VIDEO: The Roan Highlands Appalachian Trail NC/TN

[Layne]

The Roan Highlands are a unique section of the Appalachian Trail and one of the best backpacking destinations east of the Mississippi! In 1898 John Muir visited the Roan Highlands and declared the area to have "the most beautiful deciduous forests I ever saw." While John was enjoying the forests in the area, it is the balds that capture the most attention - the origin of Roan's balds is a mystery but they have existed in this state since pre-history and the leading theory suggests they are due to a mixture of climate and herbivores.

I covered ~19 miles over 3 days on this out-and-back from Carver's Gap to Big Hump in the summer of last year. The first 2 days were beautiful and sunny, on day 3 a hail storm blew in. You never know what kind of weather will pop up across the balds and the uncertainty is part of the reason I always do this hike as an out-and-back instead of a straight shot to 19E in order to maximize the time on the balds.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for watching!
Layne