Black Mountains
North Carolina's Black Mountains form a "J"-shaped ridge between the Blue Ridge and Great Craggy Mountains, 35 miles north of Asheville.  Home of the highest peak in the East (Mt. Mitchell, 6,684'), the Blacks boast 16 summits over 6,000 feet and 20,000 acres of public land.  A private hunting preserve and the conservation easements of nearby landowners have kept adjacent areas free from development.  Their height not only allows rare islands of spruce-fir forest to survive in the South, but also causes incredible displays of light, color, and cloud.  See the accompanying article on the Black Mountains. 

Click on thumbnails for larger image

Dawn on Mt. Craig, Black Mountains, NC, 1994

Balsam Gap, Black Mountains, NC, 1999

Swallowtail on Turk's cap lily, Yeates Knob area, Black Mountains, NC, 1999

Rhododendron petals in spruce-fir forest, Potato Knob, Black Mountains, NC, 1999

Deep Gap shelter, Black Mountain Crest Trail, NC, 1994

Asters below Potato Knob, Mountains to Sea Trail, Black Mountains, NC, 2001

Dawn from Ridge Junction Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway, Black Mountains, NC, 1998

The Pinnacle from Potato Knob, Black Mountains, NC, 1998

Potato Hill cliff, Black Mountains, NC, 1998

Spruce forest, Maple Camp Ridge, Black Mountains, NC, 1998

Looking south into Deep Gap from Winterstar Mountain, Black Mountains, NC, 1999

Bowlens Creek, northern Black Mountains, NC, 2002

 

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