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The views from atop Round Bald (5,826 ft.) and the Roan High Knob Overlook (6,286 ft.) are spectacular at any time of year. As is the case when you travel to these elevations, there is always a chance of overcast, rain, and cool temperatures. The key to enjoying these conditions is to be prepared, with rain gear and sun screen (both of which you may need in any given hour), and the mindset to enjoy whatever nature deals you on that particular date. On clear sunny days you can see across valleys and mountain ranges in the distance and watch the shadows cast by clouds racing across the landscape. When the weather closes in, I have found that standing on the overlook platform watching waves of fog and mist blowing towards me to be every bit as beautiful, and perhaps even a bit more awe-inspiring than a sunny view across the valley.

Roan Mountain also features one of nature’s mysteries – the Mountain Balds. Balds are treeless areas which usually occur between 4,650 and 6,100 feet, below the tree line. We are still not certain why trees don’t tend to grow well in these areas, but test stands planted on the balds have not done well compared to those growing all around them. Two theories currently under consideration by scientists are that the soils were disturbed during the Wisconsin glaciation of 10,000 years ago, and that Native Americans either farmed or grazed these areas. An old folk tale provides my favorite explanation for the existence of the balds. The Devil got drunk and went stumbling through the mountains one dark, moonless night. The balds are nothing more than his footprints where nothing wants to grow!

The balds on Roan Mountain are classified as Heath Balds. These feature Catawba Rhododendron and Flame Azaleas by the acre. This sight is so spectacular that the nearby town of Bakersville hosts an annual Rhododendron Festival to celebrate. This year’s festival is on June 20 and 21. The Rhododendron in bloom is something everyone should see.

At these elevations you are in a Spruce – Fir forest community, much more common in southern Canada than the southern Appalachians. Canada Mayflowers, Frasier Fir, Eastern Hemlock, and Red Spruce are among the species found here which are normally associated with the Taiga, or boreal forest, of Canada. These northern species managed to move south ahead of the glaciers during the last ice age and have adapted to the higher elevations here in the south. The Three Toothed Cinquefoil and Gray’s Lily are found in only a few other sites in the world, and another species, Robbin’s Ragwort, is found only on Roan Mountain. Other high elevation species found here are American Mountain Ash, Mountain Alder, Hawthorns, and Elderberry. One of these, the American Mountain Ash, has a beautiful red berry which is evident in the autumn. There are so many of these on Roan that some stories indicate their color, similar to that of a roan horse, led to the mountains name.

The unique and beautiful region has appealed to tourists since just after the Civil War. In the mid 1800s, noted botanist Asa Gray cited the area for its "diversity and beauty." Later, in 1877 retired Union Army General John T. Wilder built a 20 room log lodge, at an elevation of 6,150 feet. It was replaced in 1885 by the Cloudland Hotel, which had 166 rooms for guests. Located near the present day Rhododendron Gardens, The hotel was abandoned in 1910. Traveling to the site was extremely difficult in those days, and due to the weather at this elevation, the hotel could be open only three months each year.

During the early part of the century, the hotel straddled the North Carolina - Tennessee border. The ballroom was in Tennessee which was dry, and the bar was in North Carolina. So you could dance in Tennessee, but had to go to North Carolina for a drink.

So whenever you visit this area, be sure to allow a day to experience what is truly a jewel in the sky, Roan Mountain.

This article was originally published in the Friends of the WNC Nature Center newsletter, Vol. XXIII, No. 6, June - July 2002 and was adapted for publication in WNC Travel Host magazine, June/July 2003