Gardens in the sky
Che Roan Mountains share a bountiful summer yield for hiker — and goat
by Danny Bernstien

The Roan Mountains provide some of the most beautiful vistas and abundant wildflowers in all the Southern Appalachians

This ridge on the North Carolina/Tennessee border rises above 6,000 feet and offers spectacular views of Grandfather Mountain, Table Mountain, and Hawksbill to the east as well as Mt. Mitchell to the southwest. The Appalachian Trail crosses Carvers Gap and in 2.5 miles, leads to Grassy Ridge, one of the highest points of the whole trail. Hikers remember the Roans as one of the most scenic of their whole A.T. experience

No matter how hot it is at the foot of the mountain, a breeze keeps hikers cool in the Roans

Northern trees, such as fir and spruce, cover a small pocket of the mountains, but most of the Roans are open and bald—a misnomer because balds are not bare soil. They maintain shrubs and grasses instead being filled with trees

The Roans are very hospitable to a range of outdoor enthusiasts from A.T. thru-hikers to day hikers, and photographers to picnickers. Michaux’s Saxifrage, cow parsnip, bluets, strawberry plants, and cinquefoil abound, but it’s the rare Gray’s lily that attracts visitors. Asa Gray, the 19th century botanist, called the Roans “the most beautiful mountains east of the Rockies.” In these mountains, Gray first found the lily, which was eventually named after him. Gray’s lilies have small, funnel-shaped flowers that dangle downward

These flowers, crimson outside and orange-red inside with reddish-purple spots, are held on slender stems with whorled leaves. Many visitors time their trek for mid to late June when they hope to see the lily in bloom. With luck, Catawba rhododendrons and flame azaleas will also flower at the same time

August brings mounds of blueberries too

Carvers Gap is also the entrance to the Rhododendron Gardens filled with Catawba (purple) rhododendrons. No one planted the rhododendron bushes and only nature prunes them. To protect these outstanding bushes from being carried off by vandals, the gardens were declared part of Pisgah National Forest in 1941. Now thousands of visitors come to see the blooms in late June. The gardens have a network of paved, wheelchair accessible trails with picnic tables, and barbecue stands. One may feel like a hobbit as her or she walks under towering dark spruce and fir trees and tunnels of twisted rhododendron branches

This year, the U.S. Forest Service will rehabilitate the roads, trails, and restrooms. The gardens will only be open from June 6 to July 7, allowing visitors to witness the fantastic blooms at their peak. The Appalachian Trail on either side of Carvers Gap will not be affected

In 1974, Stan Murray of eastern Tennessee founded the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy for the purpose of saving the Roans. “Second home development just started to sprout up when Murray had the idea of a land conservancy,” said Cheryl Fowler, operations director for the conservancy

Murray, who went on to become president of Appalachian Trail Conservancy, is now remembered with a plaque and shelter on the mountain. The conservancy purchased land from individThe Roan Mountains provide some of the most beautiful vistas and abundant wildflowers in all the Southern Appalachians

This ridge on the North Carolina/Tennessee border rises above 6,000 feet and offers spectacular views of Grandfather Mountain, Table Mountain, and Hawksbill to the east as well as Mt. Mitchell to the southwest. The Appalachian Trail crosses Carvers Gap and in 2.5 miles, leads to Grassy Ridge, one of the highest points of the whole trail. Hikers remember the Roans as one of the most scenic of their whole A.T. experience

No matter how hot it is at the foot of the mountain, a breeze keeps hikers cool in the Roans

Northern trees, such as fir and spruce, cover a small pocket of the mountains, but most of the Roans are open and bald—a misnomer because balds are not bare soil. They maintain shrubs and grasses instead being filled with trees

The Roans are very hospitable to a range of outdoor enthusiasts from A.T. thru-hikers to day hikers, and photographers to picnickers. Michaux’s Saxifrage, cow parsnip, bluets, strawberry plants, and cinquefoil abound, but it’s the rare Gray’s lily that attracts visitors. Asa Gray, the 19th century botanist, called the Roans “the most beautiful mountains east of the Rockies.” In these mountains, Gray first found the lily, which was eventually named after him. Gray’s lilies have small, funnel-shaped flowers that dangle downward

These flowers, crimson outside and orange-red inside with reddish-purple spots, are held on slender stems with whorled leaves. Many visitors time their trek for mid to late June when they hope to see the lily in bloom. With luck, Catawba rhododendrons and flame azaleas will also flower at the same time

August brings mounds of blueberries too

Carvers Gap is also the entrance to the Rhododendron Gardens filled with Catawba (purple) rhododendrons. No one planted the rhododendron bushes and only nature prunes them. To protect these outstanding bushes from being carried off by vandals, the gardens were declared part of Pisgah National Forest in 1941. Now thousands of visitors come to see the blooms in late June. The gardens have a network of paved, wheelchair accessible trails with picnic tables, and barbecue stands. One may feel like a hobbit as her or she walks under towering dark spruce and fir trees and tunnels of twisted rhododendron branches

This year, the U.S. Forest Service will rehabilitate the roads, trails, and restrooms. The gardens will only be open from June 6 to July 7, allowing visitors to witness the fantastic blooms at their peak. The Appalachian Trail on either side of Carvers Gap will not be affected

In 1974, Stan Murray of eastern Tennessee founded the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy for the purpose of saving the Roans. “Second home development just started to sprout up when Murray had the idea of a land conservancy,” said Cheryl Fowler, operations director for the conservancy

Murray, who went on to become president of Appalachian Trail Conservancy, is now remembered with a plaque and shelter on the mountain. The conservancy purchased land from individ