Wintery Hike on Roan Mountain
Updated: Dec 12, 2022
Hike Stats
Trail: Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge Bald via the Appalachian Trail
Location: Roan Mountain, TN/NC
Distance: 4.7 miles RT
Elevation Gain: 1033 ft
Date Hiked: November 2018
Getting Here
The trailhead is located at Carvers Gap on Hwy 143, right at the TN-NC border where Hwy 143 turns into Hwy 261. It's approximately 30-40 minutes southeast of Johnson City, TN.
The Hike
Roan Mountain is one of those places that I had been wanting to visit for years. Full of sprawling balds reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands, it’s most often visited in the summer when the rolling hills are at their greenest and the pink Catawba rhododendrons are blooming. Today, however, the forecast was calling for a particularly chilly November weekend, and I was hopeful that I would be able to experience hiking through one of the most magical winter phenomena there is: rime ice. Rime ice forms when supercooled water droplets freeze onto surfaces, allowed by the presence of fog in below-freezing temperatures. With the combination of the weather forecast and with Roan Mountain sitting at around 6000 feet, there was a decent chance I would get lucky.
I hopped out of bed at 4 am and was quickly in the car on my way to the beautiful Roan Highlands in the Northeast corner of TN near the border of North Carolina. For some reason I just can’t explain, it’s so much easier to get out of bed at 4 am to go hiking then it is to get up that early for work…
After arriving at the hike’s starting point at Carver Gap, I layered up and began the forested climb up to the first bald of the day: Round Bald. This first part of the trail is fairly well-traveled as it is just a short distance to Round Bald and hikers are assisted in the climb by wooden stairs and a gravel trail. But by arriving early, I was joined by only a few others. I crested Round Bald just after the sun broke the horizon, the low-lying fog dispersing the sun’s rays to create an otherworldly yellow glow. I was just 0.6 miles from the road, but I already felt like I had been transported to a winter wonderland with the frosted grass sparkling and the fog swirling around.
Not wanting to linger too long because, you know, it was still below freezing, I continued my hike along this well-known section of the Appalachian Trail. The fog had really settled in at this point and had obscured all but a fifty foot radius around me. If you haven’t had a chance to hike in dense fog like this, I highly recommend it! It really makes you appreciate the little things that are sometimes overlooked on big vista hikes. Plus, you feel like a real-life explorer.
The trail was easy to follow as it meandered down and then back up, but it was pretty wild to be walking along surrounded on either side by plants turned white by the rime ice. This part was a bit tricky, however, as the trail was often completely covered by slick ice. This was before I learned that microspikes existed and so there was a lot of butt scooching and crawling happening. Thankfully, no one else had bothered to come this far so there were no witnesses to this, um, totally not awkward way I was moving.
I absolutely loved this section of the hike! It was fairly steep, but as I climbed I was surrounded by the twisting branches of the rhododendron the mountain is famous for. But instead of being adorned by the beautiful pink flowers, its branches were encrusted with ice. The typical lush greens and blues of this area were replaced with cool browns and greys and whites. It was breathtaking. I then came to one of the highlights of this hike for me: the rhododendron tunnel. These tunnels occur when the branches of the plant enclose a walkway, creating what looks like the entrance to some secret fairytale land. It was here that I took one of my all-time favorite photos, a photo that actually got published in the Smoky Mountain Living magazine! Not bad for an iPhone shot!
After finally convincing myself to leave the rhododendron tunnel, I noticed that the wind was picking up, causing the thick fog to clear the skies for moments at a time. Getting really excited that I may be able to see some more views after all, I hustled up towards Grassy Ridge Bald.
As I summited the final hill, the wind picked up even more, parting the fog to unveil a stunning view of the green rolling mountains against a clear blue sky. It was a good thing I was the only one up there because I definitely frolicked around the bald a la Sound of Music. It was a hiker’s dream come true! The fog rolled in and out, obscuring one landscape while revealing another.
Clips of the fog and wind:
After ten minutes, I had to call it a day and begin heading back. The biting wind had caused the temperature to feel significantly colder, and my fingers burned like fire every time I took off a glove to take a photo (which was a lot). With my reddened nose and frozen lips, I began my hike back down the mountain towards the trough between Grassy Ridge and Jane Bald. As if on cue, the fog rolled back in behind me, and the view I had so enjoyed was gone.
The fog did eventually clear a good amount, so I was able to enjoy some of the vistas I had missed out on earlier. I particularly enjoyed the view looking towards Jane Bald, with the AT winding its way through the still-frosted meadows.
At this point, the crowds had increased significantly. I walked smugly past each group, knowing that their experience on Roan Mountain could never in a million years surpass my own.
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