Mount Mitchell Trail

File:* Trail Name Mount Mitchell Trail Nearest City Asheville State North Carolina Trail Marking {{{Marking}}} Trail Use/Features Difficulty Rating Hard Hiking Time 5-6"-6" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. Distance, round-trip 11-12"-12" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. Climb/Descent Elevation 3,7503,750 Feet <br />1,143 Meters <br /> / {{{Elevation Loss}}}"{{{Elevation Loss}}}" is not a number. High Point 6,6846,684 Feet <br />2,228 Yards <br />2,037.283 Meters <br /> Nearest Medical Marion Trip Reports Click Here Loading map... {"type":"ROADMAP","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"270px","height":"180px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":8,"layers":[],"controls":["zoom"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":35.75230309999999889214450377039611339569091796875,"lon":-82.2211918414399178800522349774837493896484375,"icon":""}]} Show Large Map

Trail Overview

While anyone can reach the top of Mt. Mitchell (the highest peak in eastern USA) by driving to the park, a real adventure awaits those who climb 3,670 ft up the eastern face of the mountain. Counts for bagging Mt. Mitchell as a SB6K peak. Also in Section 9 of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

How to get there

From Johnson City, TN to the southern trailhead:

1. Take I-26 south to NC Exit 9.
2. Take US-19E east for 21 miles to Micaville.
3. Take NC-80 south for 12 miles.
4. Turn right/NW onto Toe River Road.
5. After ~3 miles, find Black Mountain Campground.

A shuttle will take an hour to set up, if you just want to hike up:

1. Head SW on Toe River Road for 5 miles.
2. Turn right/SW onto Blue Ridge Parkway and travel just over 3 miles.
3. Turn right/NW onto NC-128 for 5 miles.
4. Return to trailhead.

Route Description

Starting the Black Mountain campground, USFS Trail 190 with blue hexagon blazes starts as a series of switchback up into the virgin forest. After a couple of miles, Mountain-to-Sea Trail splits off to left as USFS Trail 190A with white circle blazes. The two trails remerge roughly after a mile. Continuing up, Commissary Ridge is reached after four miles. Near the top, Balsam Trail with white triangle blazes splits off to right towards the parking lot. Trail ends at the observation tower on Mt. Mitchell. Return by same route (or take the split onto MST leg).

Typical Conditions

Well worn hard packed trail. Not recommend for winter or after hard rain as the path can be quite slippery.

Remember to take clothing layers as it can be warm at the foot, but much cooler at the top.

Fees, Permits, etc.

No fees or permits required. No bikes, ATV, or horses allowed on this trail.

After the Hike

At the lower trailhead, Black Mountain Campground has 43 campsites for $19/day. Open April 14, 2011 - October 31, 2011, with 2012 season to be similar mid-April to end of October. Check in/out time is 2PM. Drinking water, flush toilets, and showers available. FS website

Misc. Information

Mt. Mitchell State Park is open:
Nov-Feb 8AM to 6PM
Mar-Apr 8AM to 8PM
May-Aug 8AM to 9PM
Sep-Oct 8AM to 8PM

Maps

Mt. Mitchel State Park map

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(G) 35.764982, -82.265196 Mt. Mitchell (6684 feet) (A) 35.751748, -82.221637 Black Mountain Campground </googlemap>