places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Burnsville NC
The Park
Roan Mountain, dressed in a dark green spruce-fir forest and including the world’s largest natural rhododendron garden and the longest stretch of grassy bald in the Appalachian range, has long been considered a treasure of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1870 John T. Wilder, a Union Army General famed for his command of the Civil War “Lightning Brigade,” bought up 7,000 acres along the top and sides of Roan Mountain. Wilder made his money firing the first blast furnaces in the South after the war and his ironworks manufactured rails for the railroads, including his own narrow gauge railway he built to bring tourists to the top of Roan Mountain. In 1885, Wilder constructed the luxurious Cloudland Hotel on the mountaintop, promoted as a health resort that was frequented by captains of American industry and European nobility. The hotel was abandoned by 1910, sunk by exorbitant operating costs, and the mountain’s forests were subsequently logged off. When the timber was gone Roan Mountain became part of the Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests in 1941.
The Walks
Roan Mountain is not actually a peak but a high ridge that runs five miles from a low point of 5,500 feet at Carver’s Gap to 6,285 feet at Roan High Knob. The knob is accessed from a moderate 1.2-mile canine hike along the Cloudland Trail. In mid-June the hundreds of acres of Catawba rhododendrons erupt into a magenta riot, luring thousands of visitors to the mountain-top to travel through the canyons of blooms on a paved trail. The two-mile road from Carver’s Gap to the gardens is closed from the end of October through March but you can hike - or ski - in with your dog as the case may be.
As remarkable as Roan Mountain is, your dog will likely prefer the canine hiking on the opposite side of Carver’s Gap as the Appalachian Trail crosses over three grassy balds in less than two hours of hiking. The third, Grassy Ridge Bald, rises to an elevation of 6,189 feet, making it the second highest grassy bald in the Appalachian Mountains. In fact, this is the only stretch of the Appalachian Trail that rises above 6,000 feet between Old Black 150 miles to the south and Mount Washington in New Hampshire, 1,500 miles to the north. The views for your dog, of course, are stunning.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Paw-friendly natural trails
Workout For Your Dog - Hours, days, weeks of hiking possible
Swimming - None
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome to enjoy the views from the Roan Highlands.
Something Extra
Botanists have been fascinated with Roan Mountain as long as there have been botanists. In 1775, 36-year old William Bartram traveled through here on an epic journey from the foothills of the Appalachian mountains all the way to the Mississippi River, collecting specimens and sketching plants. He became the country’s first nature writer in 1791 with the publication of Travels Through North & South Carolina, Georgia, East & West Florida, an account of his adventure. Andre Micheaux followed in 1794, discovering several alpine species rarely found outside of the New England and Canadian latitudes. In 1799, John Fraser explored Roan Mountain, collecting specimens of rhododendron and noting the existence of the fir tree that now carries his name. Asa Gray, considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century found a lily on Roan Mountain that bears his name.
Phone Number - (828) 682-6146
Website - fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc
Admission Fee - Vehicle parking fee at Roan Mountain; none for the Appalachian Trail lot at Carver’s Gap
Directions - Pisgah National Forest; from Burnsville take 197N to Red Hill, turn left towards Johnson City, TN (Route 226N). Go 3 miles to Fork Mountain Road #1338; turn right and go to the end of the road. Turn left onto 261N and follow to Carver’s Gap and Roan Mountain.
