Mount Mitchell State Park » Ecology
Backcountry Camping and Hiking Safety
Foraging bears have been active and sometimes aggressive at the Commissary Ridge area. Bear-resistant food canisters or storage sacks are highly advised, otherwise food MUST be hung correctly at least 150 feet away from tent. Food bags should hang 5- feet below the branch, 5-feet from the tree trunk, and be at least 10-feet off the ground. Bears can and will climb trees and can easily reach food bags suspended at heights under 10 feet.
Failing to behave properly places you and your fellow visitors at risk for property damage and severe personal injury.
Black bears have been active in and around the park, inflicting damage to vehicles and camping equipment. All of these incidents have resulted from the improper storage of food, toiletries, and trash.
NEVER feed bears. They can lose their fear of people and may have to be destroyed.
NEVER leave food unattended, even if in coolers. Secure ONLY in bear-proof container or car trunk with windows completely rolled up.
Campground Safety
You MUST secure all food, garbage, and any items that might smell like food to a bear (toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, cosmetics, pet food, cooking and cleaning supplies, stove fuel, etc.) in the bear-proof storage container available at each campground site.
Severe storms above 6,000 feet are unpredictable and can be life-threatening. Fog and winds can impede search-and-rescue crew and helicopter access. Hike and camp in the back country at your own risk.
NEVER rely on GPS, cell-phone, or rescue beacon devices to prevent/survive emergency situations.
ALWAYS be prepared for the worst weather. Closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway occurs frequently when snow & ice accumulate. Be prepared to stay extra days or pack up and leave upon request by a park ranger at any time.
Updated: 2012-01-06 12:41:36
Mount Mitchell is OPEN... / Blue Ridge Parkway closures...
... details ± 02/07/2012 at 0810 hrs Mount Mitchell is open. Current conditions: 29 degrees under mostly sunny skies; expect some ice on the trails. The Blue Ridge Parkway is open to the north and south of Mount Mitchell.
Park gates are open from 8 am to 6 pm seven days a week; weather permitting. The park office is open Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm. Our campsites are available on a first-come/first-serve basis; weather permitting. No reservations will be taken from November through April. The water has been turned off at the campground; port-a-john available- winter rates in effect.
There are numerous closures along the Blue Ridge Parkway due to ice on the roadway. Contact the Blue Ridge Parkway automated road closure information line at(828) 298-0398 or visit www.nps.gov/blri/ .
The following construction related closures are in effect on the Blue Ridge Parkway:
South of Cumberland Knob (MP 217.8) to NC Route 1460 (MP 220.4), NC Route 1433 (MP 226.3) to U.S. Highway 21 (MP 229.7), and Stone Mountain Overlook (MP 232.5) to Air Bellows Gap (MP 236.9). This closure is expected to last until summer 2012. If travelling north on the Parkway, a detour is available by exiting the Parkway at NC Route 18, driving through Sparta, and continuing on NC Route 18 back to the Parkway. The detour can be taken in the opposite direction if travelling south on the Parkway.
MP 455 - MP 469 closed due to tunnel reconstruction, will remain closed until Spring 2012.
Updated: 2012-02-07 08:16:59
When Andre Michaux and Elisha Mitchell explored the Black Mountains in the late 18th and early 19th
centuries, they documented forests with an extraordinary variety of plant species. Red spruce covered the
upper slopes, and Fraser fir dominated the peaks above 6,000 feet. Hardwood forests, including majestic
stands of American chestnut, oaks, and hickories, populated the slopes below 5,000 feet, and rhododendron
thickets cloaked forest streams.
These forests have long been affected and shaped by a variety of natural factors, including wind, ice,
snow, drought, and infrequent lightning-caused fires. But unrestrained logging, huge fires in the logging
slash, and chestnut blight brought drastic changes to the forests throughout the Black Mountains in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. These impacts were followed in the 1950s by the arrival of the balsam
woolly adelgid, an insect pest native to central Europe. The adelgids infested and killed large numbers of
the Fraser firs, permanently altering the forest ecology in the highest elevations of the Black Mountains.
Today, scientists have determined that air pollution and acid-laden precipitation are also contributing to
the long term decline of Mount Mitchell's spruce-fir forests. In fact, on eight out of ten days, Mount
Mitchell is covered in clouds and fog that are sometimes as acidic as vinegar. Faced with a combination of
stresses, the forests of the Black Mountains have been irreparably altered.
The forests we see today are quite different from those documented by Mitchell and Michaux; but in spite of
the losses suffered over the last century, the flora of Mount Mitchell remains among the most distinctive
and diverse in the Southern Appalachians. The park protects the most extensive assortment of rare plant and
animal species in the state park system, and the spruce-fir forests, while greatly diminished, are still
present. Red spruce, fire cherry, yellow birch, mountain ash, and mountain maple have filled gaps opened by
the loss of Fraser fir, and other native plant species such as blueberry, mountain raspberry, red elder,
and bush honeysuckle produce beautiful blossoms and lend fragrance to the air. Wildflowers, including
ox-eye daisy, white snakeroot, purple-fringed orchid, St. John's wort and pink turtlehead color the
landscape.
Like the flora, the fauna of Mount Mitchell is abundant and diverse. Bird watchers have recorded 91 species
in the park. Birds more characteristic of New England and Canada — including winter wrens, slate-colored
juncos, red crossbills and golden-crowned kinglets — nest at these high altitudes. Spring and summer bring
the drumming of ruffed grouse. From the observation tower, visitors can often see peregrine falcons
whipping past.
Lucky visitors might also catch a glimpse of a northern flying squirrel or hear the call of the saw-whet
owl. White-tailed deer, black bear and striped skunk are at home here as well, and at night a bobcat or
gray fox might be seen.