Black Balsam Knob,[2] also known as Black Balsam Bald, is in the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville, North Carolina, near milepost 420 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is the second highest mountain[3] in the Great Balsam Mountains. The Great Balsams are within the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are part of the Appalachian Mountains. It is the 23rd highest of the 40 mountains in North Carolina over 6000 feet.[4]
The top of the mountain is a grassy bald that affords a panoramic view. The origin of grassy balds in southern Haywood county is a result of extensive clear-cut logging and locomotive fires in 1925 and 1942.[5] These fires burned deep down into the mineral-rich topsoil slowing reforestation or stopping it altogether.[citation needed] Examples of this can also be found on many of its neighboring peaks and ridges. These features contribute to the area's popularity, but foot traffic also causes some ecological damage to the ecosystem. The Art Loeb Trail follows the grassy ridge of Black Balsam Knob.
Visible peaks from Black Balsam Knob include:
Shining Rock in the Shining Rock Wilderness (3 miles northeast)
Looking Glass Rock (5 miles southeast)
Cold Mountain (6 miles north)
Mount Pisgah (9.5 miles northeast)
Mount Mitchell. On exceptionally clear days, Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the Eastern United States, is visible 45 miles north east.
^ ab"Black Balsam Knob, North Carolina". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
^ ab"Black Balsam Knob". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
Mountain. Other notable peaks include Richland Balsam, which is the highest peak in the range, BlackBalsamKnob, and Mount Pisgah. The crest of the range...
only covered in shrubs. Graveyard Fields in Autumn Second Falls with BlackBalsamKnob in the background Second Falls "Graveyard Fields - Second Falls, Yellowstone...
the way, the trail traverses several significant peaks, including BlackBalsamKnob (6,214 ft), Tennent Mountain (6040 ft) and Pilot Mountain (5095 ft)...
684 ft (2,037 m) in the Blacks, and BlackBalsamKnob 6,214 ft (1,894 m) and Cold Mountain 6,030 ft (1,840 m) in the Great Balsams. The Western Blue Ridge...
Craggy Mountains, North Carolina Great Balsam Mountains, North Carolina Richland Balsam, North Carolina BlackBalsamKnob, North Carolina Cold Mountain, North...
east of the Mississippi River. 359.8 Walker Knob, formerly known as Balsam Gap, is located where the Black Mountains and the Great Craggy Mountains meet...
Richland Balsam is a mountain in the Great Balsam Mountains in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Rising to an elevation of 6,410 feet (1,950 m), it is...
Randolph County, West Virginia BlackBalsamKnob, in the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville, NC BlackKnob, a big black rock outcrop west of Twin...
mountains in the eastern United States. Summit elevations include BlackBalsamKnob at 6,214 feet (1,894 m), Mount Hardy at 6,110 feet (1,860 m), Tennant...
southern balds' abnormality can be found at Roan Mountain, where Roan High Knob (el. 6,285 ft/1,915 m) is coated with a dense stand of spruce-fir forest...
locations in the United States: the Great Smoky Mountains, the Black Mountains, the Great Balsam Mountains, Grandfather Mountain, and Roan Mountain. This forest...
clean prominence. The Appalachian and Balsam Mountain trails intersect near the mountain's summit, making Tricorner Knob the great crossroads of the eastern...
often found in pure stands or forests mixed with eastern white pine, balsam fir, or black spruce. Along with Fraser fir, red spruce is one of two primary tree...
Patch Black Mountains Celo Knob Mount Craig Mount Mitchell Brushy Mountains Hibriten Mountain Pores Knob Great Balsam Mountains BlackBalsamKnob Chestnut...
Species for which the forest is important include red spruce (Picea rubens), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and mountain ash (Sorbus americana). The Monongahela...
Orchard Mountain Bald KnobBalsam Beartown Mountain Beartown Mountain Bull Run Mountain Catoctin Mountain Clinch Mountain Elliott Knob Great North Mountain...
and a number of other fire stations in Australia Towers alone: Stringers Knob Fire Spotting Tower Jimna Fire Tower Mount Dale Mount Gunjin, Western Australia...
imitator salamander is found only in the Smokies and the nearby Plott Balsams and Great Balsam Mountains. Two other species—the southern gray-cheeked salamander...
Upper Cosby valley (5.3 miles) Views of Mount Guyot, Old Black, Luftee Knob and the Balsam crest, and the Tennessee Valley (1–2 miles west of trail terminus)...
been named a National Natural Landmark. The Natural Area features black spruce and balsam fir trees, both of which are rare in Pennsylvania, and is centered...
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