Grandfather Mountain

Information about Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain

Elevation	5,964 feet (1,818 metres)
Location	North Carolina, USA
Range	Appalachian Mountains
Prominence	2,444 feet (745 meters)
Coordinates
Topo map	USGS Grandfather Mountain
Easiest route	hike

Grandfather Mountain is a mountain near Linville, North Carolina. At 5,964 feet (1,818 meters), it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway passes by the south side of the mountain. Grandfather Mountain is privately owned and operated as a nature preserve and tourist attraction and is best known for its mile-high swinging bridge, the highest in America, built in 1952 by Hugh Morton and dedicated to William B. Umstead. The bridge links two of the mountain's rocky peaks, and is known as the "swinging" bridge due to its tendency to sway in high winds. Morton inherited the mountain from his father and developed the tourist attractions. He died on June 1, 2006 at the age of 85.

Grandfather Mountain rises more than 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) above the Catawba River Valley, and due to the considerable elevation gain the mountain boasts 16 distinct ecological communities. The mountain also has experienced some of the highest surface wind speeds ever recorded, with speeds in excess of 200 MPH.[1] (Mount Washington in New Hampshire holds the record for the highest surface wind speed, at 231 MPH.)

Two rivers originate at Grandfather Mountain, the Linville River, flowing east, and the Watauga River, which flows west.

One of North America's largest Highland Games, The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, are held at Grandfather Mountain each year, drawing in visitors from all over the world. The Highland Games celebrate the Scottish ancestry of many of the pioneers who settled around the mountain and feature traditional Scottish games and music. At one time, the Grandfather Mountain games was the largest such event in the United States, though in recent years it has been surpassed by the games in Pleasanton, California.

The Grandfather Mountain mile high swinging bridge

A paved road leads to one of mountain's several peaks, and there visitors will find a museum, the famous "mile-high swinging bridge", and views of up to 100 miles - on a clear day, it is possible to see the city skyline of Charlotte. On the road to the summit there are wildlife exhibits and picnic areas. Grandfather Mountain also offers miles of hiking trails that vary in skill levels. Some trails require climbing wooden ladders to reach higher peaks and offer scenic views.

On top of Grandfather Mountain, like many mountain peaks above 5000' in North Carolina, grows an "island" of spruce-fir forest. Though the forest was largely devastated during the 20th century by the introduction of the non-native balsam wooly adelgid, a remnant of this biome still exists on Grandfather Mountain.

Grandfather Mountain and its surrounding communities were served by the narrow gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (The ET&WNC, nicknamed "Tweetsie") until the flood of 1940. The railroad helped make the mountain a favorite vacation spot for excursionists during the early 20th Century.

Trivia

The scene in Forrest Gump where he runs on a curvy mountain road was filmed here.

External links

summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically speaking, a summit is a local maximum in elevation.
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The State of North Carolina

Flag of North Carolina Seal
Nickname(s): Tar Heel State; Old North State;
The Rip Van Winkle State
''Motto(s): Esse quam videri (Latin: To be, rather than to seem)''

Official language(s)
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For exotic financial options, see .

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers.
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The Appalachian Mountains

Appalachians in North Carolina

Countries | United States,Canada
Regions |
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prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks.
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geographic coordinate system enables every location on the earth to be specified by the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system aligned with the spin axis of the Earth.
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topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods.
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it.
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climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and, once committed to that ascent, can be difficult to stop or return. So, choice of route can be critically important.
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Linville is a small community located off US 221 in Avery County, North Carolina. The community -- at times known as Clay or Porcelain -- was incorporated in 1891 and named for William and John Linville, who were killed by Cherokees in 1766.
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Blue Ridge Mountains

Country | United States
States | Georgia,North Carolina,Tennessee,Virginia,Maryland,Pennsylvania

Part of Appalachian Mountains
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The Appalachian Mountains

Appalachians in North Carolina

Countries | United States,Canada
Regions |
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Location North Carolina & Virginia, USA
Nearest city Asheville, NC & Roanoke, VA
Coordinates
Area 93,390 (377.94 km²)
Established June 30, 1936
Total visitation 17,882,567 (in 2005)

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A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit. Some examples include historical places, monuments, zoos, museums and art galleries, botanical gardens, buildings and structures (e.g.
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simple suspension bridge is an early bridge type and is still formed from native materials, chiefly grass rope, in some areas of South America. These rope bridges must be periodically renewed owing to the limited lifetime of the materials, and rope components are made and
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1920s 1930s 1940s - 1950s - 1960s 1970s 1980s
1949 1950 1951 - 1952 - 1953 1954 1955

Year 1952 (MCMLII
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Hugh Morton (February 19 1921—June 1 2006) was a photographer and nature conservationist who developed Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.

Morton was well-known in North Carolina as a fan of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sports and friend of many
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William Bradley Umstead (13 May 1895 – 7 November 1954) was a U.S. Senator and the Democratic governor of the state of North Carolina from 1953 to 1954.

In 1916, Umstead earned a bachelor's degree in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
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Catawba River is a tributary of the Wateree River in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into Piedmont, and is impounded through series of reservoirs for flood
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Mount Washington is the highest peak in the American Northeast at 6,288 ft (1917 m). It is famous for its dangerously erratic weather, holding the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's
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State of New Hampshire

Flag of New Hampshire Seal
Nickname(s): The Granite State
Motto(s): Live Free or Die

Official language(s) English

Capital Concord
Largest city Manchester
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The Linville River is a river in Western North Carolina. The river flows off the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in Avery County near the town of Crossnore and moves along a course that is approximately 30 miles (48 km) long, flowing south.
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Origin Watauga County, North Carolina
Mouth South Fork Holston River near Kingsport, TN
Basin countries USA
Length 60 mi (97 km)

The Watauga River
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North America is a continent ^[1] in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west
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Highland games are events held throughout the year in Scotland and other countries as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage, especially that of the Scottish Highlands.
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History of Scottish Games in North Carolina

The Scottish people have a long and rich history in the state of North Carolina. After the battle of Culloden in 1745, highland clearances left many Scottish clans with no home and nowhere to go.
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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City of Pleasanton, California

Seal
Location of Pleasanton within Alameda County, California.
Coordinates:
Country United States
State California
County Alameda
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Charlotte, North Carolina
Skyline of Charlotte at night

Flag
Nickname: "The Queen City"
Location in Mecklenburg County in the state of North Carolina
Coordinates:
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A. piceae

Binomial name
Adelges piceae
(Ratzeburg, 1844)

Balsam woolly adelgids are small wingless insects that infest and kill firs, especially Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir.
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