Home > Mount Mitchell (North Carolina)

For other mountains named Mitchell, see Mount Mitchell.

Mount Mitchell is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains (and all of eastern North America). It is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North CarolinaYancey County is a county located in the U. State of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population is 17,774. Its county seat is Burnsville 6. History The county was formed in 1833 from parts of Buncombe County and Burke County. It was named for Bartlett Yan, in the Appalachian subrange of the Black Mountains , and about 40 kilometres or 25 miles north of Ashevillesmog silently obscures the Smoky Mountains to the west. Biltmore Estate, with more than 250 rooms, was built as a private residence complete with indoor pool and bowling alley. Modern tourists, who often come to see the adjacent gardens, enjoy a similar v. It is protected by Mount Mitchell State ParkMount Mitchell State Park is a state park of the U. state of North Carolina. Located near Burnsville, North Carolina, it includes the peak of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern United States. External link North Carolina state parks..

The mountain was named after Elisha Mitchell , a professor at the University of North CarolinaThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the oldest public university in the United States. It is known to many as Carolina or simply UNC . It is consistently ranked amongst the top tier of American Univer, who determined its height in 1835Events January 1 Ole Pedersen Hoiland breaks into the Bank of Norway and steals 64. 000 dalers January 7 HMS Beagle anchors off the Chonos Archipelago. January 30 Unsuccessful assassination attempt against President Andrew Jackson in the United States Cap and fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls in 1857Events January 9 Earthquake at Fort Tejon, California with an estimated magnitude of 7. 9 February 16 The National Deaf Mute College (later renamed Gallaudet University) is established in Washington, DC becoming the first school for the advanced education, having returned to verify his earlier measurements.

The ascent of Mount Mitchell is now rather easy, since a road off the historic and scenic Blue Ridge ParkwayThe Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the U. noted nationally for its amazing beauty. It runs for 469 miles (755 km) through the famous Blue Ridge Mountains, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains. runs nearby, and a 300-metre or 1000-foot trail leads through a conifer forest to the top. The summit features an observation tower and the tomb of Dr. Mitchell.

The weather on Mount Mitchell is very mild in the summer and very harsh in the winter, more like MaineMaine is a state of the United States. It is probably named after the French province of Maine. Another possibility for the name 'Maine' is that the people living on islands along the coast of Maine used to speak of going to the mainland as 'going over to or southeastern Canada than the southeastern U.S. In 1985, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the state occurred there on January 21 when it fell to -34°F or -37°C, during a severe cold spell that brought freezing temperatures all the way down to Miami. It is also the coldest average^* reporting station in the state at 43.8°F or 6.6°C – well below any other station.

Unlike the lower elevations in the surrounding regions, heavy snows often fall from December to March, with 1.5 meters or 5 feet falling in just a day in the Great Blizzard of 1993. The summit is always windy, with the record being 286 km/h or 178 MPH.

The high elevations also expose plant life to high levels of pollution, including acid precipitation – rain, snow, and fog with very low pH. These acids damage the spruce and fir trees particularly badly, in part by releasing natural metals from the soil like aluminum, and by leaching important minerals. This stress also reduces the trees' resistance and immunity to insects, especially to non-native introduced pests like the woolly adelgid (balsam woolly aphid). (See aphid.)

While the mountain is still mostly lush and green in the summer, many dead trunks can be seen due to these serious problems. Repairing the damage is a difficult issue, as the pollutants are often carried in from long distances. Sources can be local or hundreds of miles or kilometres away, requiring cooperation from as far away as the Midwest.

Still, hundreds of tourists visit the peak each spring through autumn, for its incredible views and sunsets. Wildflowers are abundant all summer long. Young fir and spruce trees do well in the subalpine climate, and their pinecones feed the birds along with wild blueberry and cranberry shrubs. For visitors, a snack bar more palatable for humans is also available at the summit parking lot.

^*Average of all of the daily highs (maximums) and lows (minimums) for each day from 1971 ( January 1) to 2000 ( December 31).