Mt Mitchell

[DavidNH]

I have been over Clingman's Dome of course when I hiked the AT in 2006. But I have never been up Mt Mitchell, the highest peak in the Eastern US.

Could some one who has climbed Mount Mitchell in North Carolina give me a comparison of that peak to Clingman's Dome? Do you recommend this as a peak to climb? Is the climb steep? which peak do you prefer? what is Mount Mitchell like?

I have no immediate plans to get down there, and when and if I get to the South again I'd probably head for the smokies. But, still, I am curious about this other higher mountain!

DavidNH

[restless]

There are a couple of ways to reach Mt Mitchell. The first, which I am assuming you are not intrerested in, would be by car, much like Clingmans Dome. The Mountains -to-Sea trail crosses the summit. Coming from the Asheville direction the trail is surprisingly flat. Once it crosses the summit, the MST begins a long, steep descent of six miles to the FS Black Mountain Campground. My personal favorite is to start on the outskirts of Burnsville NC, and take the Black mountain Crest Trail.This is a hike that takes you over quite a few 6000 footers. A shuttle would be required for this trip. The Black Mtn Crest Trail is without a doubt the best short trail in the southeast.

[Bare Bear]

My friends in Asheville (Black Mountain) say that is their favorite climb and they have done a lot of hiking all over. Looking at the maps it doesn't look any ahrder than Clingmans but just like Clingmans it would depend on which route you take. Going down the AT from Clingmans to the Prong then DOWN, then back up on the Sugarland and coming back via the Mt Collins route (back to AT then up/south again to the top) is very hard and all up hill for the last ten miles or so.

[GrouchoMark]

I have hiked quite a bit in the Black Mountains. If you start at Black Mountain campground, the NC Mountains to Sea trail leads to the summit of Mount Mitchell in about 6 miles. This is a worthy hike as you pass through a number of different forest zones and gain about 3500 feet in altitude. I would check to make sure Black Mountain campground is open, however, as I believe it does close for the winter. Another option is to hike the Colbert Ridge Trail up to deep gap, link up with the Black Mountains Crest Trail and follow this to Mount Mitchell summit. This would be approximately an eight mile one way trip. Bear in mind also that the Black Mountains are a 15 mile chain and many of the most rewarding views and hikes are actually to be found north of Mount Mitchell. There is one other trail that you may consider if you are up for a challenge. This would be the Woody Ridge trail on the north end of the Black Mountains and leads to an area on the ridgeline just south of Celo Knob. The trail is good but extremely steep gaining over 3000 feet in just over 2 miles, not for the faint of heart but this particular trail has I think the most spectacular views in the Black Mountains range and is well worth the effort. If you have any other questions, I will be happy to try to answer them. The Black Mountains are one of the absolute greatest hiking areas in North Carolina.

[humunuku]

is there any campsites out near celo Knob? any springs?

[GrouchoMark]

There is a clear area near Celo Knob with outstanding views and I understand that people have camped there. The designated camping area oficially however is at deep gap which is roughly halfway between Mt Mitchell and Celo Knob. As far as water is concerned my experience has been that the Black Mountain Crest is dry on top. All of the springs I have seen have been downslope on the eastern flank of the range. Deep Gap does have a spring located a little ways down the Colbert Ridge trail but when I hiked this particular trail late last summer it was dry. Later on closer to fall, I was hiking from Mount Mitchell summit toward deep gap and met up with a backpacker who had come up the the Colbert Ridge trail the day before and said that the spring was running then so I guess it depends on what time of year you go. Late last spring I was hiking on the Buncombe Ridge horse trail which is located downslope from the ridgeline and I noticed quite a bit of water pouring from the mountainside then. Setrock creek on the Mount Mitchell trail also seems like it would be a pretty reliable source as well.

[Taba]

I took 4 days, during my thru-hike of the Mountains to Sea Trail this year, to go from US-70 by the Folk Art Center over Mt. Mitchell to NC-80 at Buck Creek Gap. It was 48 miles on the MST. Going eastbound I climbed for 3 days then had a 1 day downhill. There were a lot of blowdowns on the trail around there. Some of them were challenging. The water sources are plentiful and the campsites with fire pits just past Balsam Gap become more frequent. There are several great view points on the way up. In comparison to Clingman's Dome, I would say the effort is about the same with a similiar summit. Mt. Mitchell's Summit is still a work in progress while they try to figure out how to get concrete to the top of the mountain to build a look out point. So the summit might be closed for a little longer. Should you climb it? Yes, when you can. Why not it's the highest mountain in the east!