Peak · Tennessee
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain rises to 895 m in Tennessee. Snake Mountain stands 1,697 m to the south-southeast, 10 miles off. The nearest named place is Welcome Center and Museum, a museum 0.8 miles away. Mount Rogers Scenic Byway passes 12 miles off.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 895 m
How to reach it
Coordinates36.45651, -81.80678
- 12.3 mi off the Mount Rogers Scenic Byway
- 14.7 mi off the Mission Crossing
- 18.6 mi off the New River Valley Byway
- 18.7 mi off the US 421 Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Grandview Overlook · 21 mi
- Moses Cone Overlook · 22 mi
- Carroll Gap Overlook · 23 mi
- Osborne Mountain Overlook · 23 mi
Named places within 25 miles
Parks
- Ralph Stout Park: 1.6 mi
- Doe Mountain Recreation Area: 5.6 mi
- Backbone Rock Recreation Area: 9.5 mi
- Kettlefoot Wildlife Management Area: 10.8 mi
- Laurel Creek Park: 12.5 mi
Peaks
- Gentry Mountain: 1.6 mi
- Holy Hill: 2.0 mi
- Forge Mountain: 3.6 mi
- Doe Mountain: 3.9 mi
- Greer Mountain: 4.5 mi
Waterfalls: 28
- Gentry Creek Falls: 9.5 mi
- Whitetop Laurel Falls: 12.7 mi
- Straight Branch Falls: 13.9 mi
- Sharpes Falls: 14.0 mi
- Laurel Creek Falls: 14.3 mi
Attractions: 26
- Where Trails Cross: 12.1 mi
- Mountain Magic Resort: 12.4 mi
- Virginia Creeper Trail Visitor Ctr: 12.4 mi
- Fun 'N' Wheels: 18.2 mi
- Bristol Caverns: 18.6 mi
Artworks: 18
- Newman Basket Company: 12.4 mi
- Doc Watson Statue: 17.8 mi
- Hellbenders: 17.8 mi
- Doc and Merle Watson: 17.8 mi
- Time and Honor: 17.9 mi
Historic sites: 17
- Johnson County Veterans Memorial Wall: 1.6 mi
- Old Doe Lookout Tower: 8.8 mi
- Nick Grindstaff monument: 9.6 mi
- Another Way (ShortCut): 10.4 mi
- Wheel of Freedom: 12.1 mi
Museums: 15
- Welcome Center and Museum: 0.8 mi
- Children's Playhouse: 18.2 mi
- Mountain Farm Life Museum: 18.6 mi
- Hickory Ridge Living History Museum: 18.8 mi
- Museum of Ashe County History: 18.8 mi
Gardens: 8
- Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery: 9.1 mi
- Watauga Extension Educational Garden: 17.6 mi
- Sustainable Development Civic Garden Project: 18.0 mi
- Fred Webb Jr. Outdoor Geology Laboratory and Rock Garden: 18.1 mi
- Appalachian Roots Garden: 18.1 mi
Cliffs: 8
- Backbone Rock: 9.5 mi
- Hayes Bluff: 15.4 mi
- White Pine Cliffs: 16.9 mi
- Bee Cliff: 19.7 mi
- Cardens Bluff: 19.8 mi
Picnic sites: 7
- Trials Playground: 2.1 mi
- Potters Truck Stop: 5.5 mi
- Elk Knob Picnic Area: 10.6 mi
- Mount Jefferson Picnic Area: 19.3 mi
- Shook Branch Picnic Ground: 20.7 mi
Nature reserves: 7
- Tater Hill Lake Basin Habitat Preservation: 13.2 mi
- Paddy Mountain Plant Conservation Preserve: 16.8 mi
- Appalachian State University Nature Preserve: 18.2 mi
- Elk Valley Preserve: 20.6 mi
- Foscoe Wetland Conservation Area: 21.5 mi
Springs: 6
- Boiling Spring: 9.4 mi
- Cave Spring: 10.2 mi
- Brig Spring: 12.1 mi
- Hampton Spring: 23.7 mi
- Shanty Springs: 23.9 mi
Beaches: 2
- Shook Branch Swimming Area: 20.8 mi
- Elk Shoals: 21.7 mi
Rest areas: 1
- Watauga County US 221 Rest Area: 22.2 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 11.7 miles of Rainbow Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snake Mountain | SSE 147° | 1,697 m | 10.3 mi |
| Rich Mountain | SSE 153° | 1,633 m | 11.2 mi |
| The Peak | ESE 112° | 1,573 m | 9.8 mi |
| The Bald | S 181° | 1,420 m | 7.1 mi |
| Long Hope Mountain | SE 128° | 1,411 m | 10.7 mi |
| Big Knob | ESE 114° | 1,374 m | 10.9 mi |
| Ellison Mountain | SSE 157° | 1,355 m | 10.7 mi |
| Buckeye Knob | S 175° | 1,333 m | 9.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:32 | 19:05 | 19:39 |
| June solstice | 06:10 | 20:11 | 20:49 |
| September equinox | 07:16 | 18:52 | 19:26 |
| December solstice | 07:36 | 16:36 | 17:16 |
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 | 34 | 37 | 44 | 53 | 61 | 68 | 71 | 70 | 65 | 55 | 45 | 38 |
| Precip in | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — MTN City 2, 1 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 1639536 — Rainbow Mountain, Johnson County, Tennessee.
OpenStreetMap element node/356885776
Day trips start here
- Bristol · 23 mi
- Elizabethton · 25 mi
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