Happenin’
Places › North Carolina › Roan Mountain
Roan Mountain

Photo: Daniel Martin / CC BY 3.0

⛰️ Mountains

Roan Mountain

Bakersville, NC · High Country

About

Park at Carvers Gap on the North Carolina-Tennessee line and walk straight up onto the balds, the longest run of open grassy summit in the Appalachians. The Appalachian Trail threads north over Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge, with the blue-hazed ranges falling away on both sides and nothing but wind and sky overhead. Come the third week of June and the slopes flush purple-pink with wild Catawba rhododendron, the largest natural display of its kind anywhere.

Highlights

Grassy balds with 360-degree ridge views from the Appalachian TrailRound Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge hike from Carvers GapWorld's largest natural Catawba rhododendron bloom in mid-to-late JuneSpruce-fir forest near Roan High Knob, over 6,200 feet

Getting there

Related places

Yosemite National Park Mountains

Yosemite National Park

Mariposa, CA, CA · Sierra Nevada

Yosemite is a Sierra Nevada showpiece where glacier-carved granite walls, thundering waterfalls, and ancient giant sequoias crowd into one valley floor. From the visitor hub in Yosemite Valley you can crane your neck at El Capitan and Half Dome, chase spring waterfall spray, or drive up to a viewpoint that frames the whole high country. It is one of the most scenic and worth-the-trip national parks in the country, though summer crowds and seasonal road closures reward visitors who plan ahead.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Gatlinburg, TN · Great Smoky Mountains

The most visited national park in the country, Great Smoky Mountains drapes the Tennessee, North Carolina border in blue, misty ridgelines, old growth forest, and some of the richest biodiversity in North America. Drive the Newfound Gap Road over the spine of the Appalachians, chase waterfalls on easy trails, and roll through Cades Cove at dawn for black bears, deer, and weathered pioneer cabins. Entry is free, and the park stays open year round, with spring wildflowers and fiery autumn color drawing the biggest crowds.

Rocky Mountain National Park Mountains

Rocky Mountain National Park

Estes Park, CO · Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountain National Park packs more than 60 peaks above 12,000 feet into a single stretch of the Front Range, with alpine tundra, glacier-carved valleys, and elk grazing in open meadows. Trail Ridge Road climbs above 12,000 feet, making it the highest continuous paved road in the country and an easy way to reach the high country by car. With over 350 miles of trails, abundant wildlife, and dramatic scenery just 90 minutes from Denver, it is one of the most rewarding parks in the West to visit.

Part of these collections

Curated guides that feature Roan Mountain.

The Blue Ridge Mountains26 places

The Blue Ridge Mountains

The ancient, blue-hazed peaks of the southern Appalachians, threaded by the Blue Ridge Parkway from Shenandoah to the Smokies. Mile-high summits and the highest peak east of the Mississippi, waterfalls you can walk behind, long-range overlooks, and mountain towns like Asheville with the Biltmore at their heart. Go in October for the color, but the haze is blue year-round.