Mount Mitchell
Elevation	6,684 ft (2,037 m)
Location	Yancey County, North Carolina, USA
Range	Appalachian Mountains
Prominence	6,089 ft (1,856 m) [1]
Coordinates	35°45′53″N, 82°15′55″W
Topo map	USGS Mount Mitchell
Easiest route	hike

Mount Mitchell is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in eastern North America, excluding island summits. In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to Yancey County is a County located in the US state of North Carolina. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A topographic map is a type of Map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using Contour lines in modern The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a Mountain, rock or ice wall The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. List of Highpoints of North American Islands It was the highest point in any state of the United States until Texas joined the union in 1845. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The nearest higher point east of the Rocky Mountains is Harney Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Harney Peak is the highest Mountain in South Dakota, located in Black Hills National Forest. The Black Hills ( Pahá Sápa in Lakota, Moˀȯhta-voˀhonáaeva in Cheyenne) are a small isolated Mountain range rising from the South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Mount Mitchell is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina, in the Black Mountain subrange of the Appalachians, and about 32 kilometres (20 mi) northeast of Asheville. Burnsville is a town in Yancey County, North Carolina, United States. Yancey County is a County located in the US state of North Carolina. The Black Mountains are a mountain range in western North Carolina, in the southeastern United States Asheville is a City in and the County seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United It is protected by Mount Mitchell State Park and surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest. Mount Mitchell State Park is a North Carolina state park in Yancey County, North Carolina in the United States. Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina.

The mountain was named after Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Carolina, who determined its height in 1835 and fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls in 1857, having returned to verify his earlier measurements. Elisha Mitchell ( August 19, 1793 - June 27, 1857) was born in Washington Connecticut. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ( UNC, North Carolina, or simply Carolina) is a public, Coeducational Research Year 1835 ( MDCCCXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Mitchell Falls is a 25-foot waterfall located on private property on the slope of Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Appalachian Mountain chain Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the

The ascent of Mount Mitchell is now rather easy, since a road off the historic and scenic Blue Ridge Parkway runs nearby, and a 300 metres (980 ft) trail leads through a conifer forest to the top. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty The summit once featured a 40 ft (12 m) stone observation tower, which was torn down in late 2006 and is being replaced by a shorter observation platform. The new observation deck is projected for completion in the summer of 2008. ^[1] Also at the summit is the tomb of Dr. Mitchell.

The weather on Mount Mitchell is very mild in the summer and very harsh in the winter, more like Maine or southeastern Canada than the southeastern U.S. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the state occurred there on January 21, 1985 when it fell to -34°F (-37°C), during a severe cold spell that brought freezing temperatures as far south as Miami. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) It is also the coldest average reporting station in the state at 43. 8°F or 6. 6°C which is well below any other station. ^[2] Unlike the lower elevations in the surrounding regions, heavy snows often fall from December to March, with 50 inches (127 cm) accumulating in the Great Blizzard of 1993. The Storm of the Century, also known as the ’93 Superstorm, No-Name Hurricane, the White Hurricane, or the ( Great) Blizzard ^[2] Snow flurries have been reported on the summit even in the summer months of June, July, and August. The summit is often windy, with the record being 286 km/h or 178 MPH. ^[3]

The high elevations also expose plant life to high levels of pollution, including acid precipitation – rain, snow, and fog with very low pH. Acid rain is Rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually Acidic It has harmful effects on plants aquatic animals and infastructure pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a Solution. These acids damage the spruce and fir trees particularly badly, in part by releasing natural metals from the soil like aluminum, and by leaching important minerals. Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae Firs ( Abies) are a genus of between 45-55 species of Evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across WikipediaNaming A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific This stress also reduces the trees' resistance and immunity to insects, especially to non-native introduced pests like the Balsam woolly adelgid (see aphid). An immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an Organism that protects against Disease by identifying and killing Pathogens and Tumor Balsam woolly adelgids are small wingless Insects that infest and kill Firs especially Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir.

While the mountain is still mostly lush and green in the summer, many dead trunks can be seen due to these serious problems. Repairing the damage is a difficult issue, as the pollutants are often carried in from long distances. Sources can be local or hundreds of miles or kilometers away, requiring cooperation from as far away as the Midwest.

Still, hundreds of tourists visit the peak each spring through autumn, for its incredible views and sunsets. Wildflowers are abundant all summer long. Young fir and spruce trees do well in the subalpine climate, and their pine cones feed the birds along with wild blueberry and blackberry shrubs. Blueberries are Flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect The BlackBerry is a Wireless Handheld device introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager For visitors, a snack bar more palatable for humans is also available at the summit parking lot.

Roughly a mile to the north of Mount Mitchell is the second highest point in eastern North America, Mount Craig at 6,647 ft (2,026 m). Mount Craig is the second highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the second highest peak in eastern North America, excluding island summits.

A view from the observation tower.	Looking west from the parking lot atop the summit.	Black Mountain Range as seen from Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty	Easter view of Mount Mitchell from Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty
Southern view of Mount Mitchell from Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty	Forest on Mount Mitchell from hiking trail.	View northeast from Mount Mitchell.	Mount Craig as seen from Mount Mitchell. Mount Craig may refer to Mount Craig (Colorado in Colorado USA Mount Craig (North Carolina in North Carolina USA

See also

• List of U.S. states by elevation
• Mount Mitchell State Park
• Mountain peaks of North America
• Mountain peaks of the United States
• The Assault on Mount Mitchell, bicycling endurance

Cited references

External links

• N.C. Div. of Parks & Recreation
• Pictures of Mount Mitchell
• Pollution damage on Mt. Mitchell
• Sherpa Guide to Mount Mitchell
• Sherpa Guide to the Black Mountains
• Peakbagger.com Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina