Cold Mountain (North Carolina)
| Cold Mountain | |
|---|---|
Cold Mountain as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,030 ft (1,840 m) |
| Prominence | 990 ft (300 m) |
| Coordinates | 35°24′34″N 82°51′22″W / 35.40944°N 82.85611°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Haywood County, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Parent range | Great Balsam Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Cruso |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Cold Mountain falls in the mountain region of western North Carolina, United States. The mountain is one of the Great Balsam Mountains which are a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains within the Appalachian Mountains.
Cold mountain is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Waynesville and 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Asheville. It rises to 6,030 feet (1,840 m) above sea level and is the 40th tallest mountain in the eastern United States. The peak is accessible only via an extremely strenuous branch of the Art Loeb Trail with a 10.6 miles (17.1 km) round trip and an elevation change of 2,800 feet (850 m).
The vast majority of Cold Mountain falls within federal lands of the Shining Rock Wilderness of the Pisgah National Forest. However. portions of the mountain, including approximately 800 acres (324 ha) of northwestern Cold Mountain in Panther Branch, are privately owned. There are about 15 residences on the northwest side of mountain and maintenance of access roads is funded by property owners.
In 2016 the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy purchased the 162 acres (66 ha) Dix Creek tract from private owners. The land was transferred to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in late October 2016 and will increase the adjoining Cold Mountain Game Lands to 3,500 acres (1,416 ha) in 2017.
Cold Mountain and the Shining Rock Wilderness are part of Pisgah National Forest. Much of the Forest was originally owned by George Washington Vanderbilt II, builder of the Biltmore Estate. After his death, his widow sold the land that included the mountain to the United States Forest Service at $5 an acre to help create the Pisgah National Forest as the first National Forest in the eastern United States.
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Wikipedia