Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Natural and Human History 7
Natural Communities of the Southern Appalachians 15
Natural Community Overviews 21
Montane Oak Forest 21
Spruce-Fir Forest 22
Cove Forest 25
Low-Elevation Pine Forest 27
Montane Pine Forest and Woodland 28
Northern Hardwood Forest 30
Oak Forest 32
Grass Bald 34
Shrub Bald 35
Seepage Wetland 37
Granitic Dome 38
Rocky Summit 40
The Hikes
Hike Locator Map 44
1 Blood Mountain 47
2 Sosebee Cove 54
3 Brasstown Bald 60
4 Tennessee Rock Trail 68
5 Martin Creek Falls 77
6 Station Cove Falls 83
7 Fork Mountain Trail 91
8 Oconee Bells Nature Trail 100
9 Pinnacle Mountain 104
10 Rainbow Falls 113
11 Satulah Mountain 121
12 Whiteside Mountain 129
13 Hooper Bald 137
14 Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest 143
15 Gregory Bald 153
16 Carlos Campbell Overlook 165
17 Alum Cave 172
18 Ramsey Cascades 180
19 Craggy Pinnacle 187
20 Mount Craig 195
21 Babel Tower and Wiseman's View 201
22 Table Rock 212
23 Roan High Bluff and Roan Gardens 220
24 Grassy Ridge 227
25 Grandfather Mountain 235
26 Elk Knob 245
27 Mount Jefferson 253
28 Whitetop Mountain 259
29 Mount Rogers 266
30 Twin Pinnacles Trail 274
Common Trees and Shrubs of the Southern Appalachians
The Southern Boreal Forest: Spruce-Fir Forest 284
Important Trees of the Northern Hardwood Forest 285
American Chestnut and Oak Family Look-Alikes 286
Oaks 287
Maples 288
Walnut and Hickories 289
Magnolias 290
Pines 291
Other Evergreens 292
Cherries and Birches 293
Rhododendrons 294
Other Heaths 295
Other Canopy Species 296
Other Understory Species 297
Glossary 299
References and Suggested Readings 303
Index 305
