Hiking rails run through the spruce-fir forests of Balsam Mountain, Smoky Mountain National Park, North Carolina.
Image details
Contributor:
Diana Jarvis Godwin / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
BY9P83File size:
34.5 MB (1.7 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
4256 x 2831 px | 36 x 24 cm | 14.2 x 9.4 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
7 April 2010Location:
Balsam Mountain, Smoky Mountain National Park, North CaroliaMore information:
Balsam Mountain Campground was set up not long after the inception of the National Park in 1934. The rare spruce-fir forests that cloak the highest elevations of the Smokies were among the primary reasons the Smoky Mountains were designated a national park. Covering only 13, 000 of the park’s 500, 000 acres, this is the southern limit of this relic of the ice age. Over 10, 000 years ago, when glaciers covered much of the United States, a forest much more reminiscent of those in Canada today migrated south. When the glaciers retreated, this forest survived on the highest points of the Smokies, creating an “island” forest that has many ecologically important components besides red spruce and Fraser fir trees. At 5, 300 feet, Balsam Mountain is Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s highest campground.