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Natural Heritage Trail

Mount Mitchell State Park

Lofty Mount Mitchell, near Burnsville, North Carolina, rises to an elevation of 6,684 feet and is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. It was named in honor of Dr. Elisha Mitchell, an educator and scientist from Chapel Hill, who died while climbing the mountain in 1857 in his effort to prove it was the highest peak in eastern North America.

The mountain is the centerpiece of the 1,855-acre Mount Mitchell State Park, which is easily accessible off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Park contains extensive spruce-fir forest, an ecosystem that is common in northern climes, but which is only found in a narrow band in the Appalachian Mountains. This natural community is characterized by evergreens, particularly red spruce and Fraser fir.

Some of the uncommon animals that inhabit Mount Mitchell are the endangered northern flying squirrel, New England cottontail, bobcat, and many species of salamanders. Some of the birds that breed here are more typical of northern conifer forests: red-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, and golden-crowned kinglet.

Mount Mitchell was a popular tourist destination long before it was a State Park. In the 1920s, after the logging operations ceased on the mountain, the former logging railroad from the nearby town of Black Mountain was converted into a tourist train. Three years later, the rails were removed, and the rail bed became a motor toll road. For more than a decade, tourists visited the area along this route, until the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway put the toll road out of business.

Mount Mitchell State Park offers numerous hiking trails as well as a museum, restaurant, and gift shop. The historic tower, visible for miles, is being replaced with a safer, more accessible patio next to the grave of Dr. Mitchell at the peak.

Mount Mitchell State Park Hours of Operation

Park hours are:

November-February             8 am - 6 pm
March                                      8 am – 7 pm
April-May                                 8 am – 8 pm
June-August                          8 am – 9 pm
September                             8 am – 8 pm
October                                   8 am – 7 pm

During the winter months, the Park is often inaccessible from the Parkway due to snow and ice. The Park is closed on Christmas Day.

Park office hours are 8 am - 5 pm daily.

Mount Mitchell State Park Admission Fees

There is no fee to enter the Park, but there is a nominal charge for tent campsites. Picnic shelters are offered for free on a first-come, first-served basis, but can be reserved in advance for $25 a day.
*Prices are subject to change without notice & from what is listed on this website.

Mount Mitchell State Park Location

Mount Mitchell State Park is located off the Blue Ridge Parkway 33 miles northeast of Asheville. Follow the Parkway to milepost 355.4, turn north on NC 128 and go 2.4 miles to the Park entrance.

Mount Mitchell State Park
2388 State Highway 128
Burnsville, NC 28714
828- 675-4611
www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/momi/home.html

Yancey County/Burnsville Chamber of Commerce
106 West Main
Burnsville, North Carolina 28714
828-682-7413; 800-948-1632
www.yanceychamber.com

North Carolina State Parks
http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/ncparks.html