Roan Mountain

Roan Mountain straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina border and supports the largest natural rhododendron gardens in the world at its high balds, reaching bloom peak in late June. The Roan Highlands section of the Appalachian Trail traverses open grass balds with 360-degree views of the Black Mountains, Unaka Range, and Iron Mountains extending in every direction. The high-elevation meadows are rare in the southern Appalachians, maintained by a combination of grazing history and natural wind exposure that prevents forest encroachment.