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Mt. Mitchell is the most prominent peak in the Black Mountains, and the spruce and fir, covering the mountain range, can be seen for miles around. Mountain Mitchell State Park is usually (weather permitting) open 8:00-6:00 pm year round. |
The weather was slightly breezy, no fog, sunny with scattered clouds. This highpoint has no plaque or a logbook, only a wood sign. The summit is .2 miles from the parking lot, along a nicely managed and groomed trail. The mountain is located in Mount Mitchell State Park, established in 1915. The naming of the mountain was with some controversy. Thomas Clingman and Elisha Mitchell had long fought about which of the two men had been the first to accurately measure the mountain. In 1857 Mitchell set out to verify his measurements but fell to his death at a spot now known as Mitchell Falls. Clingman and his supporters agreed that the mountain should be named after Mitchell. There is an unmanned museum on the trail, .1 miles from the parking lot, which tells this story. | 
The highest mountain east of the Mississippi River, Mount Mitchell, was named in honor of Clergyman and professor, Dr. Elisha Mitchell (1793-1857).
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Mount Mitchell is located approximately 30 miles NE of Asheville in the Mount Mitchell State Park area of Pisgah National Forest. |
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