- This event has passed.
Fall Hiking Series: Mount Mitchell State Park – CANCELLED
September 30, 2022 @ 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Where: Mount Mitchell State Park
Meet: Ironwood Square, Conserving Carolina’s office, 847 Case Street, Hendersonville, NC, at 8:30 a.m.
6 miles, moderate; trail type – loop
Approximately 1 hour and 30 minute drive
Leaving out from the Mount Mitchell Park Office/Information Center, hikers will traverse the Old Mitchell Trail to the peak of Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi River at 6,684′ in elevation. The mountain was named for Elisha Mitchell, a science professor at the University of North Carolina in 1835; he was able to measure the height of the mountain within 12′ of todays measurements! After taking in the view from the observation deck on Mount Mitchell, the group will continue the hike on the Mount Mitchell Trail, then connect with the Commissary Trail back to the starting point.
First described by Andre Michaux and Elisha Mitchell in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Mount Mitchell is home to some of the most distinctive and diverse in the Southern Appalachians natural communities in the state. The high elevation supports species usually associated with areas far to our north, such as the spruce-fir forests, containing red spruce, fire cherry, yellow birch, mountain ash, and mountain maple fill gaps once filled by Fraser Fir (Fraser Fir were decimated by the arrival of the balsam woolly adelgid in the 1950s, an insect pest native to central Europe). This forest type supports an array of birds more characteristic of New England and Canada—including nesting Winter Wren, Red Crossbill, and Golden-crowned Kinglet. The Park is also home to a diversity of wildlife.
Pre-registration is mandatory, and space is limited to 20 participants. RSVP below.
If the hike is full and you’d like to be added to a waiting list, please email Pam Torlina (email address below).
Contact Pam@conservingcarolina.org with additional questions.
Conserving Carolina is sponsoring a Friday hiking series this fall, free, guided, and open to the public. The hikes will meet at various locations (noted for each date) and will leave promptly at 8:45 a.m. Hikers should plan to return to the area in the late afternoon, time varying with group size, distance of hike, and drive time. Car-pooling will be organized at the meeting locations. If you’re coming from an area closer to the trailhead, please contact Pam Torlina (email above and number below) to make other meeting arrangements.
Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear. Bring a bag lunch and/or snack and plenty of water for yourself.
In case of inclement weather, please contact Pam Torlina by email at: pam@conservingcarolina by 8:00 on the day of the hike and/or check the Conserving Carolina website ‘calendar’ and/or Facebook page to see if the hike will take place. Please also remember to bring any medication that you may need in the event of an emergency (ie: epinephrine, nitroglycerine, insulin, etc.). Hike leaders will carry a first aid kit; however, it may not contain specific medication for your individual needs.
Before each hike, you will be asked to sign a waiver form. For your safety, do not attempt any hike beyond your ability and experience. This schedule is subject to change.