Roan Mountain State Park is a Tennessee state park in Carter County, in Northeast Tennessee. It is close to the

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

border and near the community of

Roan Mountain, Tennessee Roan Mountain is a census-designated place (CDP) in Carter County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,360 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City&nd ...

. Situated in the Blue Ridge of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

, the park preserves of mostly hardwood forest. The park is in close proximity to Roan Mountain and the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

, both of which are owned and managed by the

US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. On exceptionally clear days, the

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

skyline can be photographed from the peak.

Activities

Roan Mountain State Park hosts a variety of outdoor activities including

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, mountain biking,

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

, cross-country skiing (during snowy, winter months),

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

. A heated swimming pool is open from Memorial Day to mid-August. At an elevation of 2,972 feet (906 m), the outdoor swimming pool is at the highest elevation of any swimming pool within the Tennessee State Park System. Other attractions include the historic Miller homestead and the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival. The festival celebrates the blooming of the world's largest natural rhododendron garden, and it is held in the park annually, during the peak of the alpine catawba rhododendron bloom in late June.

Amenities

Roan Mountain State Park has a 107-site campground for tents, trailers, and RVs, as well as 30 rental cabins available by reservation. A modern meeting facility is also available for rent, by advance reservation. Picnicking is also available in the park. There are three picnic pavilions.

Miller Farmstead

Miller Farmstead is a historic farmstead located in the park. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on July 25, 2014. The farm was settled in 1870 and the house was built in either 1908 or 1910. The farmstead includes the home, a barn, a chicken coop, and several other contributing structures. The Miller Family Cemetery is also located on the farm.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within of Roan Mountain State Park: :

Elk Knob State Park Elk Knob State Park is a North Carolina state park in Watauga County, North Carolina, in the United States. Opened in 2003, it is one of North Carolina's newest state parks. Elk Knob State Park was established to preserve the natural state of El ...

Grandfather Mountain State Park Grandfather Mountain is a mountain, a non-profit attraction, and a North Carolina state park near Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet (1,812 m), it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major ch ...

, North Carolina : Lake James State Park, North Carolina : Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park :

Mount Mitchell State Park Mount Mitchell State Park is a North Carolina state park in Yancey County, North Carolina in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state legislature, it became the first state park of North Carolina. By doing so, it also established the ...

, North Carolina

References

"In the footsteps of the heroic Overmountain Men." Ren Davis. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cache as retrieved on July 4, 2005.

External links

Roan Mountain State Park
{{authority control State parks of Tennessee State parks of the Appalachians Protected areas of Carter County, Tennessee Roan Mountain, Tennessee