NC High Peaks Trail Assn and Friends of Mt Mitchell State Park

Jennifer Pharr Davis to be First Completer of the Appalachian High Route Sunday, May 8 at the Burnsville Town Square at 2:30pm. Come Cheer Her On!!

May 6, 2022 BURNSVILLE, NC – One rainy day in downtown Burnsville, Jake Blood and Jennifer Pharr Davis sat on the porch of the Nu Wray Hotel talking about hiking, trails in Yancey County, and dreaming about something bigger.

Jake, a Yancey County resident, is the chair of the Burnsville-Yancey Chamber Travel and Tourism Committee and Co-Founder of NC High Peaks Trail Association.

Celebrate the return of our migrant birds with High Peaks Birders!

The public is invited to observe migrating birds moving through and feeding in the forest edge at Ridge Junction Turnout (Milepost 355.3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway) on Friday, May 13. Each spring, millions of birds sweep north through the Appalachian forests from their wintering areas in Central and South America enroute to their northern breeding areas.

Join the NC High Peaks Trail Association on Thursday, May 12 for a fun and educational trip to the Ray Mine, an outing that will be led by retired Geology Professor Bill Miller. The mica mine was operated on-and-off from 1867 until the 1940s.

The N.C. High Peaks Trail Association will lead hikers into the historic abandoned community of Lost Cove on Friday, May 6. Settled during or shortly after the Civil War, Lost Cove is nestled above the Nolichucky River, and can only be reached on foot.

Join the NC High Peaks Trail Association on Thursday, April 28 for a pleasant hike at Lake James near Marion.  The hike will feature visits to three historic cemeteries in the park.

Experienced hikers in top condition are invited to join the NC High Peaks Trail Association on Friday, April 1 for a strenuous hike on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.

Spend your summer surrounded by stunning views amid cool temperatures high atop the tallest mountain in the Eastern U.S. by hiring on as a summer seasonal worker for Mt. Mitchell State Park.

Join the NC High Peaks Trail Association for a fun hike to scenic Crabtree Falls on Friday, March 11.

The four-mile jaunt will start on at Victor Fields and includes a 1,000-foot climb that is very steep in places. Trail footing is very rough and rocky in other places, so this hike is not for those in poor condition or who are unsteady on their feet.