In 1835, Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a science professor at the University of North Carolina, made an excursion to the area to measure the mountain elevations. At the time, Grandfather Mountain was assumed to be the highest point in the region, but previous trips to the area had persuaded Mitchell that the Black Mountains were higher.
Through the use of barometric pressure readings and mathematical formulas, Mitchell figured the highest elevation of the range to be 6,476 feet, higher than that of Grandfather Mountain. Subsequent visits to the Black Mountains in 1838 and 1844 led Dr. Mitchell to calculate the height of the peak at 6,672 feet — amazingly, only a mere 12 feet in error of modern calculations
In 1857, Dr. Mitchell returned to the Black Mountains to verify his measurements. While hiking across the mountain, he fell from a cliff above a 40-foot waterfall. Knocked unconscious by the fall, Dr. Mitchell drowned in the water below. In honor of his work, the highest peak in the Black Mountain range was given his name in 1858. Though originally buried in Asheville, Mitchell's body was reburied atop Mount Mitchell a year later
You may park in the Exhibit Hall parking lot, and hike the paved trail for 280 yards to the summit. The trail is a moderate slope, suitable for children and the handicapped.
The hall is open 10:00 to 6:00, and contains lots of very interesting information on the mountain’s natural, cultural, and historical faces. Particularly interesting is the weather station.
Park hours are November-February 8-6, March and October 8-7, April and September 8-8, and May-August 8-9. The park is closed on Christmas Day.
During the winter months, call the park office (828-675-4611) to see which roads are open. Mt. Mitchell averages 100+ inches of snow each winter.
Bring a jacket since it's often 10-30 degrees cooler than Asheville. 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. Unlike the lower elevations around Asheville, heavy snows often fall from December to March, with 50 inches accumulating in the Blizzard of 1993
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 178 MPH
For more information, refer to this web-site, http://www.romanticasheville.com/mtmitchell.htm
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To log your find
- At the junction of the Blue Ridge Parkway and NC 128, take an elevation reading with your GPSr. At the benchmark on the summit, take another reading. What is the change in elevation?
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From information in the display in the Exhibit Hall, list 2 types of rock of which Mount Mitchell is composed.
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Post a picture of yourself with your GPSr any place in the area of the summit. (Optional)