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Black Mountains |
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Location: Yancey County, NC, 10 miles southeast of Burnsville, Toecane Ranger District, Pisgah National Forest
USGS Topographic Maps: Mt. Mitchell, Celo, Montreat, Old Fort
The Black Mountains area is one of the premier wild expanses in North Carolina. Forming the eastern flank of Mt. Mitchell and the Black Mountains Range the area is considered part of the Black Mountains Landscape Conservation area, which includes several roadless areas, Mountain Treasure areas and other public lands. The nearby Asheville Watershed and the Cane River Hunt Club lands add to the wildness of the surrounding area.
Within the area are 14,779 acres inventoried as roadless. The area is adjacent to Mount Mitchell State Park which includes another 630 acres of inventoried roadless area. TheBlack Mountains have long been considered a prime candidate for protection and was part of a larger area proposed for national park status in the early 1970s.
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Approximate size:
17,906 acres
Roadless acreage:
14,779 acres (10,663-Balsam Cone; 4,116-Bearwallow)
Old growth acreage:
3,063 acres |
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But because of political obstacles and local community concerns, mostly based on misinformation, it has remained lrgely unprotected, although much of it is classified as unsuitable for timber management. The Black Mountain (Middle Creek) Research Natural Area protects 1,711 acres in two tracts.
Part of the South Toe River basin, the area has unique high-elevation communities including virgin spruce-fir forest at upper elevations. The State of North Carolina has identified three State Natural Heritage areas within the Black Mountains area. Numerous rare species occur, including disjunct species typically found hundreds of miles further north. These species include mountain paper birch, New England cottontail, and arctic bentgrass, all very unusual in this portion of the Southern Appalachians. UNESCO recently designated the adjacent Mount Mitchell State Park, which has similar rare species and communities, a biosphere reserve to recognize and protect these unique values.
The Black Mountain range is the highest and one of the most impressive-perhaps even unique--mountain massifs in the Eastern United States. Mount Mitchell, in the adjacent Mount Mitchell State Park, is the highest point in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet above sea level. Seven main peaks (16 if you count subpeaks) are over 6,000 feet in elevation along the Black Mountain Ridge, and the ridge drops below 5,800 feet only once along its 12mile length. The challenging Deep Gap Trail traversing the crest of this ridge is the highest trail in the entire Appalachian Mountains.
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Forest Communities
Fraser Fir Forest, Spruce-Fir Forest, Northern Hardwood, Rich Cove, Hemlock Forest, High Elevation Northern Red Oak, Submesic Oak, and Dry Oak.
* Heath Bald communities are listed on some ridge slopes in the area.
* Montane Alluvial Forest is present near the South Toe River.
Largest Diameter Tree of Its Kind in the Nantahala-Pisgah:
*Fraser fir, 21.6 inches (Deep Gap Trail-Upper Rock Creek)
Unusual Plants and Animals
* Stephen Sonderman of Winston-Salem, NC, reports that the Yonahlasse salamander is present in abundance on trail #190-A (upslope from the Black Mountain campground). The location given is one-half mile up the trail from the campground (and likely further along the trail). The range of this salamander is generally east of the French Broad River basin.
* Galax picking (along with a few other ornamentals) is a big issue in this area. Protective status for the area will have to allow this picking to continue (within limitations). There is some concern about over-picking galax (and perhaps some other ornamentals). However, most of this picking is done in lower elevation areas that are more accessible. |
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