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Location: Madison County, NC, Cocke County, TN (Walnut Mountain) extending 5 miles southwest from Hot Springs, Appalachian Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest
USGS Topographic Maps: Lemon Gap, Spring Creek, Paint Rock, Hot Springs
Bluff Mountain lies along the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee and is a prominent landmark for both Madison County, NC, and Cocke County, TN. The Appalachian Trail winds its way across the top of Bluff Mountain and descends it into Hot Springs. Appalachian Trail hikers know Bluff Mountain well and refer to it as the "Gardens of Bluff" for its profusion of wildflowers. The Mountain Treasure area includes most of the mountain in North Carolina. An adjacent Mountain Treasure area in Tennessee, the smaller Walnut Mountain area, includes portions of the western flank of Bluff Mountain.
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Approximate size:
5,862 acres
Old growth acreage:
68 acres |
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There are no roads to the top of Bluff Mountain, and the area never experienced industrial logging, so the mountain remains remote and is a haven for wildlife. Secluded coves on all sides of the mountain provide rich plant and wildlife habitat. The mountain features striking rock outcrops, clear, pristine streams, and waterfalls that add interesting highlights to the area. Bluff Mountain is very popular with hikers, nature enthusiasts, and hunters.
The area hosts rare species, notably excellent populations of Hydrophyllum macrophyllum (largeleaf waterleaf). A State Natural Heritage area is recognized in the Big Rock Springs area. Steep slopes and cliff environments on the eastern side of the Mountain Treasure area could support rare plants dependent on this habitat. A verified old growth site and at least four candidate old growth sites are within the area. The Forest Service's Large Old Growth Patch 18 covers much of the northern sections of the area. Small old growth patches are dispersed throughout the Big Rock Springs area.
The area is rich in trail access, with the Appalachian Trail winding from southwest to northeast across the long dimension of the area. Other trails intersect the AT from both directions providing opportunities for shorter hikes.
The Forest Service proposed a large timber sale in the area in the mid-1990s. The proposal sparked the formation of a broad coalition of groups and individuals that opposed this project under the "Don't Cut Bluff" campaign. This effort inspired five major protests, a petition signed by over 2,000 people, 309 letters, 40 newspaper articles, five television reports, over 20 radio spots, several appeals, and an annual event called the Bluff Mountain Music Festival. The Forest Service drastically revised the logging proposal, reducing it to only 10 acres in the pristine portion of the mountain. The much smaller project aimed at wildlife habitat and recreation, with a parking area and trailhead slated for better trail access in the Shut-In portion of the area.
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Forest Communities
* Northern Hardwood, Rich Cove, and High Elevation Northern Red Oak forests were found on the west side of Bluff Mountain in TN. These communities were on upper slopes near the peak. Boulderfields were also present.
* Kevin Caldwell found high-quality Northern Hardwood forest in Tennessee in 1999. Larger trees in this community included: three 4-foot-diameter yellow buckeye trees, numerous 3- to 4 1/2-foot-diameter northern red oak trees, and cucumber magnolia trees up to 3 feet in diameter.
Unusual Plants
Steep slopes and cliff environments on the eastern side of this delineated area could support uncommon or rare plant species. This area borders Spring Creek Gorge. |
