#grassy ridge

[travelbinge]

Moody blues by Jason Frye

Grassy Ridge Bald, Roan Highlands, Pisgah National Forest, Avery, North Carolina, USA 

[alluneedissunshine]

Grandfather Mountain...from Grassy Ridge, Roan Mountain North Carolina by Jason Frye

[monmorgandy]

Grassy Ridge At Peak by Michael Kight Via Flickr: Having posted the cloudy version of Grassy Ridge two posts back (titled "Rhododendron Hells"), it occurred to me I had never posted this image from 5 years ago. The original is a composite image of 9 vertical shots that is 72”x24”, though with detail that could make it larger if necessary… I’ve pared it down using the same aspect ratio to 60”x20” that drops the printing costs of an exhibition metal float print somewhat exponentially. Grassy Ridge Bald is the longest stretch of grassy bald in the Roan Highlands area of the Appalachian Mountains. You will never see this roadside… seeing it requires a hike starting from Carver’s Gap, located on State Route TN-143 and NC-261, which connects the towns of Roan Mountain, Tennessee, and Bakersville, North Carolina... you park on the state line! The Appalachian Trail winds its way through Roan Mountain State Park… it is along this trail that you begin to work your way up until it intersects a spur trail at the boundary of Grassy Ridge Bald nearly 2 miles from Carver’s Gap Roan Mountain has five sub-peaks that comprise the Highlands and is divided into two sections by Carvers Gap. To the west of Carvers Gap are Roan High Bluff and Roan High Knob that are easily accessed by road as well as trail… the world-famous Roan Rhododendron Gardens that are handicap-accessible. That’s a wonderful option for those who have a hard time getting around… but it’s hard to beat the view from Grassy Ridge. East of Carvers Gap, accessible only by hiking, is the area of Roan Mountain known as Grassy Ridge, which includes three peaks: Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge Bald. At an elevation of 6,189 feet (1886 meters), Grassy Ridge Bald is one of the highest grassy balds in the Appalachian Mountains. There’s a lot to see on the trail to this point and you get many different perspectives along the way… the hike takes a little over 5 miles straight up and back, with a total elevation gain of 1,150 feet (350 meters). My hikes there are never less than 8 miles round trip and often more as I move around for those perspectives to put in front of the lens… but this place is the jewel at the end of the trail. To get this image required scrambling up the huge rock you see in the foreground to get above it all. While this would make a wonderful print, I've not caught the quintessential shot I've had in mind of this place just yet... it's been too windy, or too cloudy/foggy, or the light's just not right, or I'm too early or too late for peak conditions... or worse, any combination of these conditions. I guess I'm just going to have to keep making my way up there until I get it. I'm just kidding myself... even if I did get what I think I want, I still would never be satisfied. Would you?

[netbros]

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] T [/dropcap]here was a snowstorm over Roan Mountain the last Friday in February, 2020. Seeing Roan Highlands covered in a blanket of snow is always a highlight of WNC winter. So on Sunday, March 1st I set out for this glorious destination high above the little town of Bakersville. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do in winter. This makes three in a row now.

As usual I was not disappointed. To be honest, it couldn’t have worked out better. The road crews had done a fabulous job of clearing all the back country mountain roads between Burnsville and Carver’s Gap, so the driving part was a snap. It was a bright sunny day, with but wispy clouds on an azure sky, and views that seemed like 50 miles, or more. The only downer were the dozens of jet contrails polluting the sky.

There were only a handful of cars at Carver’s Gap when I arrived, so there were a few intrepid others who had the same idea. It was definitely cold. The air temp was 22° when I stepped out of my Subaru. The wind seemed calm, but that was to change on the summit of Round Bald.

Preparation is one of my hallmarks though, so I had heavy wool socks and snow boots, fleece-lined softshell pants, plenty of layers for my core and a down filled vest with a hood, plus a balaclava and gloves. Sunglasses finished off the ensemble. I probably looked a bit like the Michelin man, but I was ready.

Once out in the snow and on the Appalachian Trail, I could tell that I was first out on this morning. The other cars must have been for overnight campers. Brr! The lower trail was barely packed down by boot steps probably from Saturday hikers. Once I cleared the spruce forest, the wind had filled in any previous footsteps, so it required a bit of post-holing. The higher and more exposed I got, the windier it became. The south side of Round Bald was 4-6 inches deep. Most of it I was breaking trail. To say it was slow going would be an understatement.

The summit of Round Bald was a downright gale. Boy was I glad I had all that cold weather gear on. The snow-covered mountains that surround in every direction were astounding. Perhaps the most beautiful view was of the Hump Mountains off to the northeast. Once on the north side of Round Bald, the snow depth was a foot. The wind was obviously blowing snow from the summit mostly to the north.

I didn’t stay long, and only went as far as Engine Gap, but the two hours I was there was worth every stinging ice crystal slamming into my face. Two other solo hikers passed me on the downside. Climbing back up to the summit of Round Bald was really slow going because of the foot deep snow.

Enjoy the photo gallery below of my adventure to Roan Highlands in the snow. If you are interested in going to Roan Highlands yourself, check out my trail report that includes directions, maps, and many more seasonal photos. Thanks for visiting!

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Snow drift

Entering the spruce forest

Winter evergreens

A new day

Climbing the forest

Well camouflaged

Quite the view

The Black Mountains

Roan High Knob

Moguls

Breaking trail

Swirly contrails

Round Bald summit

Black Mountains from Round Bald

West from Round Bald

Hump Mountains

Toward Linville Gorge

Jane Bald and Grassy Ridge

Appalachian Trail marker

Black Mountains from Engine Gap

From north side of Round Bald

Looking east from Engine Gap

Engine Gap and Jane Bald

Lone hiker

Ridges

Hiker on Jane Bald summit

Winter foliage

Back on the Round Bald summit

Contrails tic-tac-toe

Through the trees

Heading back

Spruce bough

At the trailhead

  [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’] http://internetbrothers.org/images/author.jpg [/author_image] This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace. [/author]

  Snowy Balds at Roan Highlands - A Photo Essay T here was a snowstorm over Roan Mountain the last Friday in February, 2020. Seeing Roan Highlands covered in a blanket of snow is always a highlight of WNC winter.

[alluneedissunshine]

Searching... Roan Mountain Sunset, Grassy Ridge Bald, North Carolina by Jason Frye

[mariocacciottim-blog]

Keeping warm... Grassy Ridge, North Carolina da Jason Frye Tramite Flickr: Alistair and I found the best little spot on the side of the mountain to setup a fire for the evening on Grassy Ridge during our camping adventure last September. Of course, as you can see, I murdered the hyperfocal, leaving us out of focus :) I was remotely triggering my camera...and had set focus to infinity and didn't have the camera back quite far enough...live and learn. I was too tired to try and get another shot later and the fire was ridiculously hard to keep going. The 24mm Bower (at f2) wasn't quite wide enough either to catch any of the milky way that was just to the right in the shot. So, not the best shot, but it sure was fun and a nice memory.

[greasycoat]

Fungal blooms & Fruiting bodies.

[thebristol]

Grassy Ridge with purple flowers in North Carolina