Mount Mitchell State Park

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Mount Mitchell State Park
Interactive map of Mount Mitchell State Park
Location	Yancey County, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates	35°54′55″N 78°23′15″W / 35.9153°N 78.38754°W / 35.9153; -78.38754[1]
Area	4,789 acres (1,938 ha)[2]
Elevation	6,366 ft (1,940 m)
Established	1916[1]
Administered by	North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
Website	Official website
Mount Mitchell State Park Mount Mitchell State Park Location in North Carolina Show map of North Carolina Mount Mitchell State Park Mount Mitchell State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States North Carolina State Parks

Mount Mitchell State Park is a 4,789-acre (1,938 ha)^[2] North Carolina state park in Yancey County, North Carolina in the United States. Located at the end of NC 128 off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Burnsville, North Carolina, it includes the peak of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Established in 1915 by the state legislature, it became the first state park of North Carolina. The North Carolina State Parks System was established in the same bill.

In addition to Mount Mitchell itself, the park encompasses several other peaks which top out at over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in elevation, including Mount Hallback, Mount Craig (just 52 feet (16 m) shy of Mount Mitchell in elevation and the second highest peak east of the Mississippi River), Big Tom and Balsam Cone. Trails lead to all these summits save Mount Hallback, and their exploration takes visitors away from the crowds on Mount Mitchell but to places similarly spectacular. About 8 miles (13 km) of trails exist within the park in all.^[3]

From the parking lot, a steep paved path leads visitors to the summit and a raised observation platform with 360 degree views. The grave of Elisha Mitchell, the professor who first noted the mountain's height, is located at the base of the observation platform. The old observation tower was torn down in early October 2006. The trail leading to the summit has been paved, and a new observation platform was constructed and opened to the public in January 2009. An exhibit hall is open seasonally at the summit with information about the mountain's natural, cultural and historical heritage.^[4] The park operates a restaurant and a small tent camping sites seasonally.^[5] The buildings were built in the 1950s and renovation is planned. Most visitors come between May and November because the only access is the Blue Ridge Parkway but Kevin Bischof, who became superintendent late in 2018, hopes to change that. The park is staffed year-round but most people would not be able to reach the park during the worst weather conditions.^[6]

The park had 398,000 visitors in 2017.^[6]

Another popular destination reachable by trail within the park is Camp Alice, at an elevation of 5800 ft (1767.84 m) south of the summit of Mount Mitchell. This historic site is the location of a logging and, later, Civilian Conservation Corps tourist camp at the terminus of the old Mount Mitchell toll road. Lower Creek flows across the main trail at this point and it is one of the highest elevation perennial streams in the Appalachians, flowing through the Spruce-Fir forest. Openings here in the forest surrounded by evergreens resemble such openings near treeline in higher mountain ranges.

• 
  Observation deck on the peak of Mount Mitchell
• 
  Elevation change along the drive reaching the park from Marion, NC along NC-80, the Blue Ridge Parkway and NC-128
• 
  Mount Mitchell State Park Office

The park serves as the finish line for The Assault on Mount Mitchell and the midpoint for the Mount Mitchell Challenge ultramarathon.^{[citation needed]}

The park closed on September 26, 2024 as Hurricane Helene approached the area.^[7] Due to extensive storm-related damage to sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the park remained closed for nearly a year while roads were repaired.^[8][9] The park reopened on September 15, 2025.^[9]

• Mountains-to-Sea Trail

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mount Mitchell State Park.

• Mount Mitchell State Park NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
• Mount Mitchell State Park Map North Carolina State Parks