Silers Bald
Encyclopedia
Silers Bald is a mountain in the western Great Smoky Mountains
, located in the
Southeastern United States. Its proximity to Clingmans Dome
and its location along
the Appalachian Trail
make it a popular hiking destination.
Silers Bald is located on the crest of the Smokies with Thunderhead Mountain
to the west and Clingmans Dome
to the east. The Tennessee-North Carolina state line crosses
the summit, with the mountain split evenly between Sevier County
, Tennessee
to the north and Swain County, North Carolina
to the south. Silers Bald rises appx.
2500 feet (762 m) above its northern base near Fish Camp Prong (of Little River), and appx. 3000 feet (914.4 m) above its southern base near Forney Creek.
While Silers Bald was a grassy bald
for most of the 19th and early-20th centuries, it was probably a wooded peak before the arrival of European settlers. For this reason, the park service does not
maintain the bald atop the mountain (the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
currently
maintains only two grassy balds— Gregory Bald
and Andrews Bald
). A narrow corridor for
the Appalachian Trail
, which crosses the summit, is kept clear for thru-hikers. There is still
a small bald area at the summit, approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter, where the Appalachian
Trail makes a 90-degree turn. Several grassy meadows remain on the mountain's western slope.
summit. This sandstone, part of the Ocoee Supergroup, was formed from ocean sediments
nearly a billion years ago. The mountain, like most of the Smokies, was formed some
200 million years ago when the North American and African plates collided during the
Appalachian orogeny, pushing the rock upward.
was discovered near
the summit in 1917. The mountain's elevation is probably recorded by Arnold Guyot
during his 1859 survey of the Smokies crest, but under a different name (possibly Guyot's "Big Stone Mountain," which Guyot listed with an elevation of 5614 feet (1,711.1 m) and lying somewhere between Mt. Buckley and Thunderhead
).
Silers Bald is named after Jesse Siler, a prominent North Carolinian who grazed sheep
and cattle atop the mountain in the 19th century. Likewise, Siler Bald, in the Nantahala
Mountains
to the south, was named after Jesse's brother, William. Albert Mountain,
also to the south, was named after Jesse's nephew, Albert Siler.
By the late 19th century, Silers Bald was the far eastern end of a giant grassy pasture that
stretched several miles across the Smokies' western ridge all the way to Russell Field, which overlooks
Cades Cove
. The mountain is mentioned several times in Horace Kephart's Our Southern Highlanders
as the last stop before one enters a heavily-wooded wilderness. According to Kephart, beyond "Hall cabin" (a herder's shack near modern Big Chestnut Bald, six miles (10 km) east of Thunderhead
):
Laura Thornborough, a writer who visited Silers Bald in the 1930s, recalls it as a giant meadow:
tower trail from the
Forney Ridge Parking Lot to the tower. From there, following the Appalachian Trail
west
for just over four miles (6 km) brings one to the summit of Silers Bald. This leg of the trail is riddled
with elevation gain and loss, crossing Mt. Buckley (a knob of Clingmans Dome), Jenkins
Knob, and a sparsely-wooded ridge known as "The Narrows".
At the summit of Silers Bald, an unmarked spur trail winds several yards to a cliff on
the northwest slope of the mountain. This cliff offers a 180-degree view of the northern
Smokies, with a clear shot of Mount Le Conte to the east and Thunderhead Mountain
to the
west.
Great 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...
, located in the
Southeastern United States. Its proximity to Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. At an elevation of , it is the highest mountain in the Smokies, the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the Appalachian Trail...
and its location along
the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
make it a popular hiking destination.
Silers Bald is located on the crest of the Smokies with Thunderhead Mountain
Thunderhead Mountain
Thunderhead Mountain is a mountain in the west-central part of the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. Rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, the mountain dominates the Western Smokies. The Appalachian Trail crosses its summit, making it a...
to the west and Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. At an elevation of , it is the highest mountain in the Smokies, the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the Appalachian Trail...
to the east. The Tennessee-North Carolina state line crosses
the summit, with the mountain split evenly between Sevier County
Sevier County, Tennessee
Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
to the north and Swain County, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to the south. Silers Bald rises appx.
2500 feet (762 m) above its northern base near Fish Camp Prong (of Little River), and appx. 3000 feet (914.4 m) above its southern base near Forney Creek.
While Silers Bald was a grassy bald
Appalachian balds
In the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, balds are mountain summits or crests covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected....
for most of the 19th and early-20th centuries, it was probably a wooded peak before the arrival of European settlers. For this reason, the park service does not
maintain the bald atop the mountain (the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
currently
maintains only two grassy balds— Gregory Bald
Gregory Bald
Gregory Bald is a mountain on the western fringe of the Great Smoky Mountains. It has an elevation of 4,949 feet above sea level. The mountain's majestic summit makes it a popular hiking destination....
and Andrews Bald
Andrews Bald
Andrews Bald is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of above sea level, making it the highest grassy bald in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The mountain is one of two grassy balds maintained in the range by the park...
). A narrow corridor for
the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
, which crosses the summit, is kept clear for thru-hikers. There is still
a small bald area at the summit, approximately 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter, where the Appalachian
Trail makes a 90-degree turn. Several grassy meadows remain on the mountain's western slope.
Geology
Silers Bald consists of Thunderhead sandstone, a small pile of which crowns thesummit. This sandstone, part of the Ocoee Supergroup, was formed from ocean sediments
nearly a billion years ago. The mountain, like most of the Smokies, was formed some
200 million years ago when the North American and African plates collided during the
Appalachian orogeny, pushing the rock upward.
History
While Silers Bald is hardly mentioned in Cherokee lore, a petroglyphPetroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
was discovered near
the summit in 1917. The mountain's elevation is probably recorded by Arnold Guyot
during his 1859 survey of the Smokies crest, but under a different name (possibly Guyot's "Big Stone Mountain," which Guyot listed with an elevation of 5614 feet (1,711.1 m) and lying somewhere between Mt. Buckley and Thunderhead
Thunderhead Mountain
Thunderhead Mountain is a mountain in the west-central part of the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. Rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, the mountain dominates the Western Smokies. The Appalachian Trail crosses its summit, making it a...
).
Silers Bald is named after Jesse Siler, a prominent North Carolinian who grazed sheep
and cattle atop the mountain in the 19th century. Likewise, Siler Bald, in the Nantahala
Mountains
Nantahala National Forest
The Nantahala National Forest, established in 1920, is a national forest located in the American state of North Carolina. The word "Nantahala" is a Cherokee word meaning "Land of the Noonday Sun." The name is appropriate as, in some spots, the sun only reaches the floors of the deep gorges of the...
to the south, was named after Jesse's brother, William. Albert Mountain,
also to the south, was named after Jesse's nephew, Albert Siler.
By the late 19th century, Silers Bald was the far eastern end of a giant grassy pasture that
stretched several miles across the Smokies' western ridge all the way to Russell Field, which overlooks
Cades Cove
Cades Cove
Cades Cove is an isolated valley located in the Tennessee section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. The valley was home to numerous settlers before the formation of the national park...
. The mountain is mentioned several times in Horace Kephart's Our Southern Highlanders
Our Southern Highlanders
Our Southern Highlanders: A Narrative of Adventure In the Southern Appalachians and a Study of Life Among the Mountaineers is a book written by American author Horace Kephart , first published in 1913 and revised in 1922...
as the last stop before one enters a heavily-wooded wilderness. According to Kephart, beyond "Hall cabin" (a herder's shack near modern Big Chestnut Bald, six miles (10 km) east of Thunderhead
Thunderhead Mountain
Thunderhead Mountain is a mountain in the west-central part of the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. Rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, the mountain dominates the Western Smokies. The Appalachian Trail crosses its summit, making it a...
):
...there is just one shack, at Siler's Meadow. It is down below the summit, hidden in timber, and you would never have seen it. Even if you had, you would have found it as bare as a last year's mouse nest, for nobody ever goes there except for a few bear-hunters. From there onward for forty miles is an uninhabited wilderness so rough that you could not make seven miles a day in it to save your life..."
Laura Thornborough, a writer who visited Silers Bald in the 1930s, recalls it as a giant meadow:
Silers is one of the mysterious grassy balds, or mountain-top meadows, and an outstanding vantage point commanding spectacular views.
Access
The easiest access to Silers Bald is to take the Clingmans DomeClingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. At an elevation of , it is the highest mountain in the Smokies, the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the Appalachian Trail...
tower trail from the
Forney Ridge Parking Lot to the tower. From there, following the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
west
for just over four miles (6 km) brings one to the summit of Silers Bald. This leg of the trail is riddled
with elevation gain and loss, crossing Mt. Buckley (a knob of Clingmans Dome), Jenkins
Knob, and a sparsely-wooded ridge known as "The Narrows".
At the summit of Silers Bald, an unmarked spur trail winds several yards to a cliff on
the northwest slope of the mountain. This cliff offers a 180-degree view of the northern
Smokies, with a clear shot of Mount Le Conte to the east and Thunderhead Mountain
Thunderhead Mountain
Thunderhead Mountain is a mountain in the west-central part of the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. Rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, the mountain dominates the Western Smokies. The Appalachian Trail crosses its summit, making it a...
to the
west.
External links
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trail Map - Large file in .pdf format.
- Silers Bald - Peakbagger.com
- Silers Bald - a Christian rock band that took its name from the mountain.
- Silers Bald Shelter - one of the better backwoods shelters along the Appalachian TrailAppalachian TrailThe Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...