{"id":1531,"date":"2020-05-19T18:42:21","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T18:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/?p=1531"},"modified":"2022-11-07T07:11:29","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T12:11:29","slug":"the-12-highest-peaks-of-the-southern-appalachian-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/the-12-highest-peaks-of-the-southern-appalachian-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"The 12 Highest Peaks of the Southern Appalachian Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>#kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_ad9e43-c9\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_6e538c-c0{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_6e538c-c0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_6e538c-c0\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p><strong>Thinking about hiking the highest peaks in the Southeast? Here is the list of the highest mountains in the Southern Appalachians.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b:not(.this-stops-third-party-issues){margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list:not(.this-prevents-issues):not(.this-stops-third-party-issues):not(.tijsloc){margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);margin-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list{grid-row-gap:5px;}.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap .kt-svg-icon-list-single{margin-right:10px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-0 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-1 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-2 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-3 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-4 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-5 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-6 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-7 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-8 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-9 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-10 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-level-11 .kt-svg-icon-list-single svg{font-size:20px;}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b:not(.kt-svg-icon-list-columns-1) ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap:not(:last-child){margin:0px;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b:not(.kt-tablet-svg-icon-list-columns-1) ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap:not(:last-child){margin:0px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-block-kadence-iconlist.kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b:not(.kt-mobile-svg-icon-list-columns-1) ul.kt-svg-icon-list .kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap:not(:last-child){margin:0px;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-iconlist kt-svg-icon-list-items kt-svg-icon-list-items_132b93-4b kt-svg-icon-list-columns-2 alignnone\"><ul class=\"kt-svg-icon-list\"><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-0 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Mount Mitchell (Black Mountains): 6,684 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-1 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Cattail Peak (Black Mountains): 6,583 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-2 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Mount Craig (Black Mountains): 6,647 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-3 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Mount Gibbes (Black Mountains): 6,571 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-4 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Clingmans Dome (Great Smoky Mountains): 6,643 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-5 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Mount Chapman (Great Smoky Mountains): 6,417 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-6 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Mount Guyot (Great Smoky Mountains): 6,621 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-7 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Richland Balsam (Great Balsam Mountains): 6,410 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-8 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Balsam Cone (Black Mountains): 6,611 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-9 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Old Black (Great Smoky Mountains) 6,370 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-10 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Mount LeConte (Great Smoky Mountains): 6,593 feet<\/span><\/li><li class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-style-default kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-11 kt-svg-icon-list-level-0\"><div style=\"display:inline-flex;justify-content:center;align-items:center\" class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single kt-svg-icon-list-single-fe_checkCircle\"><svg style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M22 11.08V12a10 10 0 1 1-5.93-9.14\"><\/path><polyline points=\"22 4 12 14.01 9 11.01\"><\/polyline><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Celo Knob (Black Mountains) 6,327 feet<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_bc8a87-51\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_068229-e0{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_068229-e0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_068229-e0\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Best-Backpacking-In-The-South.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>I have lived in the Carolinas for over 20 years, and have been backpacking the mountains of the south for just as long. After a recent trip my fellow adventurers were reminiscing about the most exciting and challenging trips we had embarked on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we discovered the South Beyond 6000 Ascent Record we had to see how many we had conquered. Listed below are the top 12 of those 40 mountain peaks (organized by elevation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The backbone of eastern North America, the Appalachian Mountains, stretch some 1,500 miles from Alabama northeastward to Newfoundland \u2013 a pretty head-spinning span, to say the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the Northern Appalachians have some magnificent and topographically imposing peaks \u2013 Maine\u2019s Katahdin and New Hampshire\u2019s White Mountains come foremost to mind \u2013 the chain reaches its elevational climax farther south.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blue-Ridge-Mountain-Peaks.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Southern Appalachians, often taken to encompass the chain south of the Potomac River, (and more specifically that high-country portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the North Carolina-Tennessee border) contain more than 50 peaks exceeding 6,000 feet. Depending on your definition of an individual peak, actually, the count \u2013 as Jesse Boyd at Blue Ridge Outdoors notes&nbsp;\u2013 could be reckoned beyond 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These awesome mountains rise into the shadowy, sweet-scented zone of Fraser fir and red spruce, which form the highest-elevation forest zone in the Southern Appalachians, and in some cases also include open balds and rocky outcrops, both of which deliver the knockout views that heavy conifer cover otherwise tends to prohibit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we decided to write this up, I was excited to finally post some of my old backpacking pictures! Many of the pics are from 2006 an older\u2026.well before Instagram and even before I really posted on my Facebook page.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_e4514f-33 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_e4514f-33 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_e4514f-33 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_e4514f-33 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_e4514f-33 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_e4514f-33 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_e4514f-33\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_e4514f-33\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_37aa9c-60{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_37aa9c-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_37aa9c-60\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/South-Backpacking.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Southern Appalachians contain more than 50 peaks exceeding 6,000 feet. Depending on your definition of an individual peak the count could be reckoned beyond 100<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>These are the legendary \u201cSouthern Sixers,\u201d which in fact account for all but one of the Appalachian\u2019s 6,000-plus-foot summits, the exception being 6,288-foot Mount Washington in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, which are the pinnacle of the Northeast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As this RootsRated article notes, the Appalachians don\u2019t hit 6,000 feet north of the northernmost Southern Sixer, the 6,285-foot Roan Mountain massif, for some 1,500 miles before Mount Washington makes its solitary nudge above that lofty contour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>On the Black Mountain Ridge Trail<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll explore the 12 highest peaks in the Southern Appalachians, which also happen to be the 12 highest of the eastern U.S. (Indeed, more than 20 Southern Appalachians peaks are higher than Mount Washington.) This isn\u2019t mere geographic trivia; every peak on this list is, beyond its elevational superlatives, a special place, and well worth tracking down on an outdoor adventure. As you\u2019ll see, some are much more difficult to access than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before getting to the actual list of peaks, though, let\u2019s set things in context by surveying the six Blue Ridge Province sub-ranges where all of the Southern Sixers reside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Highest Ranges of the Southern Appalachians<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All of the 50-plus Southern Sixers are found within the following Southern Appalachian ranges (presented in order of their highest respective peaks):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Black Mountains<\/strong>&nbsp;(North Carolina)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Black Mountains, which include the two highest peaks in the East and a number of other Southern Sixers, are a fairly small but towering range northeast of Asheville, North Carolina. They get their name from the dark look of their crowning spruce-fir forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Blacks make a sort of J-shape, with the main north-south crest stretching from 6,327-foot Celo Knob south to 6,400-foot Potato Knob, from which the divide swings west and northwest through 6,320-foot Blackstock Knob and 5,400-foot Balsam Gap.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_16f984-d4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_16f984-d4 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_16f984-d4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_16f984-d4 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_16f984-d4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_16f984-d4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_16f984-d4\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_16f984-d4\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_7396ef-a8{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_7396ef-a8 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_7396ef-a8\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Mt-Mitchell.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1705\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Mt-Mitchell.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Mt-Mitchell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Black Mountain\/Colbert Ridge Trail from Mt. Mitchell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Mt-Mitchell.jpg\" alt=\"Old Sign At Mount Mitchell Before They Took Down The Tower\" class=\"wp-image-1706\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Mt-Mitchell.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Mt-Mitchell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Mt. Mitchell Peak, September 2005<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-The-Black-Mountains.jpg\" alt=\"View From The Black Mountain Crest Trail\" class=\"wp-image-1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-The-Black-Mountains.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-The-Black-Mountains-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Trail to Mt. Mitchell <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_700383-8f > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_700383-8f > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_700383-8f > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_700383-8f > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_700383-8f > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_700383-8f > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_700383-8f\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_700383-8f\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_f8305d-cd{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_f8305d-cd > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_f8305d-cd\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/South-East-Backpacking.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_5155c1-91, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_5155c1-91[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_5155c1-91\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_5155c1-91 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_5155c1-91[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_5155c1-91\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading_5155c1-91 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_5155c1-91\"><strong>The Great Smoky Mountains<\/strong>&nbsp;(Tennessee-North Carolina)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Best-known of the Southern Appalachian ranges, the Great Smokies also account for the greatest mass of high country, forming a hefty block of tall, rugged peaks and connecting ridges. Their name stems from the natural haze created by terpene aerosols given off by the range\u2019s heavy forest; the indigenous Cherokee label for the Great Smokies is&nbsp;<em>Shaconage<\/em>, the \u201cPlace of the Blue Smoke.\u201d (The same misty look explains the broader name for the Blue Ridge Mountains themselves.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the range falls within the boundaries of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which besides being the most-visited national park in the U.S., includes some of the East\u2019s most extensive backcountry and acreage of old-growth forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Great Balsam Mountains<\/strong>&nbsp;(North Carolina)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Blue Ridge Parkway reaches its highest elevation crossing over the Great Balsams, which lie southwest of Asheville. (In the Southern Appalachians, \u201cbalsam\u201d is a colloquial name used for both Fraser fir and red spruce: The fir is \u201cshe-balsam,\u201d the spruce \u201che-balsam.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll see \u201cbalsam\u201d show up in a lot of placenames in the Blue Ridge Province \u2013 including the next range on this list.) Though far from the highest of the Great Balsam peaks, 6,030-foot Cold Mountain in the Shining Rock Wilderness is the only one well-known outside the region, as a result of the Civil War novel by Charles Frazier (and the movie adaptation) named for it.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_04d25e-30 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_04d25e-30 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_04d25e-30 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_04d25e-30 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_04d25e-30 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_04d25e-30 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_04d25e-30\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_04d25e-30\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_53553c-69{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_53553c-69 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_53553c-69\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Great-Balsam-Peaks.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Great-Balsam-Peaks.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Great-Balsam-Peaks-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Cold Mountain Peak, 2006<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Cold-Mountain-Ecological-Survey.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Cold-Mountain-Ecological-Survey.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Cold-Mountain-Ecological-Survey-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Ecological Survey: Cold Mountain. 1934<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Cold-Mountain-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Cold-Mountain-1.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Cold-Mountain-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Trail to Cold Mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_a3f209-b3\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_42c0c0-d0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_42c0c0-d0\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/South-Best-Mountains.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><strong>Near the Top of Waterrock Knob<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Plott Balsam Mountains<\/strong>&nbsp;(North Carolina)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Set between the Great Smokies to the northwest and the Great Balsams to the southeast, the Plott Balsams \u2013 also traversed by the Blue Ridge Parkway \u2013 include five Southern Sixers, the highest being 6,292-foot Waterrock Knob.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_c7b5ce-28\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_a6b15c-ba > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_a6b15c-ba\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Camping-In-The-South.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><strong>The Grassy Ridge Bald Trail is going up the mountain on the left<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_892e9c-c3, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_892e9c-c3[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_892e9c-c3\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_892e9c-c3 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_892e9c-c3[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_892e9c-c3\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading_892e9c-c3 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_892e9c-c3\"><strong>The Roan Highlands<\/strong>&nbsp;(Tennessee-North Carolina)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Roan Highlands of the Unaka Mountains harbor the farthest north Southern Sixers: 6,285-foot Roan High Knob, 6,267-foot Roan High Bluff, and 6,184-foot Grassy Ridge Bald, all of them subpeaks of Roan Mountain, the massif that accounts for most of the Highlands. The Roans are famous for their rhododendron \u201cheaths\u201d and grass balds.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_f0ccc0-e4\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_6fe9cf-27 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_6fe9cf-27\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Richard-Balsam.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><strong>Craggy Dome from the East<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_072c0f-a6, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_072c0f-a6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_072c0f-a6\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_072c0f-a6 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_072c0f-a6[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_072c0f-a6\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading_072c0f-a6 wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_072c0f-a6\"><strong><strong>The Great Craggy Mountains<\/strong>&nbsp;(North Carolina)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Great Craggies extend southwestward from Balsam Gap in the Black Mountains as a rough, high ridge ending as the Four Brothers Knobs overlooking the Swannanoa River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people consider the Craggies basically a southwesterly spur of the Blacks. Among the range\u2019s major peaks, including Bearpen Knob, Craggy Pinnacle, and Snowball Mountain, only one is a Sixer: 6,105-foot Craggy Dome.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_718731-d0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_718731-d0 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_718731-d0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_718731-d0 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_718731-d0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_718731-d0 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_718731-d0\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_718731-d0\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_8ded07-f5{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_8ded07-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_8ded07-f5\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/i-NhRgmMW-X2.jpg\" alt=\"Fallen Log Crossing\"\/><figcaption><strong>@tech_writer himself looking over a stream that feeds the Swannanoa River<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_3fd740-ec, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_3fd740-ec[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_3fd740-ec\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_3fd740-ec mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_3fd740-ec[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_3fd740-ec\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading_3fd740-ec wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_3fd740-ec\"><strong><strong><strong>The 12 Highest Peaks in the Southern Appalachians and the Eastern U.S.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve sketched out the broader geography of the highest ranges in the Southern Appalachians, let\u2019s drill down on those 10 highest peaks! Some caveats are in order, though, given the multiple ways one could compile this list.<a href=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/must-visit-campground-letchworth-state-park\/\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are numerous instances where mountaintops of significant elevation rise within just a short distance of a higher peak, and off what could be considered its flanks.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_ac2d57-16\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_c899b9-63{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_c899b9-63 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_c899b9-63\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Southern-Backpacking-Casey-Ricks.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><strong>Casey on top of Mt. Craig, 2006<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>For example, two prominences off the spur ridges of Clingmans Dome in the Great Smokies \u2013 6,580-foot Mount Buckley and 6,420-foot Mount Love \u2013 rank comfortably among the highest Southern Sixers, but are essentially subpeaks of the Dome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s this subpeak issue the Carolina Mountain Club attempts to deal with in its more refined list of 40 peaks out of the 50-plus Southern Sixers by adding (besides the strict 6,000-foot minimum elevational cutoff) the following requirement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere is a drop of 200 or more feet to a saddle between one peak and another qualifying peak or, there is a distance between the peaks of .75 miles.\u201d<br>Our list mostly follows the Carolina Mountain Club\u2019s list (viewable at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitpost.org\/southern-sixers\/171168\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Summitpost<\/a>) with one exception in the Black Mountains, which we\u2019ll explain when we get there. So, here goes!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_db8ae0-e9\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_eaa00c-26{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_eaa00c-26 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_eaa00c-26\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(1)&nbsp;<strong>Mount Mitchell<\/strong>&nbsp;(Black Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,684 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Mount Mitchell is not only the high point of the Appalachians and the highest U.S. mountain east of the Mississippi River, it\u2019s also the highest summit of mainland eastern North America.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The only loftier peaks in eastern North America are those of the Arctic Cordillera on islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The Arctic Cordillera\u2019s mainland North America portion, the Torngat Mountains, are lower than the Southern Appalachians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mount Mitchell is also one of the most topographically isolated mountains on the continent, a measure of the great distance from it to the nearest comparable elevations (in the American West). In fact, it\u2019s among the top 35 most topographically isolated in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Centerpiece of Mount Mitchell State Park, the oldest in North Carolina, the peak \u2013 once called Black Dome \u2013 gets its name from University of North Carolina professor Elisha Mitchell, who established in the mid-19th century that the Black Mountains were taller than what at the time was considered the East\u2019s king peak: New Hampshire\u2019s aforementioned Mount Washington.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1857, Mitchell fell to his death in the range and was buried at the Mount Mitchell summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mount Mitchell\u2019s top is accessible by car, with a paved Summit Trail offering far-reaching vistas. Once you reach the top you will see a raised circular structure offering incredible views of the surrounding ranges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this picture you will see me in front of a tower, that tower was torn down 3 years after we went there and replaced it with the new lookout.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_ccc6b8-25\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_aeb4c9-10 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_aeb4c9-10\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Towers-of-Mt-Mitchell.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Towers-of-Mt-Mitchell.jpg 600w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Towers-of-Mt-Mitchell-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>The Towers of Mt. Mitchell, 2006<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Mount-Mitchell-Original-Tower-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Mount-Mitchell-Original-Tower-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Mount-Mitchell-Original-Tower-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Peak of Mt. Mitchell, 2006. This tower is no longer standing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_fb16af-bd\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_f610d3-80{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_f610d3-80 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_f610d3-80\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(2)&nbsp;<strong>Mount Craig<\/strong>&nbsp;(Black Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,647 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Just north-northeast along the Black Mountain crest from Mount Mitchell rises the East\u2019s second-highest peak. Mount Craig \u2013 named for North Carolina Governor Locke Craig, who helped establish Mount Mitchell State Park in 1915 \u2013 is reachable from the Mount Mitchell summit via a short hike on the Deep Gap Trail (aka the Black Mountain Crest Trail).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Immediately northeast of Mount Craig is 6,560-foot Big Tom, a subpeak sometimes treated as its own Southern Sixer cracking the Top 10 list. (Side note: As North Carolina State Parks explains, Big Tom gets its name from Thomas Wilson, the bear hunter who found Elisha Mitchell\u2019s body.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_952335-b5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_952335-b5 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_952335-b5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_952335-b5 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_952335-b5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_952335-b5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_952335-b5\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_952335-b5\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_41a741-ec{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_41a741-ec > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_41a741-ec\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Mt.-Craig-Summit-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1701\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Mt.-Craig-Summit-1.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Mt.-Craig-Summit-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Blair Witkowski at the top of Mt. Craig, 2006<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Nig-Tom-Memorial.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Nig-Tom-Memorial.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Nig-Tom-Memorial-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Big Tom memorial plaque, 6580 feet above sea level<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Big-Tom-Memorial.jpg\" alt=\"Mt Mitchell Big Tom memorial\" class=\"wp-image-1703\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Big-Tom-Memorial.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Big-Tom-Memorial-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Blair Witkowski next to the Big Tom Memorial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_8685a0-a4\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_919d09-c6{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_919d09-c6 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_919d09-c6\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(3)&nbsp;<strong>Clingmans Dome<\/strong>&nbsp;(Great Smoky Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,643 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Crown of the Great Smokies, Clingmans Dome is the highest mountain in Tennessee and also the loftiest point along the entire Appalachian Trail. The Cherokee, who traditionally know the mountain as&nbsp;<em>Kuwahi<\/em>&nbsp;(\u201cMulberry Place\u201d), consider it mythologically an important council site for black bears.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially called Smoky Dome by Euro-American settlers, the peak was formally named after Thomas L. Clingman, a U.S. senator who contended against Elisha Mitchell that Smoky Dome was higher than Mount Mitchell (Black Dome) \u2013 an issue settled in the latter peak\u2019s favor by the Swiss-born geographer Arnold Guyot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An observation tower atop Clingmans Dome provides one of the defining views of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It\u2019s reachable by a steep half-mile hike on a paved path from the parking area.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_690a05-ce > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_690a05-ce > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_690a05-ce > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_690a05-ce > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_690a05-ce > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_690a05-ce > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_690a05-ce\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_690a05-ce\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_d314bf-58{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_d314bf-58 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_d314bf-58\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Mt-Craig-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Mt-Craig-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Mt-Craig-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Great Smoky mountains trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Clingmans-dome-great-smoky-mountains-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1716\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Clingmans-dome-great-smoky-mountains-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Clingmans-dome-great-smoky-mountains-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Top of Clingmans Dome at dusk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(4)&nbsp;<strong>Mount Guyot<\/strong>&nbsp;(Great Smoky Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,621 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Named for the geographer we just mentioned who conducted many important topographic measurements in the region, Mount Guyot is a much more far flung giant than Clingmans Dome, being located in the backcountry of eastern Great Smoky Mountains National Park.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Appalachian Trail runs along its shoulders about 16 miles east of Newfound Gap. The heavily forested summit itself is trail-less, accessible only to cross-country hikers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_7a7160-6c\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_cb1435-b3{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_cb1435-b3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_cb1435-b3\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Adventuring-in-the-Smoky-Mountains.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><strong>Eastern Great Smoky Mountains National Park<\/strong><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokey-Mountains-At-Sunset.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokey-Mountains-At-Sunset.jpg 600w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokey-Mountains-At-Sunset-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Sundown at Mt. Guyot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(5)&nbsp;<strong>Balsam Cone<\/strong>&nbsp;(Black Mountains):<em>&nbsp;6,611 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s another of the \u201cskyscraping\u201d (relatively speaking) peaks of the main Black Mountain divide reached by the exceptional Black Mountain Crest Trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Balsam Cone, which falls within Mount Mitchell State Park, lies between Mount Craig to the south and Cattail Peak to the north in what\u2019s essentially the heart of the range. It\u2019s buttressed on the west by Timber Ridge.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_1fdef6-0a\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_32e90f-2a{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_32e90f-2a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_32e90f-2a\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Just-Above-The-Cloud-Cover-To-Balsam-Cone.jpg\" alt=\"View from Deep Gap on the Black Mountain Crest Trail\"\/><figcaption><strong>Balsam Cone at dusk above the cloud line<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Youngs-Knob.jpg\" alt=\"Youngs Knob on the Black Mountain Crest trail\"\/><figcaption><strong>Young\u2019s Knob Memorial on the Black Mountain Trail<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Balsam-Cone.jpg\" alt=\"Blair Witkowski Hiking Leader\"\/><figcaption><strong>At the crest of Balsam Cone, 2006<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Despite its middle placement on this list, Mount LeConte is unquestionably one of the most impressive mountains in the Southern Appalachians.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.agu.org\/thefield\/2019\/09\/28\/searching-for-the-biggest-mountain-in-the-appalachiansand-why-is-biggest-in-quotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This great American Geophysical Union article by Philip S. Prince<\/a>, focused on the eastern U.S.\u2019s most topographically prominent peaks, notes that LeConte looms some 5,300 feet above the Pigeon River lowlands of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, only about six miles away. In the Appalachians, only Mount Washington really rivals Mount LeConte in this prominence department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple trails, including some of the most popular in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, access Mount LeConte. It\u2019s a massif, with an ultimate summit at High Top and subpeaks at West Point, Cliff Top, and Myrtle Point that are sought out for their vantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The long ridge, called the Boulevard, connects Mount LeConte to the main Smoky Mountain divide to the southeast at Mount Kephart.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_7dd412-67 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_7dd412-67 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_7dd412-67 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_7dd412-67 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_7dd412-67 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_7dd412-67 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_7dd412-67\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_7dd412-67\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_9dc322-0a{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_9dc322-0a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_9dc322-0a\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Great-Smoky-Mountains-from-the-bottom-1.jpg\" alt=\"Great Smoky Mountains Picture\"\/><figcaption><strong>Mt. LeConte from the south valley<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smoky-Mountain-Trail.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><strong>The Smoky Mountain Divide from Mt. LeConte<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(7)&nbsp;<strong>Cattail Peak&nbsp;<\/strong>(Black Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,583 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Cattail Peak doesn\u2019t make every list of the 10 highest Southern Sixers, as some count it as a satellite peak of the Balsam Cone eminence. We\u2019re including it because it\u2019s somewhat removed from that higher neighbor to the south, and because it\u2019s got significant topographic muscle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his AGU writeup, Prince suggests Cattail can be considered the most prominent peak in the Black Mountains given its 3,700-foot rise above Rock Creek along the range\u2019s eastern base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll also note here that a peak immediately northeast of Cattail, 6,475-foot Potato Hill, could easily be counted on this list (and, indeed, is No. 8 on the Carolina Mountain Club Southern Sixers roundup, which doesn\u2019t include Cattail Peak). We\u2019re omitting it only because of its very close proximity to Cattail, despite the fact that a decent saddle exists between the two.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_6d6b06-56\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_17d827-05{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_17d827-05 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_17d827-05\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-4 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Potato-Hill.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1694\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Potato-Hill.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/View-From-Potato-Hill-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Potato Hill Cliffs at dawn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"212\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Blair-Witkowski-Hiking.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1695\"\/><figcaption> Potato Hill Cliff warning sign, 2006<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Potato-Hill.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Potato-Hill.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Potato-Hill-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>On top of Mt. Craig, 2006<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"149\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Cattail-Pass-Blair-Witkowski.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1696\"\/><figcaption>Cattail Pass Trailhead, 2006<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(8)&nbsp;<strong>Mount Gibbes<\/strong>&nbsp;(Black Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,571 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared with the above peaks in the Black Mountains, lined up in close proximity and \u201cbagged\u201d one after the other along the Black Mountain Crest Trail, remote Mount Gibbes is less visited, more off-the-radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its thickly timbered summit \u2013 still in Mount Mitchell State Park \u2013 lies at the southern end of the north-south crest of the Blacks, basically at the crook of the range\u2019s \u201cJ.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_984911-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_984911-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_984911-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_984911-09 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_984911-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_984911-09 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_984911-09\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_984911-09\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_0832f5-f3{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_0832f5-f3 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_0832f5-f3\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Colberts-Ridge-to-Mt-Gibbs.jpg\" alt=\"Colberts Ridge Trail Map\"\/><figcaption><strong>Colbert Ridge to Mt. Mitchell trailhead<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Mt-Gibbs.jpg\" alt=\"Picture Of Mount Gibbs in NC\"\/><figcaption><strong>Mt. Mitchell from Colbert Ridge<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Black-Mountain-Trail.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking The Black Mountain Crest Trail\"\/><figcaption><strong>On the Colbert Ridge to Mt. Mitchell trail<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(9)&nbsp;<strong>Mount Chapman<\/strong>&nbsp;(Great Smoky Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,417 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This is another big peak of Great Smoky Mountain National Park\u2019s remote eastern sector. Mount Chapman \u2013 named for Knoxville businessman David Chapman, an important advocate for creating a national park in the Great Smokies \u2013 sits to the south-southwest of Mount Guyot, and similarly, there\u2019s no trail to the summit, though the AT skirts its flanks.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_d4b3a0-1d\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_ff13c0-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_ff13c0-6b\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/SMOKY-MOUNTAINS.jpg\" alt=\"Distan View of the Smoky Mountains\"\/><figcaption><strong>Great Smoky Mountains trail<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Great-Smoky-Mountain.jpg\" alt=\"Smoky Mountain Hiking ideas\"\/><figcaption><strong>Mt. Chapman (left) at sunset<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(10)&nbsp;<strong>Richland Balsam<\/strong>&nbsp;(Great Balsam Mountains):&nbsp;<em>6,410 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The only Southern Sixer outside of the Black and Great Smoky mountains on our list, Richland Balsam caps the Great Balsams and marks the highest elevation on the Pisgah National Forest.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A trail less than a mile long reaches the summit from the Blue Ridge Parkway: a good excuse for stretching your legs on a scenic drive, and gaining a bit more immersive feel for the wonderful Great Balsams.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_a4f551-e5\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_dc701d-e4{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_dc701d-e4 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_dc701d-e4\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Pisgah-National-Forest-Richland-Balsam.jpg\" alt=\"Balsam Mountains From Blueridge\"\/><figcaption><strong>Richland Balsam from the Blue Ridge Parkway<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Top-Of-Richland-Mt.jpg\" alt=\"Clouds Over Richland Mountain\"\/><figcaption><strong>Top of Richland Balsam at dusk<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(11)&nbsp;<strong>Old Black&nbsp;<\/strong>(Great Smoky Mountains)&nbsp;<em>6,370 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This Mountain shares its neighborhood with Mount Guyot; its trail system connects the Eastern smokies to the Cosby trail system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Old Black was given its name because of the Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest that blankets the mountain, especially at the summit. From a distance the mountain has a very dark green\/grey appearance, particularly in the colder months.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_0ce319-63 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_0ce319-63 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_0ce319-63 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_0ce319-63 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_0ce319-63 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_0ce319-63 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_0ce319-63\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_0ce319-63\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_e38471-f5{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_e38471-f5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_e38471-f5\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-13 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tree-Mountain-View-Old-Black.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tree-Mountain-View-Old-Black.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tree-Mountain-View-Old-Black-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>View From Old Black Mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokys.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking Trips in the Smokies\" class=\"wp-image-1741\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokys.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Smokys-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Old Black At Sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Half-Way-Up-Old-Black-Mountain.jpg\" alt=\"Old Black Mountain\" class=\"wp-image-1742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Half-Way-Up-Old-Black-Mountain.jpg 400w, https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Half-Way-Up-Old-Black-Mountain-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><figcaption>Half way up Old Black Mountain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_f3587b-cd\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_f49acc-ed{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_f49acc-ed > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_f49acc-ed\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(12)&nbsp;<strong>Celo Knob&nbsp;<\/strong>(Black Mountains)&nbsp;<em>6,327 feet<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This peak is the northmost mountain of the Black Mountains. Located in the Pisgah National Forest. This mountain will be the first you encounter when hiking from&nbsp;Bowlens Creek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a hiker you must use some outdoor intuition if you want to reach the top. The trail does not take you to the summit (it skirts around it) but careful observation will reveal some animal paths that can take you to the top.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>#kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(#kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}#kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var( --global-kb-row-default-top, 25px );padding-bottom:var( --global-kb-row-default-bottom, 25px );padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}#kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-rowlayout alignnone\"><div id=\"kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c\" class=\"kt-row-layout-inner kt-layout-id_a503a6-0c\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-gutter-default kt-v-gutter-default kt-row-valign-top kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-m-colapse-left-to-right kt-mobile-layout-row\"><style>.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_44c734-86{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_44c734-86 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_44c734-86\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-14 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Celo-Knob-1.jpg\" alt=\"Black Mountain Crest trail Celo Knob\"\/><figcaption><strong>Celo Knob from the east<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Pisgah-National-Forrest-Celo-Knob.jpg\" alt=\"Pisgah Forest Pictures\"\/><figcaption><strong>Pisgah National Forest&nbsp;<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Southern Appalachians: Rooftop of the East<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll close by noting that there are so many other Southern Sixers besides these surmounting titans to seek out: from the wide-open sightlines of Grassy Ridge Bald in the Roans to the thrilling wilderness ambience of Tricorner Knob in the eastern Smokies. After all, height alone isn\u2019t everything!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we\u2019ll explore the 12 highest peaks in the Southern Appalachians, which also happen to be the 12 highest of the eastern U.S. (Indeed, more than 20 Southern Appalachians peaks are higher than Mount Washington.) This isn\u2019t mere geographic trivia; every peak on this list is, beyond its elevational superlatives, a special place, and well worth tracking down on an outdoor adventure. As you\u2019ll see, some are much more difficult to access than others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","pmpro_default_level":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"iawp_total_views":3059,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure","pmpro-has-access"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":3,"label":"Adventures"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Black-Mouintain-Crest-Trail.jpg",900,675,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Blair Witkowski","author_link":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/author\/witty\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":3,"name":"Adventures","slug":"adventure","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3,"category_count":6,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Adventures","category_nicename":"adventure","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techwriteredc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}