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Roan Mountain, part of Roan Highlands ridge, is a mountain mass with a double
peak. It is the highest peak in the Unaka Mountain Range. On its lower
elevations you can view subtropical orchids but at the higher elevations ar
remnrnts from from the ice age. The center of attraction for tourests and
residents alike is the annual blooming of the Catarba Rhododendron (Rhododendron
Catawbiense) which comes to full bloom in mid to late June. We were told by one
of the Rangerts that each plant can produce 100 blossoms!
The famous Rhododendron Gardens cover about 600 acres on the side
of the mountain. The Gardens are easily accessed by motor vehicle and there is a
good parking area and an information kiosk. A large, wooden viewing platform is
located in the upper part of the garden from which the Black Mountains and Great
Craggie Mountains can frequently be viewed. There is a meandering trail, sort of
divided into three loops, from which most of the Gardens may be viewed close-up.
The total length of the three loops is about a mile and is relatively easy
walking. Part of it is even wheelchair navigable.
While most of Roan Mountain is in Mitchell County, NC, the
developed protion, including Roan Mountain State Park, is on the north side of
the mountain in Tennessee. The State Park provides camping sites, picnicking and
several miles of nice hiking trails. Cross-country skiing enthusiasts flock to
the park in late winter and early spring because, so we have been informed, Roan
Mountain State Park is the only State Park in the south to offer cross-country
skiing. Incidentally, the famous Appalachian Trail traverses the mountain and
this portion of the Trail is considered to be one of the most scenic areas of
the Trail.
If you are northbound on the Blue Ridge Parkway
and would like to visit
Roan
Mountain during the rhododendron blooming season
(sometime in June but it does vary from year to year), here's how to get there. (You can
return following the directions, below, in reverse.) Just before the entry drive to
Linville
Falls is the cross-over of US-221 (milepoint
317.4). Turn left onto US-221 and follow it north toward Crossnore and Pineola. You will
pass the intersection where NC-194 joins US-221 (from the left). Continue through
Crossnore to the intersection where NC-194 departs (again on the left). Follow NC-194 now
to its intersection with US-19-E. Continue on 19-E, now, through Elk Park, into Tennessee
and over the mountain to the intersection of TN-143. Turn left onto 143, follow it up the
mountain, back into North Carolina and the entry to the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Garden
on your right.
If you are southbound on the Blue Ridge Parkway
and would like to visit Roan Mountain, there is a neat back way in. (You can return
following the directions, above, in reverse.) At about milepoint 291.9 US-221 and US-321
cross the Parkway. Take US-321 'north' through
Boone into Tennessee, past Watauga Lake (on your right) to the intersection of
US-19-E. Turn left on 19-E and continue to the intersection of TN-143. Turn right onto 143
and follow it up the mountain. Just after you reenter North Carolina is the entrance to
the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Garden on your right. Bring your camera.
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