Highpoint #10: Georgia

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #3

Entrance to Brasstown Bald

After a quick summit of the South Carolina highpoint, I was off to Georgia for my third highpoint of the day at Brasstown Bald.  I normally wouldn’t think to visit so many highpoints in the same day, but they are all (NC, SC, and GA) in relatively close proximity to one another, so it is a rather feasible objective.  The Appalachians are beautiful to regard this time of the year, so I wasn’t minding the extended sojourn. 

Pay to Play!

Brasstown Bald is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia, just shy of the South Carolina line.  It is only about 40 miles or so away from Georgia’s more famous mountain, Springer mountain, where the Appalachian trail begins for northbound hikers. 

Paved Trail to the Summit

Ascending Brasstown Bald is fairly straightforward.  One can drive most of the way up the mountain to a large parking lot.  There is a $3 entry fee at the entrance that was handled on the honor system on my visit.  From the parking lot, one has to continue on foot along a paved trail.  The trail is 0.6 miles in length and is billed as being “very steep”; so steep in fact, they have arranged an alternative shuttle service to the top for those seeking a less demanding alternative.  Truth be told, it is a fairly easy walk that doesn’t take more than 10 minutes, but it is good that there is an alternative for less active individuals.  The scenery from the summit should not be missed.

Lookout Tower

View of Parking Lot and Mountains in the Distance

Arriving at the top, one is met with a summit sign that is immediately dwarfed by an enormous observation deck and lookout tower.  The summit sign indicates that the elevation is 4,784 feet.  The sign also indicates, at great length, the Cherokee etymology of the name of the highpoint.  It’s a strange digression. 

 

View from the Top

The sign is sufficient for achieving the highpoint, but the observation deck is the real draw here.  The views abound in every direction.  In the distance, peaks can be seen extending across Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and even North Carolina (assuming good weather).  It really doesn’t matter where one stands, the views are simply remarkable.  So tranquil, and I largely had the view to myself, as there were only two other people present on the observation deck on my visit. 

   

Vanity Shot at Summit Sign

The geological marker is actually housed inside of the observation deck.  There is a gate with stairs leading down to it, just opposite of the entrance to the visitor’s center.  Unfortunately, both the visitor’s center and the gate were locked up when I visited.  Similarly, the entrance to the lookout tower was blocked, so I was not able to ascend that either and the movie room was closed.  That’s the downside to visiting during the low season, I suppose.

Amazing View from the Top!

After a period of reflection, I posed for a photo by the summit sign and descended to the parking lot.  Onward to Alabama…

Highpoint #9: South Carolina

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #2

Vanity Shot at the Summit of Sassafras Mountain

After a successful summit of Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina, I was off to Sassafras Mountain in South Carolina.  The drive in was pretty circuitous owing both to the partial closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway immediately west of Mt. Mitchell and the genuine remoteness of Sassafras Mountain.  Indeed, off the interstate, the roads quickly become windy and not particularly well signed.  It is advisable to print out directions in advance, as a cell phone signal and the GPS capability on the iPhone is completely absent in stretches. 

Trailhead

The road to the summit skirts the common border of the Carolinas a bit, before ending just shy of the true summit.  There is a parking lot with a visible trailhead marked, “Sassafras Foothills Trail Access”.  It seems a bit much as the trail to the summit is actually quite short in length (300 feet) and is pretty straightforward to follow.  With that said, there are options to follow other trails for an extended hike on and about the mountain. 

"Trail" to the Summit

A quick traipse up the hill, I quickly found the monument marker proclaiming Sassafras Mountain, at an elevation of 3,553 feet, as the highest point in all of South Carolina.  The monument itself is a squat, painted white boulder of sorts with a prominent black plaque.  It is relatively new, as it was only dedicated a few months ago on August 1, 2012.  It is a welcome addition to the site, as there was little to nothing as official to mark the actual summit prior to that. 

Official Summit Monument

Detail of Summit Monument

Just before the summit marker, there is a geological marker set in stone that is easily visible.  It is labeled as a “survey control mark”, so it differs a little bit from the usual benchmark markers one finds at the highpoints.  Together with the summit rock, one can safely lay claim to a proper summiting of the mountain.    

Survey Marker at Summit

At the top there is not much in the way of a grand view.  The highpoint sets on private property, so that is somewhat understandable.  Returning below to the parking lot however, there is an overlook.  Indeed, there is a very large signing pointing out this fact as well as a newly constructed platform that extends out from the mountain offering a nice view.  It is a worthwhile place to stand as several mountains are visible in the distance, and the blue hues meld together harmoniously. 

Sign for the Overlook

Overlook Platform

All in, it is a pretty quick stop, but it is fairly close in location to the highpoints of North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.  As such, it can easily be included as part of an extended trip in the Blue Ridge Mountains.         

View from the Platform by the Trailhead

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