Mount Mitchell State Park

LOCATION:
Mountains
Yancey County

SIZE IN ACRES:
1,855                               INVOLVEMENT IN ACRES:
84

Larger purple-fringed orchid in fancy fern

Aerial photo of Mt. Mitchell (© Ken Taylor)

TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP:
Montreat, Mount Mitchell

Topographical maps are available by contacting:
NC Geographical Survey.
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
(919) 715-9718
www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/

ACTIVITIES & AMENITIES:
Hiking / Birding / Wildflowers / Camping / Picnicking

OWNERSHIP & ACCESS:
Mount Mitchell State Park
Route 5, Box 700
Burnsville, NC 28714
(828) 675-4611

SITE INFORMATION:
At 6,684 feet above sea level, Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in the eastern United States and contains an extensive area of spruce-fir forest, one of the country's rarest ecosystems. Spruce-fir forest is abundant in a large region of northern North America, but south of New England the forest type is only found in a narrow band in the Appalachian Mountains. This natural community is characterized by evergreens, particularly red spruce and Fraser fir, and harbors many species that are closely related to species in the spruce-fir forests of New England.

In North Carolina, spruce-fir forest occurs at elevations above 5,500 feet where cool temperatures and high moisture are prevalent conditions. The forests are remnants from the last ice age some 18,000 years ago and have become refuges for species that cannot tolerate warmer, drier conditions. This forest type is declining due to the negative effects of air pollution and the balsam woolly adelgid, an exotic pest.

Many rare plants are found at the park, including the state's only population of mountain paper birch and one of only a few global populations of Cain's reedgrass. The federally listed endangered spreading avens also grows in the park.

Some of the uncommon animals that inhabit Mount Mitchell are the federally listed endangered northern flying squirrel, New England cottontail, bobcat, and many species of salamanders. Some of the birds that breed here are more typical of northern conifer forests: red-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, and golden-crowned kinglet. Visit the park in the fall to see migrating hawks and monarch butterflies.

CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS:
The State of North Carolina established its first state park at Mount Mitchell in 1915 to protect the area's virgin Fraser fir from timbering. The North Carolina Chapter purchased 84 acres of additional land for Mount Mitchell State Park in 1997.

DIRECTIONS:
The park is located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway (north of Balsam Gap) 33 miles northeast of Asheville. Follow the parkway to milepost 355.4, turn north on NC 128 and go 2.4 miles to the park entrance.