Black Balsam Knob
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Black Balsam Knob rises to 1,890 m in North Carolina. Richland Balsam stands 1,951 m to the west-northwest, 7.1 miles off. The nearest named place is Tennent Mountain, a peak 0.7 miles away. Forest Heritage Scenic Byway passes 1.7 miles off.
The story
Black Balsam Knob, 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 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. 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. These fires burned deep down into the mineral-rich topsoil slowing reforestation or stopping it altogether. 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.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4920316, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1890 m
How to reach it
- 1.7 mi off the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway
- 0.9 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 4.1 mi off the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway, National
- 12.6 mi off the Waterfall Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Fetterbush Overlook (MP 421.7) · 2 mi
- East Fork Overlook · 2 mi
- View Devils Courthouse (MP 422.4) · 2 mi
- Looking Glass Rock Overlook · 3 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Tennent Mountain: 0.7 mi
- Sam Knob: 1.2 mi
- Fork River Bald: 1.2 mi
- Little Sam Knob: 1.3 mi
- Silvermine Bald: 1.4 mi
- Upper Falls: 0.8 mi
- Upper Dark Prong Falls: 1.0 mi
- Sam Branch Falls: 1.2 mi
- Upper Greasy Cove Falls: 1.2 mi
- Waterfalls of Flat Laurel Creek: 1.3 mi
- Cradle of Forestry in America: 5.6 mi
- Roy Taylor Forest: 8.1 mi
- Canada Community Park: 9.6 mi
- Wolf Creek Lake Access Area: 10.0 mi
- City of Brevard Sports Complex: 10.6 mi
- Brevard Community Garden: 10.2 mi
- Rhododenron Garden: 14.0 mi
- Susanna Wesley Garden: 15.0 mi
- Cullowhee Community Garden: 17.3 mi
- Plant Professional Landscape Garden: 18.7 mi
- North Carolina Confederate Veterans Memorial Forest: 2.4 mi
- Camp John Rock: 5.5 mi
- Buck Springs Lodge foundation: 9.2 mi
- the "Big Gun" Clyde Veterans Memorial: 14.4 mi
- Ferin Fire Tower: 14.5 mi
- Horseshoe Rock: 8.0 mi
- Bald Cliff: 9.6 mi
- River Cliffs: 11.5 mi
- Castle Rock: 13.1 mi
- Dunns Rock: 13.3 mi
- 1915 Climax Locomotive: 5.9 mi
- M1: 10.4 mi
- Bear Lake Reserve: 12.1 mi
- Historical Downtown: 12.9 mi
- Judaculla Rock: 13.4 mi
- Berm Park: 14.8 mi
- Chief Junaluska: 15.0 mi
- Chalice: 17.2 mi
- American Eclipse: 17.3 mi
- Wi: 17.4 mi
- Cradle of Forestry: 5.6 mi
- Transylvania Heritage Museum: 10.0 mi
- Shook Museum: 14.3 mi
- Canton Area Historical Museum: 14.3 mi
- Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum: 17.2 mi
- Shining Rock Wilderness: 4.2 mi
- Cold Mountain Gameland: 5.7 mi
- Bracken Preserve: 8.2 mi
- Green Mountain Preserve: 23.4 mi
- Collier Cove Nature Preserve: 23.4 mi
- Coontree Picnic Area: 6.8 mi
- Pisgah Picnic: 9.0 mi
- Sycamore Flats Picnic Area: 9.8 mi
- N. Mills River Picnic Area: 14.1 mi
- Heintooga Picnic Area: 24.1 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Westbound Rest Area: 13.4 mi
- Haywood County US 74 Eastbound Rest Area: 13.5 mi
- I-26 Henderson County Rest Area: 20.6 mi
- I-26 Buncombe County Rest Area: 20.7 mi
- Sandbar Pool Beach: 13.6 mi
- Lake Powhatan Beach: 17.6 mi
- Sandstone Beach: 24.8 mi
- Cool Spring: 17.2 mi
- Crystal Spring: 21.5 mi
- Lenox Spring: 22.9 mi
- Mountain Springs Lane: 12.3 mi
- Covered Bridge Trail: 18.9 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 7.2 miles of Black Balsam Knob. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Balsam | WNW 293° | 1,951 m | 7.1 mi |
| Mount Hardy | WSW 240° | 1,866 m | 3.4 mi |
| Reinhart Knob | WNW 285° | 1,856 m | 6.0 mi |
| Tennent Mountain | NNE 26° | 1,846 m | 0.7 mi |
| Sam Knob | W 276° | 1,844 m | 1.2 mi |
| Grassy Cove Top | NNE 23° | 1,844 m | 1.5 mi |
| Shining Rock | NNE 14° | 1,829 m | 2.9 mi |
| Silvermine Bald | SSW 201° | 1,822 m | 1.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:36 | 19:10 | 19:43 |
| June solstice | 06:18 | 20:13 | 20:50 |
| September equinox | 07:20 | 18:56 | 19:30 |
| December solstice | 07:37 | 16:44 | 17:23 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 37 | 40 | 47 | 55 | 63 | 70 | 73 | 72 | 66 | 56 | 46 | 39 |
| Precip in | 7.0 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 7.1 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Brevard, 10 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/357800805
Day trips start here
- Asheville · 25 mi
Take the scenic way to Black Balsam Knob.
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