North Carolina High Peaks Trail Association & Friends of Mount Mitchell State Park

Pensacola resident and High Peaks founder John Whitehouse was recently honored with the Carolina Mountain Club’s Distinguished Service Award for his tireless commitment to maintaining and improving the area’s hiking trails.

“Few have done as much for our trails,” said longtime CMC member Rocko Smucker, who nominated Whitehouse for the award and made the presentation at the Asheville-based club’s annual dinner. “John is an outstanding leader and mentor. He gets people involved because he’s such a pleasure to be around.”

Join High Peaks in celebrating North Carolina’s “Great Trails State Day” on Saturday, Oct. 21 by hiking an Appalachian Trail section that offers tremendous views of fall foliage from a rocky promontory near the NC/TN state line.

Join High Peaks for a high-altitude hike in Madison County on Friday, Oct. 13 when the club tackles a section of the Appalachian Trail that crosses a spectacular high ridge known as Firescald. Hikers should be treated to a full display of fall colors and stunning long-range views in all directions.

NC High Peaks Trail Association will have its Annual Meeting on September 30 at the Mount Mitchell State Park Restaurant Lounge.  The meeting will start at 10 am.  All members and the public are invited.   Our guest speaker will be Kevin Cox who will talk about the history of Mount Mitchell and show some of his large collection of photos and artifacts he has collected over the years.  There will be a short social afterwards.

Join High Peaks for a special treat on Friday, September 22 when the club takes a leisurely stroll to spectacular Linville Falls, followed by lunch and a tasting at the Linville Falls Winery. 

The adventure will include a stop at Chestoa View overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 320.8, which offers tremendous views of Table Rock. 

All are invited to join the High Peaks Birders for a birding stroll at Ridge Junction on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Wednesday, September 20th at 7:30 a.m.  The outing is open to anyone interested in learning about birds and especially bird migration.

Ridge Junction is a well-known birding hotspot, especially for fall migrants.  The configuration of the mountain ridges serves to funnel migrating birds, especially early in the morning after a night of flight.

Early in August members should have received an e-mail from the Nominating Committee soliciting names of potential candidates for the NCHPTA Board of Directors. Nominations are now closed. We have five seats open on the Board, and five names to be placed in nomination.

Fit, experienced hikers are invited to join the NC High Peaks Trail Association for a very strenuous hike over scenic Roan Mountain on Friday, Sept. 1.

The 5-mile jaunt will include an elevation change of 1,500 feet over very steep terrain and is not for novices. The outing will follow the Appalachian Trail between Hughes and Carver’s Gaps and will include a visit to the Roan summit and the site where the Cloudland Hotel once stood 100 years ago.

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Join the NC High Peaks Trail Association for a moderate, 3-mile hike along the spine of the Black Mountains from Mt. Mitchell to Big Tom and return on Friday, Aug. 25.

The hike will offer stunning views and perhaps some hints of early fall from the tallest mountain chain in the Eastern U.S. Although rated as moderate because there is little elevation change, the trail is rugged, with a long, stone staircase and several scrambles over steep rock faces that can be very slick when wet.