Roan Mountain State Park

Infobox park
park=Roan Mountain State Park


image size=275px
caption=A peak near Roan Mountain as seen from the Appalachian Trail
type=Tennessee State Park
location
coordinates=
size=2,006 acres
opened=
operator=Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
annual visitors=
status=

Roan Mountain State Park is located in Northeast Tennessee along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Situated in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains, this Tennessee state park preserves woodlands near 6,285 foot (1,915 m) Roan Mountain. The park contains a total of 2,006 acres (812 ha) in the surrounding area and a variety of landscapes including hardwood forests and grassy balds.

Roan Mountain State Park hosts a variety of outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, camping, cross-country skiing (during snowy, winter months), fishing, and a heated swimming pool that is open from Memorial Day to mid-August. At an elevation of 2,972 feet (906 m), the outdoor swimming pool is at the highest elevation of any swimming pool within the Tennessee state system. The park also hosts a portion of the Appalachian Trail. Other attractions include the Millers homestead, Carver's Gap, and the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival held in the park annually during the peak of the alpine catawba rhododendron bloom in late June.

Roan Mountain State Park features camping areas for the tent, trailer, and RV visitors in addition to the rental park cabins that are available with reservations. The park also features a modern meeting facility with generous amenities that is also available for rent by reservation to individuals or groups.

Carver's Gap

Carver's Gap is an area along the Roan Mountain ridgeline that offers excellent views of the surrounding peaks because of the expansive grassy balds dominating the landscape. Fog is often a limiting factor in the aptly-named Great Smoky Mountains. The fog, combined with increasing air pollution, can reduce visibility, especially in the mornings. On a clear day however, the area is known as one of the most beautiful sections of the Appalachian Trail.

ee also

*Battle of Kings Mountain
*Blue Ridge Mountains
*Carter County, Tennessee
*Doe River
*Elizabethton, Tennessee
*Fort Watauga
*Kings Mountain National Military Park
*Overmountain Men
*Roan Mountain (Roan Highlands)
*Roan Mountain, Tennessee
*James Robertson (early American)
*John Sevier
*Issac Shelby
*Sycamore Shoals

References

* [http://tennessee.gov/environment/parks/RoanMtn/ Tennessee State Parks - Roan Mountain State Park]

External links

* [http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:3qA0gIfpyeoJ:www.ajc.com/travel/content/shared/travel/destinations/tennessee/southeastmountains09162001.html+%22Roan+Mountain%22+%22Overmountain+Victory%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=6 "In the footsteps of the heroic Overmountain Men." Ren Davis. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cache as retrieved on July 4, 2005.]