Highpoint #8: North Carolina

 Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #1

Vanity Shot at the Summit Sign

Well, it didn’t take too long for me to exhaust all of my neighboring highpoints in my quest to attain all 50 state highpoints.  The next closest highpoint is starting to get too far away for a day trip, and my philosophy is if you are going to travel multiple days to attain a highpoint, you should probably seek out multiple highpoints while doing it.  This gave birth to a crazy idea of traveling cross-country by car and collecting as many highpoints as I could along the way.  I had to be in California for the holidays, and I was sitting on a lot of “use-or-lose” leave, so why not?  Weather was a major consideration in crafting a route, so I settled on a southerly route that would hit all of the states in the southwest and southern midwest.  First stop?  North Carolina. 

Entrance for Mount Mitchell State Park off of Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina’s highpoint is Mt. Mitchell, located in Mt. Mitchell State Park in the western part of the state, not too far from Asheville.  The highpoint is noteworthy as it is the highest point east of the Mississippi river, rising to a respectable 6,684 feet!  There are options to hike to the top or simply drive up.  As this was the first of many stops, I opted to simply drive up. 

West of the Park Entrance, the Blue Ridge Parkway is Closed for the Winter

To drive there, one has to arrive via the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a beautiful, if slow-going, adventure in its own right.  Currently, the portion of the parkway just west of the park’s entrance is closed for the winter, so I had to both come in and leave through the east.  I proceeded up to the main gate of the park very early in the morning.  The gate is scheduled to open at 8am, but they actually opened it at 7:11am, and I was allowed to drive the rest of the way to the top.  Being so early, I was lucky to have the entire mountaintop to myself!  

Ice on Trail! (or not)

"Icy" Trail to the Summit

From the summit parking lot, it is a very short hike (less than a quarter mile) to the top along a paved path.  On my visit, there was a sign warning both that the path was intended for “foot traffic only” and that there may be “ice on trail”.  The latter claim seemed a bit dubious. 

Observation Deck at the Summit, Dr. Mitchell's Tomb in the Foreground

At the top, there is an elaborate observation deck, the tomb of Dr. Mitchell for whom the mountain is named, and a summit sign.  On the observation deck itself, there is a specially created marker, marking the highpoint.  I searched around for an actual USGS marker, but I did not see one; all that I could find was a small circular marker on a nearby rock indicating “survey marker”.  Suffice it to say, I think the summit sign and the special marker will more than count for achieving this highpoint. 

Highpoint Marker Atop the Observation Deck

A Nearby "Survey Marker"

The view all around from the observation deck was grand.  There are so many mountains visible in the distance.  Being there first thing in the morning, I had the added bonus of seeing the sun rise above them all.  It is a gorgeous place to be. 

View from the Top 

Another View from the Top