Tales From The Wood Booger: The Beauty of Winter Snow on the Roans

I will admit anytime there is snow here in the Appalachian Highlands my thoughts go to some specific...the ones on the Roans.

The snow I found on the Carter-Mitchell County line was from the same snow event that brought the white stuff I enjoyed at Margarette Falls last Tuesday. Even after a week, there was still plenty of areas where the snow was eight inches and in spots up to over afoot.

Last week at Margarette Falls

The plan for the day would be two parts. One would be the trip I did twice last winter up to the Roan High Shelter and once to the Cloudland Hotel Site. However, since it was supposed to be clear I wanted to also go up on the balds. In what order would I do these parts? As always, depends on the weather at Carvers Gap. In the past, I have gone up to Roan High Knob because of clouds but especially wind.

This can make the balds unpleasant, to say the least.

Last winter on the Roans

There also can be clouds and that became a real possibility as there was a blanket over the mountains when I came into Johnson City and this continued until I reached Roan Mountain. Then something different happened the clouds parted and gave way to clear skies on the Roans. I drove through a strip of rime ice, which also helped keep the road icy in spots.

Early morning

Buffalo Mountain had an icy top

Entering Roan Mountain

Rime ice on TN-143

Snow on the road

Then when I got out at Carvers Gap another surprise, calm winds in winter. These two things made my decision to head up on the balds first. The main reason is that there would be more snowmelt on the open balds than in the woods around Roan High Knob. So, I started up the icy Appalachian Trail (AT) but before getting too far I stopped to put on my new crampons. As I have mentioned in the past I have a pair of YaxTrak Pro's I got for Christmas in 2015. Since then they have been essential on snow and ice for over half a decade. However, because the YakTrak is spikeless on slick uphill ice I have had a little slippage. So, I got a set of ones with spikes, Extremus Spike Ice Cleats. While heavier these crampons give better traction. Now I'm not retiring the YaxTrax I will say these Extremus ones are well worth the money.

At Carvers Gap

Rime ice at Carvers

My new Extremus Spike Ice Cleats

Well, on the journey up I passed beautiful white trees, not from snow but rime ice. There was snow and ice on the mountains on both the North Carolina and Tennessee sides, it is just one of the reasons I love winter in the high country. My original plan was to hike to Jane Bald and come back for the second half of the hike. However, I decided to hike to the AT-Grassy Ridge Bald junction because one of my favorite views of the highlands is there. Oh, and contrary to what Pete said we were never going to Grassy Ridge.

Why I decided to head up the balds first...

...plenty of beauty

Dr. Brown's Trees

NC side

TN side

Jane Bald

Mt. Mitchell towers in the background

The Humps

Whitetop Mtn. & Mt. Rogers

AT-Grassy Ridge junction

On the way back I realized I made the right decision as I was amazed at how much snow had melted off the AT and temperatures was still in the 20's. Once back I took off the crampons, took off my puff coat, and had lunch before setting out up the Roan Mountain Road. One thing that surprised me was the number of cars when I got back. I know it was a Saturday, but it was like summer!

Round Bald

Left earlier in the day & right, when I got back

Because a lot of skiers had been up to through here over the week the snow had been packed down, so all I need here was my crampons. I had forgotten how long and hard this part actually is and it didn't help I had four miles in my legs (on snow). Because of this fact I didn't make it to the hotel site this year. I decided to leave the road where there is a view and the AT comes close to the road about 0.2 miles from the Cloudland parking area. I still had around two-mile on the AT plus a side trip to the Roan High Shelter.

Up the road...

,,,& past skiers

Where I decided to head back on the AT...

...so, I didn't go here like in 2021

So, I stopped and put on my puff coat and my snowshoes. Yes, since I got a bag for them I could bring them along and with the information given to me by a couple, in snowshoes, I put mine on and I was glad I did. It would have been a mile, post-holing up hill...no thank you! Once the AT tops out and starts down admittedly to the right is the side trail to the shelter. Since the snow had been packed down here I switched back to crampons for the short trek to Roan High Knob.

Strapped on the snowshoes

The shelter sets near the summit near the site of the old fire tower. I did discover that the actual summit had been marked off for sensitive Habitat. I was in for a pleasant surprise on the way back as the trees were still trapped in the snow. I mean on my way up, TN-143, I didn't see a lot in the trees, so I really wasn't expecting much, but that wasn't the case. One of the best parts of this section of the AT is that it switchbacks down (or up) the mountain. For the second year in a row, I passed some snowboarders and gave them some knowledge of where they were (as it was their first trip here).

Roan High Shelter

The benchmark is behind the sign

There was plenty of snow on the trees

Before long I reached where the AT reaches a junction where the trail goes left. Since I was pretty gassed I wasn't hiking the AT to where it comes out at Carvers Gap because there is always deep snow I'm this last part. I planned to use the cut trail back to the vault toilet because I was parked in this lot. However, I continued straight on an old part of the AT. I knew it went to the road, but I had never actually hiked it. It comes out on Roan Mountain Road about two-tenths above the gate at Carvers Gap. It wasn't long until I got back and I think there were more people than when I set out up to Roan High Knob. I was just glad to get out of the parking area without having words.

Straight on the old AT to the road

The top is when I started & when I finished

However that wasn't all, I had seen areas of ice on the rocs heading up the Roan Mountain Road. While quite stunning it was nothing compared to the flows of ice on TN-143. It is really hard to call these icicles as there more like ice flows. Still, there amazing and worth a trip up here (even if you don't hike). Well, that puts a wrap on another wonderful winter outing to the Roans. It is hard to argue that winter isn't the most beautiful time of the year here...