Quote:
Originally Posted by Flem125
The highest elevation east of the Rockies and west of the Pyrenees is in South Dakota.
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What about the Atlas Mountains? Or island summits? I'm not so sure about this. The Black Hills are the highest east of the Rockies
in The United States; let's say that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by btownboss4
The ruggedest part of the Appalations is the White Mountains, its elevation at base of the Range is only about 200 Ft (Merrimack River headwaters) while Western NC mountians start at about 800 Ft. (Charlottes Elevation)
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Ruggedness is somewhat subjective. A strong case could be made that Linville Gorge in NC is the most rugged area in the Appalachians, or Katahdin in Maine. Although I'm starting to wonder if Newfoundland's often-overlooked section of the Apps is actually the most rugged.
Some other Appalachian stuff:
There are 9 mountains in the Appalachians that reach 2000 meters of elevation, all of which are in the Blacks or the Smokies.
Mount Mitchell 2037.2832
Mount Craig 2026.0056
Clingmans Dome 2024.7864
Mount Guyot 2018.0808
Balsam Cone 2015.0328
Cattail Peak 2011.68
Mount LeConte 2009.5464
Mount Buckley 2005.584
Mount Gibbes 2002.8408
There are only 2 mountains in the entire Appalachian chain that have 1500 meters of prominence and can be classified as 'ultra-prominent peaks'. Mt Mitchell and Mt Washington. Clingman's Dome and Katahdin come very close.
Several waterfalls are touted as the tallest waterfall in the Eastern US. There is some debate about this as many waterfalls have not been accurately measured, and some include features above/below the main cascades that wouldn't be considered interesting on their own.
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Fall Creek Falls, TN - 256 ft - often considered the tallest 'free falling' single cascade. This seems relatively legit.
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Crabtree Falls, VA - ~1200 ft - often considered the tallest waterfall in the eastern US period, but it is really more like a network of nearby cascades than a single waterfall. You cannot see the whole thing, or even more than parts of it, without a helicopter. So it is more like the tallest cascade network, I guess.
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Glassmine Falls, NC ~800 ft - it is a single hawaiian-style drop, so it might be the tallest single cascade in the eastern US. However, it dries up seasonally, and that height measurement is dubious. (Though Yosemite Falls does the same and we generally consider that the tallest in the US)
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Hickory Nut Falls, NC 404 ft - is a single cascade as well, and possibly the tallest single cascade that flows uninterrupted throughout the year.
Erroneously considered the tallest:
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Amicalola Falls, GA - 729 ft - often considered the tallest waterfall in the east, but its height measurement is very dubious. According to a few sources the actual visible part of the falls is more like 300 ft. Still impressive though.
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Upper Whitewater Falls, NC - 411 ft - also considered the tallest single cascade by many, but it could probably be considered two linked cascades (the taller of which is maybe 250 ft) technically. Regardless, it isn't even the tallest waterfall in NC. Although it is impressive for its volume.
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Windy Falls, NC - ~700 ft - This is a network of cascades like Crabtree Falls, and it is often touted as the tallest by people who have never heard of Crabtree Falls.
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Raven Cliff Falls, SC - ~400 ft - considered the tallest in SC, and worth mentioning here, even though it isn't considered the tallest in the east, simply because it is probably taller than Whitewater Falls and Amicalola Falls. South Carolinians are just more humble about it I guess.
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Other NC Stuff:
Lake Mattamuskeet, the largest natural lake in the state, has an average depth of only 2 feet.
Cape Hatteras is not the easternmost point in the state. That is actually along the middle section of Hatteras Island around the town of Rodanthe.
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