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Which range is your favorite Appalachian subrange?
Judging the whole thing, whether you like skiing or Hiking or both, which have the nicest mountain towns, hardest or prettiest hikes (depending on what you want).
I'm not having a poll because there are too many, Whites, Greens, Adirondacks, Smokies, Blue Ridge, Blacks, Longfellow etc.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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My favorite view is from Lake Champlain with the Adirondacks on the west and the Greens on the eastern horizon. Two of my favorite ranges back east. I've never seen Maine's Mt. Katahdin in person, but judging by photos it looks like the most impressive peak in the Appalachians to me in terms of ruggedness and the aesthetics of its sharp peaks and steep grades. I suppose I knew Maine's mountains were called the Longfellows, but it never really became a household name like NH's White's or the Smokies.
My favorite view is from Lake Champlain with the Adirondacks on the west and the Greens on the eastern horizon. Two of my favorite ranges back east. I've never seen Maine's Mt. Katahdin in person, but judging by photos it looks like the most impressive peak in the Appalachians to me in terms of ruggedness and the aesthetics of its sharp peaks and steep grades. I suppose I knew Maine's mountains were called the Longfellows, but it never really became a household name like NH's White's or the Smokies.
Probably because Katahdin and such is far from everyone, meanwhile the other ranges are pretty close to lots of people. The Knifes edge to Katahdin summit I hear is insane but I haven't been up there.
Just a fun fact: Only the Northern Appalachians have an alpine zone, and the tree line is as low as 4,000 feet in the Whites, and 3,700 feet in Maine, although there are several rocky summits throughout the chain, those are due to topography (actually being too rugged for roots to form) not elevation and climate.
Which range is your favorite Appalachian subrange?
Judging the whole thing, whether you like skiing or Hiking or both, which have the nicest mountain towns, hardest or prettiest hikes (depending on what you want).
I'm not having a poll because there are too many, Whites, Greens, Adirondacks, Smokies, Blue Ridge, Blacks, Longfellow etc.
Favorite: Blue Ridge of Virginia and North Carolina. Beautiful, impressive mountains. Most interesting: Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. Remote rugged country, steep sided hills, narrow valleys, and "dark hollows".
First and foremost, I love mountains, in general. And like most others on the thread, I'm pretty partial to the area where I spent the most time. My favorite subrange of the Appalachians is the Blue Ridge, though the name "Blue Ridge" is more of a large physiographic region stretching from GA to PA. But for the sake of this discussion, I'm referring to the eastern front, Asheville to NC Line or even a little bit further north.
The eastern front creates a pronounced delineation between lower land/piedmont and mountains/higher terrain, more so than any other area on the east coast. Outside of the Blue Ridge there are some isolated ancient ranges, but the dividing line is pretty clear, so for a lot of NC, you're either in the mountains or you're not. The terrain, temperature and even the culture is noticeably different between the two areas. There are high, nestled mountain towns like Blowing Rock, Boone, and a host of other, smaller towns provide a break from heat and attitude of the rest of the South- and, while a little lower and warmer, Asheville is a town truly surrounded by mountains, and one of the hippest mountain towns in the country. In winter you can drive up to see snow, and in summer it's hardly ever hot. Higher elevations are downright cold in winter, and while there are no true alpine zones, there are some interesting subalpine areas, balds, and spruce-fir forests that make the area feel much further north.
And one of the best things? A fantastic road riding the crest of the ridge, connecting two national parks, with views 3,000-5,000' plus below into the lower country to the east.
Sorry to gush, I loved living near those mountains. I may not ever live in the east again; but if I do it would probably be in the high country of NC.
First and foremost, I love mountains, in general. And like most others on the thread, I'm pretty partial to the area where I spent the most time. My favorite subrange of the Appalachians is the Blue Ridge, though the name "Blue Ridge" is more of a large physiographic region stretching from GA to PA. But for the sake of this discussion, I'm referring to the eastern front, Asheville to NC Line or even a little bit further north.
The eastern front creates a pronounced delineation between lower land/piedmont and mountains/higher terrain, more so than any other area on the east coast. Outside of the Blue Ridge there are some isolated ancient ranges, but the dividing line is pretty clear, so for a lot of NC, you're either in the mountains or you're not. The terrain, temperature and even the culture is noticeably different between the two areas. There are high, nestled mountain towns like Blowing Rock, Boone, and a host of other, smaller towns provide a break from heat and attitude of the rest of the South- and, while a little lower and warmer, Asheville is a town truly surrounded by mountains, and one of the hippest mountain towns in the country. In winter you can drive up to see snow, and in summer it's hardly ever hot. Higher elevations are downright cold in winter, and while there are no true alpine zones, there are some interesting subalpine areas, balds, and spruce-fir forests that make the area feel much further north.
And one of the best things? A fantastic road riding the crest of the ridge, connecting two national parks, with views 3,000-5,000' plus below into the lower country to the east.
Sorry to gush, I loved living near those mountains. I may not ever live in the east again; but if I do it would probably be in the high country of NC.
One thing about the Southern Appalachians is that they are more habitable, and thus have bigger towns. the Whites up through the end of the Appalachian trail only have 3 towns over 10k. The Northern Mountains tend to be a little more wild, which I like. Of course Washington is actually the exception. The equivalent to the Blue Ridge Parkway would be the Kacamangus but due to climate considerations, it is not along the White Mountain's high ridges, but in the valley so you don't have the same vistas but you look up at the mountains, same with all the N/S roads which pass through the notches.
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