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Hike on the highest trail east of the Mississippi! The Balsam Nature Trail near the Mt. Mitchell summit is an easy 3/4-mile easy loop hike. Go to the top of the observation deck, and as you head back to the parking lot, look for the Balsam Trail on the right. The trails ends at the parking lot. Walk through a dense fir forest, and stop at information stations along the way to learn more about the environment atop Mt. Mitchell. It’s a great hike for any time during the year. In the summer, it’s always 15-20 degrees cooler here than the valleys below. In the winter, it can be a fun hike in the snow since the park rangers keep the roads clear as much as possible during the winter.
Roads are occassionally closed for snow and ice (they get 100+ inches of snow each year). Call the Park office at 828-675-4611 to check winter road conditions.
Directions: Use the National Park Service website to find the right route for you. (NC Highway 80 to Mount Mitchell State Park is closed due to Helene-related damage.)
The flora of Mount Mitchell remains among the most distinctive and diverse in the Southern Appalachians. The park protects an extensive assortment of rare plant and animal species, and the spruce-fir forests, while greatly diminished, are still present. Red spruce, fire cherry, yellow birch, mountain ash, and mountain maple have filled gaps opened by the loss of Fraser fir, and other native plant species such as blueberry, mountain raspberry, red elder, and bush honeysuckle produce beautiful blossoms and lend fragrance to the air. Wildflowers, including ox-eye daisy, white snakeroot, purple-fringed orchid, St. John's wort and pink turtlehead color the landscape.
The Visitors Center on the summit is closed during winter months, but the hiking trails are always open.
