landforms. They are bordered to the west by /18911.txt Appalachian Ridges and the Appalachian Plateaus where are the black mountains in north carolina the Piedmont-Southeast /23077.txt ranges are located to the east.

As a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Black Mountains share a similar geological history with the rest of the range. Like the rest of the range, the Black Mountains contain mostly Precambrian age metamorphosed rocks, such as gneisses and schists. Meanwhile, the mountains themselves formed mostly during the Grenville and Alleghenian orogenies, which started about 1.

Pisgah National Forest was also established one year later, helping to better manage the logging and resource extraction practices in the area. It starts out near the Black Mountain Campground and where are the black mountains in north carolina steeply for about 5. The trail traverses the range from west to east and stops by the summit of Whede Mitchell for some spectacular views.

Although a thru-hike is an adventurous choice zre more intrepid hikers, hiking just a section of the trail through the Black Mountains makes for a fun day trip or short overnight adventure. Charlotte is about 2.