Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain rises to 1,697 m in North Carolina. Rich Mountain stands 1,633 m to the south-southwest, 1.4 miles off. The nearest named place is Elk Knob Picnic Area, a picnic site 1.0 miles away. Mission Crossing passes 6.8 miles off.
The story
Snake Mountain is a mountain located along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, east of the community of Zionville, in the southeastern United States. It is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and includes parts of Watauga County, North Carolina, and Johnson County, Tennessee. It has two peaks, the higher of which reaches an elevation of 5,564 feet (1,696 m). The lower peak, at 5,518 feet (1,682 m), is Johnson County's high point. The mountain generates several feeder streams to the North Fork New River (via Maine Branch), South Fork New River (via Meat Camp Creek) and Watauga River (via Cove Creek). Several ridges form from Snake Mountain, with the main being Snake Mountain Ridge, mark the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. Also there is Sugartree Ridge and Hessian Ridge, which are smaller outcrops west of Snake Mountain. Several gaps also surround the mountain: Elk Horn Gap, Pottertown Gap, Rich Mountain Gap and State Line Gap. Historically, both the Old Buffalo Trail and Daniel Boone Trail converge at the foot of the mountain, at Zionville.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q8536024, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1697 m
How to reach it
- 6.8 mi off the Mission Crossing
- 8.5 mi off the US 421 Scenic Byway
- 12.8 mi off the Little Parkway
- 10.0 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Grandview Overlook · 11 mi
- Moses Cone Overlook · 12 mi
- Carroll Gap Overlook · 13 mi
- Osborne Mountain Overlook · 13 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Rocky Knob: 1.3 mi
- Rich Mountain: 1.4 mi
- Elk Knob: 1.8 mi
- Ellison Mountain: 1.8 mi
- Panther Knob: 2.5 mi
- Green Valley Community Park: 6.3 mi
- Walter & Annie Cook Memorial Park: 6.4 mi
- Howards Knob County Park: 7.1 mi
- Junaluska City Park: 7.6 mi
- North Street Park: 7.7 mi
- Laurel Creek Falls: 9.7 mi
- Crab Orchard Falls: 10.2 mi
- Bluff Mountain Falls: 10.3 mi
- Dutch Creek Falls: 10.9 mi
- Sharpes Falls: 12.3 mi
- Fun 'N' Wheels: 8.5 mi
- Mountain Magic Resort: 9.0 mi
- Foggy Mountain Gem Mine: 10.1 mi
- Tweetsie Twister: 11.4 mi
- F-80 Jet Planes: 11.4 mi
- Doc Watson Statue: 7.9 mi
- Hellbenders: 7.9 mi
- Time and Honor: 7.9 mi
- Doc and Merle Watson: 7.9 mi
- The Magic Mailbox: 8.0 mi
- Watauga County Veterans Memorial: 7.9 mi
- Earth Day 2011: 8.3 mi
- Historic Dam Site: 9.1 mi
- Johnson County Veterans Memorial Wall: 11.7 mi
- Old Blowing Rock Sewage Pump Station: 14.0 mi
- Children's Playhouse: 8.2 mi
- Hickory Ridge Living History Museum: 8.7 mi
- Welcome Center and Museum: 10.9 mi
- Native American Artifacts: 12.1 mi
- Moses Cone Manor: 12.6 mi
- Hayes Bluff: 7.7 mi
- White Pine Cliffs: 7.9 mi
- Flattop Cliffs: 17.6 mi
- Scheer Bluffs: 17.8 mi
- Linville Bluffs: 18.1 mi
- Elk Knob Picnic Area: 1.0 mi
- Trials Playground: 11.0 mi
- Potters Truck Stop: 11.6 mi
- Julian Price Memorial Park Picnic Area: 13.2 mi
- Mount Jefferson Picnic Area: 14.4 mi
- Shady Grove Gardens & Nursery: 6.3 mi
- Watauga Extension Educational Garden: 7.7 mi
- Sustainable Development Civic Garden Project: 8.1 mi
- Appalachian Roots Garden: 8.1 mi
- Fred Webb Jr. Outdoor Geology Laboratory and Rock Garden: 8.2 mi
- Bear Wallow Spring: 16.0 mi
- Shanty Springs: 16.4 mi
- Boiling Spring: 16.9 mi
- Cave Spring: 17.8 mi
- Brig Spring: 19.6 mi
- Elk Shoals: 15.4 mi
- Shook Branch Swimming Area: 23.5 mi
- Watauga County US 221 Rest Area: 12.8 mi
- Mortimer: 24.1 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 10.5 miles of Snake Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Mountain | SSW 201° | 1,633 m | 1.4 mi |
| The Peak | NE 36° | 1,573 m | 6.1 mi |
| Bluff Mountain | ENE 61° | 1,542 m | 8.6 mi |
| Three Top Mountain | NE 47° | 1,530 m | 9.4 mi |
| Old Field Bald | ENE 72° | 1,506 m | 4.1 mi |
| Bald Mountain | ENE 73° | 1,502 m | 8.6 mi |
| Pine Orchard Knob | E 91° | 1,490 m | 3.4 mi |
| Harmon Knob | S 178° | 1,466 m | 3.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:31 | 19:05 | 19:39 |
| June solstice | 06:10 | 20:10 | 20:49 |
| September equinox | 07:15 | 18:51 | 19:25 |
| December solstice | 07:35 | 16:36 | 17:16 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 32 | 34 | 41 | 49 | 58 | 65 | 68 | 67 | 61 | 51 | 41 | 35 |
| Precip in | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Boone 1 SE, 9 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/357809281
Day trips start here
- Elizabethton · 30 mi
Take the scenic way to Snake Mountain.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.