Mount Mitchell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Mitchell
Mount Mitchell, viewed from the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
Highest point
Elevation	6,684 ft (2,037 m)
Prominence	6,089 ft (1,856 m)
Isolation	1,189 miles (1,914 km)
Listing	World most isolated peaks 31st North America isolated peaks 4th US most prominent peaks 62nd U.S. state high points 16th Ultra
Geography
Mount Mitchell Location in North Carolina Show map of North Carolina Mount Mitchell Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Yancey County, North Carolina, U.S.
Parent range	Appalachian Mountains
Topo map	USGS Mount Mitchell
Climbing
Easiest route	Hike

Mount Mitchell is the tallest mountain in the eastern United States. It is part of the Appalachian Mountains and is located in North Carolina. The Cherokee people, who lived here for a long time, called the mountain Attakulla.

Mount Mitchell is near the town of Burnsville in Yancey County. It is about 19 miles (31 km) northeast of Asheville. The mountain is protected as Mount Mitchell State Park and is surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest. Mount Mitchell stands 6,684 feet (2,037 m) above sea level.

Exploring Mount Mitchell's Geography

This marker on the observation tower shows the mountain's height.

Beautiful fall colors at Mount Mitchell.

Mount Mitchell is the highest mountain in the United States east of the Mississippi River. It is also the highest in all of eastern North America, south of the Arctic. The closest mountains that are taller are far away in South Dakota and Colorado.

The mountain's height makes it very special. It is 1,189 miles (1,914 km) away from the nearest higher point, which is called Lone Butte in Colorado.

The Fascinating History of Mount Mitchell

Mount Mitchell was once the highest mountain in the United States. This changed in 1845 when Texas joined the country. After that, Guadalupe Peak in Texas became the highest point.

How Mount Mitchell Got Its Name

The Cherokee people were the first to live in this area. They called the mountain Attakulla. Later, European settlers called it Black Dome because of its round shape.

The mountain was renamed after Elisha Mitchell. He was a professor at the University of North Carolina. In 1835, he explored the Black Mountain area. He found that these mountains were taller than Mount Washington in New Hampshire. At that time, Mount Washington was thought to be the highest point in the eastern U.S.

Professor Mitchell returned in 1857 to check his measurements. Sadly, he fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls. The mountain was then named in his honor.

Visiting the Summit of Mount Mitchell

Today, you can reach the summit of Mount Mitchell by car. A 4.6-mile (7.4 km) road (NC 128) connects the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to a parking lot. From there, a paved trail leads 980-foot (300 m) through a forest to the top.

A new observation deck was built on the summit. It opened in January 2009. This deck replaced an older stone tower that was taken down in 2006.

Understanding Mount Mitchell's Environment

Mount Mitchell was formed a very long time ago. Sea deposits changed into hard rocks like gneiss and schist. These rocks were later pushed up to form the mountain. The soil on the mountain is dark brown and stony.

Plants and Trees of Mount Mitchell

The top of Mount Mitchell has a special type of forest. It is called a Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest. This forest mainly has two kinds of evergreen trees: the red spruce and the Fraser fir.

Sadly, many of the older Fraser fir trees have died. This was caused by a tiny insect called the Balsam woolly adelgid. This insect is not native to the area.

The high elevation also means plants face a lot of pollution. This includes acid precipitation from rain, snow, and fog. These acids can harm the red spruce trees. They can release natural metals from the soil, like aluminum, and wash away important minerals. Scientists are still studying how much this pollution affects the mountain's ecosystem.

Even though many fir trees have died, the mountain is still green in summer. Young fir and spruce trees grow well in the cool climate. Their cones provide food for birds. Wild blueberry and blackberry bushes also grow here.

Just about a mile north of Mount Mitchell is Mount Craig. It is the second highest point in eastern North America, at 6,647 feet (2,026 m).

Mount Mitchell's Climate and Weather

The top of Mount Mitchell has a cool climate. Summers are mild, and winters are long and cold. It feels more like southeastern Canada than the southern U.S. The average temperature in January is 25.1 °F (−3.8 °C). In July, it's 59.6 °F (15.3 °C).

The coldest temperature ever recorded in North Carolina happened here. On January 21, 1985, it dropped to −34 °F (−36.7 °C). Mount Mitchell is also the coldest place in the state on average, with a yearly average of 42.9 °F (6.1 °C).

Heavy snow often falls from December to March. In the Great Blizzard of 1993, 50 inches (1.27 m) of snow fell. In the January 2016 blizzard, 33 inches (0.84 m) fell. The mountain gets a lot of rain and snow all year, averaging 81.09 inches (2,060 mm) per year. No month gets less than 5 in (127 mm) of precipitation.

The summit can be very windy. Wind gusts of up to 178 mph (286 km/h) have been recorded. In 2018, Mount Mitchell set a new state record for rainfall. It received 139.94 inches (3,554.5 mm) of precipitation. This was also the most rainfall recorded in a calendar year anywhere east of the Cascade Range in the Contiguous United States.

See also

In Spanish: Monte Mitchell para niños