Blue Ridge Mountains - Roan Mountain SP, Sycamore Shoals SP, Grandfather Mtn., NC
goes across Roan Mountain, it's just 1803 more miles to the end of the trail at Mt. Katahdin in Maine!
This begging bear was one of 4 adults that were in the Nature Center. People can buy food to throw to the bears. In the next enclosure were 2 cubs that will be released to the wild. There were other animals at the center too, including deer, a panther, an otter (which we never saw), and an unreleasable bald eagle.
I called these "Orange Dreamsicle" Flame Azaleas because the pale orange color reminded me of the orange ice cream on a stick that I used to enjoy as a child!
is an interesting stop on the road going up Grandfather Mountain.
This 0.4 mile trail from the lower parking lot leads to the base of the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain. It is rated moderate.
The spots go all the way to the end of the petals in this lily. At 2.5" long, Gray's Lily flowers are a bit smaller than the Turk's Cap and other orange lilies.
It was fascinating to see the upstairs bedrooms at the Miller homestead, the walls were papered in old newspapers and Life magazine pages. It was amazing that visitors were able to go into the rooms unimpeded by gates or ropes.
I photographed these Mountain Ash berries looking down from the swinging bridge.
A group of young Hikers from a camp in North Carolina enjoy their lunch break on the Appalachian Trail. When I asked if anyone wanted me to use their camera to get a group photo, 4 of them rushed up! I was delighted to do it!
is on display in the Visitor Center Museum at Roan Mountain State Park. "Corn squeezins" (a.k.a. "moonshine") were a source of extra income for some mountain families. There are a few diehard mountain men who continue to distill the corn mash. A fellow named "Popcorn" was recently arrested in Cocke County, TN for making it! The museum also has other artifacts from the early mountain people.
Rhododendrons are custom-made to accomodate large bees. The top petal has spots, called a "nectar guide" that shows the bees where to find the nectar. As they crawl over the flowers they get pollen on their bodies from the anthers. When they fly to the next flower they transfer the pollen to its pistil, pollinating the flower.
Roan Mountain Rattlesnake root; Prenanthes roanensis
) is one of the endemic fall flowers that can be found on the mountain. map...
could rival the fabulous colors of Vermont, Maine, or New Hampshire! This is looking back at Grandfather Mountain. We like to get off the beaten path, so at the beginning of the trip we got off I-40 at Newport and drove through the backroads of the TN and NC mountains. Warning to people prone to carsickness --- stay on the interstate!
are common on Roan Mountain, the leaves turn a brilliant red in the fall. Watch out for bears when the berries are ripe, they like the delicious fruits too!
bloom in mid-June on the balds at Roan Mountain. There are orange, yellow, and dark orange varieties. map...
The Mile-high Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain provides spectacular views.
A gorgeous view from the bridge on Grandfather Mountain.
in Valle Crucis, NC was like going back in time to an old country store. The merchandise, however, is very up to date!
Even though we had been to Roan Mountain State Park in the past, we had never been able to visit the Miller homestead. It is open only certain days of the week and we never seemed to be there on the right days. During the Naturalists' Rally it was opened so the participants could do attend the butterfly hike. The fields full of goldenrod and milkweed was a perfect area for the butterflies. It is a very steep drive to get to the homestead on top of one of the mountains in the park. What a beautiful farm and home the Miller family had in the past century.
The lower balds are the home of the Flame Azalea gardens. These beautiful flowers come in yellow, orange, and a reddish orange. The mountains in the background of this photo are in North Carolina. The bald straddles the TN/NC state line.
The young lady in the peach-colored shirt had to have an emergency repair job on her hiking boots, nothing a little first aid tape and duct tape won't fix! Long hikes on rough rocks can take a toll on a pair of boots.
The Visitor Center has many interesting and informative displays on the plants, animals, and geology of the park. there are also displays on the early inhabitants of the area and how they lived.
trees as we drove up the mountain. The trees produce a heavy crop of berries every 4 years, so we saw them at a good time.
was caught and banded on Roan Mountain. This tiny bird was migrating and was on its way to South America.
Another Appalachian Autumn shot. Grandfather Mountain is in the background.
I was really surprised to find this Purple Columbine growing near the parking area at the Rhododendron Gardens since the native columbines are pale red with yellow bases. These must have been planted by some mis-guided, but well-meaning flower lover. It is not good to add non-native plants to places such as this, sometimes even the prettiest plants can become a pest! map...
makes it evident how it got its' name. This is the home of the Highland Scottish Festival.
The view from below the swinging bridge.
Not all of the trails go through grassy balds or rhododendron thickets, some go through stands of of firs, spruces, and hemlocks. Large ferns grow on the forest floor below adding a mystical beauty to the trails.
Visiting the old Miller homestead house was like going back in time to my great-grandparents' home. There is no electricity in the house. I loved the old-fashioned flowers in the garden. The home is open at certain times during the week. The house is furnished with period furniture, old family photos and there are still old pages of newspapers and magazines on the bedroom walls and ceilings used as wallpaper. What a nice treat it was to take this trip down "Nostalgia Lane"!
One of the roosters at the Miller homestead
One of the rental Cabins at Roan Mountain State park. These 2 couples were enjoying the peaceful sounds of the crickets, katydids, and the nearby stream. Check out: https://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/RoanMtn/ for more information on cabin rentals and rates.
The Appalachian Trail gets quite narrow and deep along parts of the balds near Roan Mountain. The rhododendrons here were at a lower elevation than the ones at the gardens and had already finished blooming.
A paved, fairly handicapped accessible path winds through the Rhododendron Gardens for all to enjoy.
is the low spot on the road between the mountains.
Visitor Center to get a map and get oriented to the park, only to find out that it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. The park has camping and cabins. map...
A view from the nature center parking lot.
The musky sweet aroma of Fir trees perfumes the air in the highest elevations of the mountains. The plant life is very similar to being in the coniferous forests of Canada. Firs have "flat bottoms" to the boughs, the needles don't go all the way around the twigs.
is spectacular! This park is privately owned. The $14 / adult ($5 / children) admission fee covers the hiking permits, entrance to the nature center with many captive animals, and the "Mile High Swinging Bridge" at the top.
This sign near the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain shows that it really is a mile high! We heard comments from some visitors that they were surprised it was a mile above sea level, they thought it was a mile above the ground! Now that would be quite a feat of engineering! :) I doubt many people would walk across that bridge!
Roan Mountain State Park June 23, 2007 Along with the Rhododendron show, these rare beautiful lilies are a close second favorite. They have a celebrity status among wildflower enthusiasts! :) Unlike the Turk's Cap and Canada lilies, the petals are straight, they are not reflexed (curled backward). The plants grow up to 4' in height, so they are not as tall as some of the other orange-flowered lilies. Some of the older plants had multiple flowers on them, where the younger ones had only one. This photograph took quite a scramble down some steep rocks to obtain, but it was worth a bit of huffing and puffing! map...
The Miller homestead barn
Mountain Ash berries map...
Rhododendron Garden trail sign Be sure to go as early in the day as possible to see the flowers. We got there at 9:00 a.m. and had very nice light for photography. As we were walking back to the car 2 hours later, a bus load of people carrying lawn chairs and picnic coolers disgorged into the parking lot! Whew, that was a narrow escape! :0
The result of thousands of hiking boots on this section of the Appalachian trail has resulted in considerable damage. The smooth, higher trail on the left is a newer one made by people trying to avoid the deeper, rocky older trail. In time, it too will become hard to walk on and a new trail we be trampled down. We saw areas where up to 3 older trails were visible.
Catawba Rhododendron; Catawba Rosebay; Rhododendron catawbiense
Roan Mountain State Park June 23, 2007 Of the 2 large-flowered Rhododendrons in Tennessee, this one is the most showy. These shrubs prefer the higher elevations above 5000', so it takes a significant hike or drive to the top of a mountain to enjoy them. Roan Mountain is famous for its fabulous Rhododendron Gardens that bloom in mid to late June. The day we were there they were slightly past their peak. The Rosebay Rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum), strangely enough (with a name like that they should be pink!), have white or very pale pink flowers and bloom in the lower elevations of the Appalachian, Blue Ridge, and Cumberland Mountains.
My husband, Kenny, on the trail on Round Bald.
We were fascinated to watch this man banding birds on Roan Mountain. He caught them in a mist net, measured them, banded them, then gently released them.