Woody's Knob (Charlie Woody Mountain), at an elevation of 4,170 feet, is a summit or "knob" in the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsy ...

and one of the highest points in the unincorporated village of Little Switzerland and in

Mitchell County, North Carolina Mitchell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,903. Its county seat is Bakersville, population 439 (2022), elevation 2470 ft. The county is home to the "Mineral City ...

Geography

Described by North Carolina Geodetic Survey of 1982, the summit of Woody's Knob is located approximately 2.10 statute miles (3.4 km) north northwest of the village of Little Switzerland and 3.25 statute miles (5.2 km) southwest of Spruce Pine, North Carolina. The spike station is a standard NCGS bronze disk stamped "SPRUCE PINE NCDOT 4170 ft" set into the top of a round concrete monument 30 cm in diameter projecting 5 cm above ground located directly underneath the Spruce Pine Lookout and Firetower, which was constructed in 1958 as part of the Forest Service's efforts to detect woodland fires. Unmanned and standing 68.9 feet in height, today it serves as a communications transmission facility. By vehicle, the mountain top is 5.1 statute miles from uptown Little Switzerland and the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenan ...

. Approaching Woody's Knob on Old Chestnut Grove Church Road, Neideiger Road, Lake Laurel and Emerald Mine Road; gravel paved Firetower Road terminates at the grass covered summit. Along with the firetower mentioned above, at the mountain top stands four concrete block electric and generator houses, a wooden outhouse, one micro-wave tower, numerous vhf and uhf receivers and transceivers, a U.S. Forestry Service air monitoring station and a 180' high Homeland Security/North Carolina Highway Patrol Communications Viper Tower.

Waypoints

From the firetower and above the tree line, a 360° panorama, covering no less than 4 counties, can be seen. To the north northeast are the white feldspar cliffs of Chalk Mountain above Spruce Pine, North Carolina. Grandfather Mountain (5964 ft.), Hawksbill (4020 ft.) and Table Rock Mountain (4100 ft.) can be seen towards the east with

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

, the

and Lynn Gap to the south south east. From south to north rise the spruce and fir covered eastern slopes of the Black Mountains comprising at least a dozen peaks along the visible ridge with Mt. Mitchell (6684 ft.) following close to a dozen Rocks, Mounts, Gaps, Hills, Peaks and Cones northwards terminating with Celo Knob (6327 ft.) abruptly cresting downwards to Burnsville. Due west downhill is Emerald Mine Road, Bushy Creek, Crabtree Mt. and Hoot Owl Mine. In the valley beyond is Micaville and the

South Toe River The South Toe River is a river in Yancey County in Western North Carolina. The name Toe is taken from its original name Estatoe, pronounced 'S - ta - toe', a native American name associated with the Estatoe trade route leading down from the NC m ...

, with Burnsville and eastern Yancey County towards the horizon. Northwards, completing the 360° view, the

Roan Highlands Roan Mountain is a mountain straddling the North Carolina/Tennessee border in the Unaka Range of the Southern Appalachian Mountains in the Southeastern United States. The range's highpoint, Roan is clad in a dense stand of Southern Appalachian sp ...

Massif stretches along the Mitchell County, NC and Carter County, TN state line.

Climate

The weather atop Woody's Knob ranges from one extreme to another. During the summer months, early morning fog is frequent and daytime temperatures average in the low 70's to low 50's at night. Wintertime, temperatures easily dip into double digits below zero. Add to that, a wind chill factor caused by the prevailing wintertime north westerlies which have been measured from atop the firetower at hurricane-force winds. Ice storms can occur as early as late November which can make traveling to the top of the mountain a challenge. Average rainfall on the mountaintop is 58 inches and normal snowfall is 20 to 25 inches annually. Springtime arrives late as flower buds and leaves aren't in full bloom until after late April. Rhododendron, mountain laurel and wildflowers are blooming by mid May and blackberries and strawberries are ready to pick by mid summer while fall colors on the mountain are at their most brilliant by the last week of October.

Flora and fauna

Wildlife in the area include

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally d ...

, bobcat, various species of

hummingbirds Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

, cardinals,

hawks Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily ...

, owls,

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

eastern gray squirrel The eastern gray squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis''), also known, particularly outside of North America, as simply the grey squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodi ...

southern flying squirrel The southern flying squirrel or the assapan (''Glaucomys volans'') is one of three species of the genus '' Glaucomys'' and one of three flying squirrel species found in North America. It is found in deciduous and mixed woods in the eastern half o ...

eastern box turtle The eastern box turtle (''Terrapene carolina carolina'') is a subspecies within a group of hinge-shelled turtles normally called box turtles. ''T. c. carolina'' is native to the eastern part of the United States. The eastern box turtl ...

eastern diamondback rattlesnake The eastern diamondback rattlesnake (''Crotalus adamanteus'') is a species of pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the heaviest venomous snakes in the Americas and the largest r ...

s and

scarlet kingsnake The scarlet kingsnake or scarlet milk snake (''Lampropeltis elapsoides'') is a species of kingsnake found in the southeastern and eastern portions of the United States. Like all kingsnakes, they are nonvenomous. They are found in pine flatwoods, ...

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

s and an occasional appearance of a

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

with cubs or a

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

Gallery

File:Fire_Tower_@_Woody's_Knob.jpg, Fire Tower at Summit File:Cabin_From_The_Valley_11-3-07.JPG, Western Slope & Towers at Summit File:Celo_Knob_8-1-09.JPG, Celo Knob (6,327') Southwest View File:Cabin-Mts._8-1-2011_49.JPG, Sunrise Behind Hawksbill & Tablerock File:The_Black_Mountains.jpg, Black Mountains (Fall) File:View_From_Tower_19_8-1-09.JPG, Black Mountains (Summer) File:Cabin-Mts._8-1-2011_182.JPG, Sunset File:Sunset_July_08_050.JPG, Sunset File:View_Fog_4_11-05.jpg, West-Southwest View Towards Burnsville File:Cabin-Mts._8-1-2011_167.JPG, Boone Knob; Northwest View File:Cabin-Mts._8-1-2011_50.JPG, Local Population File:Cabin-Mts._8-1-2011_15.JPG, Local Population File:Western_View.JPG, Snowfall; January, 2011 File:Snow Fall At Woody's Knob Summit.jpg, Snowfall at Summit File:Woody's_Knob;_Antique_Farm_Equipment.JPG, Farm Equipment File:Southwest View.jpg, Rime Ice File:Western View From Woody's Knob.jpg, Rime Ice File:Woody's_Knob_&_Towers.JPG, Woody's Knob From 221

References

External links

* * * * {{Mitchell County, North Carolina Mountains of North Carolina Landforms of Mitchell County, North Carolina