Great Balsam Mountains

The Great Balsam Mountains, or Balsam Mountains, are in the mountain region of western North Carolina, United States.[1][2] The Great Balsams are a subrange of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which in turn are a part of the Appalachian Mountains. The most famous peak in the Great Balsam range is Cold Mountain, which is the centerpiece of author Charles Frazier's bestselling novel Cold Mountain.

Great Balsam Mountains
Great Balsam Mountains as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway
Highest point
PeakRichland Balsam
Elevation6,410 ft (1,950 m)
Coordinates35°22′N 82°59′W
Dimensions
Length21 mi (34 km)
Width18 mi (29 km)
Geography
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
Parent rangeAppalachian Mountains
Geology
Type of rockgneiss

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs along its length and at Richland Balsam (milepost 431), the Parkway is at its highest point (6053 feet).

Peaks
Reinhart Knob

("Mountain heights". Peakbagger.com.)

Other landmarks

Flora

The area consists of a transition forest between the southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest (which resembles forest types found at northern latitudes) and the mixed deciduous forests of temperate America.[4]

Trees

The following trees are at higher elevations:

  • Fraser fir[5] ("balsams" or "She balsams"). Forests of these trees appear black from a distance; however, these trees are declining due to the balsam woolly adelgid.[6]
  • Red spruce[7] ("He balsams"). The red spruce is distinguished from the Fraser fir by having bark whose rosin cannot be milked (hence, "He balsams") and by having hanging cones.

Shrubs

See also

Sources
  1. "Great Balsam Mountains". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "Great Balsam Mountains". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
  3. "Judaculla". Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  4. Sutton, Myron; Sutton, Ann (1985). Eastern forests (Audubon Society Nature Guides). New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-73126-3. p43
  5. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Abies fraseri (Fraser fir)". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  6. Frankenberg, Dirk (2000). Exploring North Carolina's Natural Areas: Parks, Nature Preserves, and Hiking Trails. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-4851-4. p343
  7. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Picea rubens (red spruce)". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  8. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rhododendron calendulaceum (flame azalea)". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
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