Traveling in the Southern Appalachians
Northeast Tennessee Boasts Hiking, White Water, and Mountain Culture
Jun 13, 2009
Less developed than the Blue Ridge in North Carolina, vast areas of these Tennessee mountains, known collectively as the Unaka, are wrapped into the Cherokee National Forest. Quaint towns, like Johnson City, Mountain City, Elizabethton, and Jonesborough, dot the high valleys, and swift rivers, like the Nolichucky, slash through the gorges.
Appalachian Culture Preserved in Tennessee Mountain Towns
This land of coves and "hollers" retained its own unique culture and music well into the 20th Century and now is revered as one of America's most enduring heritages. From storytelling to mountain dulcimer, the northeast Tennessee mountains are a treasure trove of surprising places and people.
For example, among the special events visitors can experience are:
- The Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, each September honors the birthplace of recorded bluegrass and mountain music.
- The Blue Plum Festival is celebrated in Johnson City the first weekend in June, and
- The National Storytelling Festival is held in Jonesborough each fall at the National Storytelling Institute, which is open all year.
Hiking the Southern Appalachian Ridge Line
The Appalachian Trail follows the mountain ridgeline and wavers back and forth across the Tennessee-North Carolina state line crossing a series of bare mountaintop balds, such as Jane’s Bald and Round Bald near Carver’s Gap.
The origin of these bare mountaintops is debatable with theories ranging from Native American and early colonial agricultural and grazing practices to lightning activity. But the bald mountaintops provide spectacular 360-degree views of the misty blue Appalachians and spectacular blazes of azaleas, mountain laurel and rhododendrons in the spring.
The Highlands of Roan near Elizabethton one of the favorite destinations for hikers, birders and history buffs. Carver's Gap, a low point in the ridgeline of Roan Mountain, on highway 143 just past Roan Mountain State Park and just within the boundaries of the Cherokee National Forest, provides easy access to the Appalachian Trail.
After a scramble up Round Bald to the north, the AT crosses a series of grassy balds that offer unobstructed views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina. The 10-mile stretch of balds north of Carver’s Gap on the AT “is touted by many AT thru hikers as one of the most beautiful sections of the entire trail,” according to information on the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Web site.
About seven miles north of Carver’s Gap the Overmountain Trail, the route taken by mountain men from Sycamore Shoals to the Revolutionary War Battle of King's Mountain in South Carolina, crosses the Appalachian Trail. Each year history buffs in frontier garb and with black powder muskets reenact the battles along the Overmountain Trail.
Roan Mountain Rhododendron Gardens Blaze in June
To the south, the AT climbs to 6,285 foot Roan High Knob. The Roan Mountain Rhododendron Gardens and the old Cloudland Hotel site on Roan Mountain are also located off highway143 south of Carver's Gap. The pink Catawba rhododendron normally blooms in mid to late June, and each year the gardens host a Rhododendron Festival to celebrate the annual blaze of flowers.
For white water enthusiasts, the Nolichucky River running from Erwin, Tenn., to Hot Springs, Va., provides an unparalleled rafting and kayaking experienc
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