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Mount Craig (North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Mount Craig, 6647 feet is the second highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains
and second only to 6684 feet (2,037.3 m) Mount Mitchell
in eastern North America
. It is located in the Black Mountains
in Yancey County, North Carolina
. The mountain lies just north of Mt. Mitchell and is within Mount Mitchell State Park
and the Pisgah National Forest
.
Mount Craig was named in honor of Locke Craig, the governor
of North Carolina from 1913 to 1917 responsible for establishing Mount Mitchell State Park in 1915 as the state's first, thereby protecting the area from excessive logging.
. The view atop Mount Craig embraces much of the southern portion of the Black Mountain Range. A North Carolina Geodetic Survey triangulation marker is located on the summit.
The Deep Gap Trail proceeds beyond Mount Craig to other North Carolina high peaks including Big Tom, Cattail Peak, Balsam Cone, Potato Hill and through Deep Gap to Winter Star Mountain, Gibbs Mountain and Celo Knob
.
. Clingmans Dome's elevation is based on a conventional 1920 optical survey. Mount Craig's elevation was revised upwards in 1993 based upon satellite GPS to an accuracy of 4 inches (10 centimeters). Until Clingman's Dome can be remeasured by GPS Mt. Craig retains its designation as second highest.
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and second only to 6684 feet (2,037.3 m) Mount Mitchell
Mount Mitchell
Mount Mitchell can refer to:* Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the eastern United States* Mount Mitchell , in Jasper National Park of Canada* Mount Mitchell * Mount Mitchell , in Queensland...
in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is located in the Black Mountains
Black Mountains (North Carolina)
The Black Mountains are a mountain range in western North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Blacks are the highest mountains in the Eastern United States...
in Yancey County, North Carolina
Yancey County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,774 people, 7,472 households, and 5,372 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile . There were 9,729 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
. The mountain lies just north of Mt. Mitchell and is within Mount Mitchell State Park
Mount Mitchell State Park
Mount Mitchell State Park is a North Carolina state park in Yancey County, North Carolina in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state legislature, it became the first state park of North Carolina...
and the Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is completely contained within the state of North Carolina...
.
Mount Craig was named in honor of Locke Craig, the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of North Carolina from 1913 to 1917 responsible for establishing Mount Mitchell State Park in 1915 as the state's first, thereby protecting the area from excessive logging.
Trails
The mountain can easily be reached via a roughly a 45-minute hike on the Deep Gap Trail from the picnic area below the summit of Mount Mitchell off North Carolina State Highway 128North Carolina State Highway 128
North Carolina Highway 128 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It runs from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mount Mitchell State Park. Reaching an elevation of over , it is the highest road or highway east of the Mississippi River.-Route description:The route serves as a...
. The view atop Mount Craig embraces much of the southern portion of the Black Mountain Range. A North Carolina Geodetic Survey triangulation marker is located on the summit.
The Deep Gap Trail proceeds beyond Mount Craig to other North Carolina high peaks including Big Tom, Cattail Peak, Balsam Cone, Potato Hill and through Deep Gap to Winter Star Mountain, Gibbs Mountain and Celo Knob
Celo Knob
Celo Knob is the northern most major peak in the Black Mountains of western North Carolina. It is located just north of Mount Mitchell State Park in the Pisgah National Forest....
.
Elevation designation
Formerly the third highest point in eastern North America, Mount Craig is currently designated by the USGS as the second. However, there is only a 4 foot (1.3 m) difference in elevation between it and 6,643' (2,025 m) Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky MountainsGreat Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
. Clingmans Dome's elevation is based on a conventional 1920 optical survey. Mount Craig's elevation was revised upwards in 1993 based upon satellite GPS to an accuracy of 4 inches (10 centimeters). Until Clingman's Dome can be remeasured by GPS Mt. Craig retains its designation as second highest.
See also
- Mount Mitchell State ParkMount Mitchell State ParkMount Mitchell State Park is a North Carolina state park in Yancey County, North Carolina in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state legislature, it became the first state park of North Carolina...
- Mountain peaks of North AmericaMountain peaks of North AmericaThis article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of greater North America.This article defines greater North America as the portion of the continental landmass of the Americas extending northward from Panama plus the islands surrounding that landmass...
- Mountain peaks of the United StatesMountain peaks of the United StatesThis article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of the United States of America.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...