Roan Mountain, part of the Unaka Range of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, helps form a section of the boundary between Tennessee and North Carolina. The gardens themselves are part of North Carolina while the state park that leads up to them is part of Tennessee and the Cherokee National Forest. When you travel from the Tennessee side up the mountain, you also pass through the tiny town of Roan Mountain before heading up to the bald where the gardens sit seemingly atop the world.
How To Find The Rhododendron Gardens in the Pisgah National Forest
Go to Elizabethton, Tennessee and take Highway 19-E to Roan Mountain. Then take TN 143 south which heads up the mountain through Roan Mountain State Park to a point known as Carver’s Gap. If you make the trip in late June, there is a Rhododendron festival in Roan Mountain State Park that started in 1947 and has been held yearly since.
The festival’s date is dependent on the blooming of the Rhododendron but is usually held the third or fourth weekend in June. To find the exact date visit the Festival's website.
What Are Rhododendron?
The word comes from the Greeks meaning “rose” and “tree” and are part of the plant family of Ericaceae which includes over 1000 species of plants. Most Ericaceae are known for their showy flowers. The Gardens are most noted for their Catawba Rhododendron , a dense, suckering shrub that usually is three meters tall but has been known to grow as high as five meters.
Catawba Rhododendron were named for the Catawba tribe of Native Americans.
The area is rich in natural beauty and hiking and fishing abound. With a state park and two national forests claiming the land, it is wild, remote and intoxicating with its beautiful vistas, natural waterfalls, amazing wildlife and plants.
Though the Gardens are at their most delightful in full bloom, the view from atop Roan Mountain is breathtaking even when the weather and the plants are not optimum. On a clear day you can see for miles and the view includes Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern United States.
More there is the other vegetation on the mountain’s ecosystem which includes wildflowers and bushes which break the green pattern with splashes of color. These plants, like the Greys lily, green alder — species normally only found in New England — and spruce-fir forests, are believed to be relics of the Ice Age.
At the lower elevations, the ecosystem is distinctly southern with plants like subtropical orchids in abundance.
Roan Mountain State Park
Part of the Roan Highlands, Roan Mountain is actually a mountain mass made up of two sections consisting of five peaks and separated by Carver’s Gap. To the west is Roan High Knob and Roan High Bluff with Tollhouse Gap, the site of the Gardens, separating the two.
On the east of Carver’s Gap is Grassy Ridge. It is the longest stretch (approximately 7 miles) of grassy bald in the Appalachians. A grassy bald is a highland meadow made up of thick grass and sparse trees. This meadow has three peaks known as Round Bald, Jane Bald and Grassy Ridge Bald.
Roan Mountain State Park is a little over two thousand acres and has been touted as a great base for exploring the region based on its amenities that make it a year-long haven for campers, hikers and even skiers because the region gets 100 inches of snow yearly.
It also has recreational facilities for swimming, horseshoes, badminton, volleyball and table tennis. There are campgrounds, rental cabins, picnic spots and pavilions for large groups, restrooms, laundromat, heated pools and playgrounds.
Although the park is open year around, some of the facilities like the restaurant, swimming pool and campground are only open seasonally. For more information check out the Roan Mountain State Park website.
 |
 |
