Mount Jefferson State Park

About Mount Jefferson State Park

Mount Jefferson rises abruptly from the surrounding landscape and serves as a landmark for motorists. On the neighboring top of the Ashe Plateau stands a dark color that has proven to be a long, wooded celebrity. Get to know this mighty peak from the top of Mount Jefferson State Park on the west side of North Carolina.

Although the mountain is magnificent from a distance, it is best to see it up close, and on a clear day you can see miles around the summit.

The Blue Ridge Mountains offer an impressive backdrop on the horizon, and while the forests of Mount Jefferson are a botanical paradise, in the distance it is just as beautiful to be right in front of your eyes. Much of Ashe County is a mix of fields, farms, forests and mountains that merge into a kaleidoscopic pattern.

Mount Jefferson State Nature Reserve is a botanical paradise, and a variety of interesting and unusual plants have qualified the area for this area since 1974. On the slopes and on the top of the mountain there are a number of tree species, shrubs, grasses, bushes and other plants. The interesting and unusual flora of this park makes it a national natural monument.

At an altitude of 4000 feet, oak and chestnut forests dominate the slopes to the south, east and west. The forest area varies in height and direction along the slope, and there are forests on the north, south, and east sides of the mountain, as well as on the west side of Mount Jefferson.

In the early 20th century, the area was planted with abundant American chestnut trees, and the oak canopy is a natural habitat for a variety of wild flowers such as blueberries, peaches, cherries, pears, rhododendrons, orchids, and many types of grasses and shrubs. The wildflower includes a wide range of species, from blueberries to blackberries, blue - leafy, red - leafy, yellow - bulbous, white, orange, purple, pink, green, black, gold, silver, magenta and yellow.

Tragically, a chestnut plague introduced from Europe in the 1910s destroyed the species here and elsewhere. At the summit of Mount Jefferson, the ghostly trunks rise from diseased roots and thrive until they mature and become vulnerable to infestation. Chestnut wood was of immense value to the early settlers when it came to building buildings and fences, and its large, sweet nuts provided food for humans and animals.

In the undergrowth you will find chestnut trees up to 3.5 metres high and as thick as a football field. On the northern slope, the forest floor is covered by a thick layer of dense, dense soil with a few hundred feet of undergrowth.

The trees growing on the north side of Mount Jefferson are gnarled and dwarfed, reaching an average of only about 20 feet. On the slopes of Luther Rock there is a population of large, tooth-covered aspens, but growth slows in winter. Plants from the north are found in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small, medium and large trees. The wasp's largest teeth are primarily the large tooth of a wasp, about the size of an apple and about 1.5 - 2 inches long.

Wildlife in the area has also been studied, and is the subject of a recent New York Times article: "Wildlife in Mount Jefferson State Park.

Many bird species not seen at lower altitudes live high up in the mountain forests, and lucky visitors can catch red-tailed falcons. Red squirrels, popularly known as boomers, live in and around the forest at the summit. Several species of small mice, including deer, are as common as a variety of birds of prey.

The white - the belly warbler, the slate slate bird and The black-and-white warblers of Mount Jefferson State Park all nest on the summit.

The park's adult deciduous forest is home to many common mammals, including the Virginia Possum, the Virginia Possum, and many bird and mammal species. The flaps of the wings of washed-out - dead - capercaillies often surprise hikers on the way and the melody is often sung by the Veeren at dusk and dawn.

Shrews, moles and mice also live in the middle classes, some in woodsheds and occasionally on the edge of the forest on the white-tailed deer. Reptiles such as skinks and snakes travel to rotting logs and other places that provide food and seclusion.

Mount Jefferson is located in the western part of the state, south of New York City and north of Washington, D.C. This drainage system has had a significant impact on the size and shape of this mountain. It is a remnant of a once-high, mountainous region that existed in much of eastern New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania, and in many other states from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century.

While the summit stands on a plateau surrounded by other rocks, these have formed over time. The softer, less resilient rocks have worn off, and the more resilient rocks, including Mount Jefferson's amphibolite and metagraywraps, have eroded only slowly.

The Cherokees and Shawnees claimed the Ashe County area as a hunting ground, and the first settlers in the area came from Virginia. Until the mid-19th century, few North Carolinians ventured into Mount Jefferson State Park, but game was plentiful, as much land was available for hunting and fishing on the east side of the park.

The name of the mountain was chosen in honor of Jefferson, who owned land in the area and surveyed the nearby North Carolina-Virginia border in 1749. The inhabitants of this area gave it different names until 1952, when it was officially called Mount Jefferson. Before this name it was known as Pantherberg, as the legend tells of Panthers who attacked and killed children there.

During the Civil War, the caves and cliffs of Jefferson Mountain served escaped slaves who took the subway to freedom, according to legend.

It was not until the 1930s that the idea of creating a wider access to the mountain was taken up.

Mount Jefferson State Park began when the Works Progress Administration built the first public access road to Jefferson Mountain in the mid-1930s.

In 1939, the municipalities wanted to have the road improved, but the state could not find the funds for a private road. Two prominent citizens of the region donated 26 hectares of land for the public park and thus achieved road improvements. In 1941 the local park did not recognize the park as a state park, and in 1952 the area became a state forest. Attempts to achieve national park status in the 1950s and 1960s were unsuccessful, however, as standards adopted in 1955 required public access to the park and the use of public funds.

Undaunted by these constant obstacles, the citizens received donations of 300 hectares and were able to acquire 164 hectares for the park. With this determination, Mount Jefferson became a national park in October 1956 and a national park on July 1, 1957.