Sassafras Mountain

"Drove up to the summit to speak with the job site foreman about the progress for the observation deck. Looks like everything is on track to open to the public in early August. Currently the summit area is closed due to construction." — StoneMan • Apr 5, 2018

"Um... technically the high point is closed until the new observation tower is built. Technically it's trespassing to enter the construction site. But when someone else walked up there with their 10 year old kid... I kinda followed. Found the benchmark, about 3 feet behind a chain-link construction fence. I made this summit, darn it! But I'd suggest waiting until the observation tower officially opens in May/June 2018. State highpoint #9 for me and #3 for my mother!" — psychikingjes • Mar 30, 2018

"Solo. I think my perception of this hike was severely altered by how epic my hike up Big Bald was yesterday. I started out from Chimneytop Gap around 1145. The trail was fairly uninteresting, and frankly, mostly flat. I got bored quickly and hustled to the summit in a sort of zoned out state. There was a nice (newish?) viewing platform just below the summit at the upper most parking area, & the view was nice but mostly clouded. Nothing spectacular. On the actual summit I was surprised at how naked and industrial it looked. Sort of like a grassy parking lot. I was also surprised to see a few folks in camping chairs under umbrellas using binoculars and high powered cameras. Right in front of the summit plaque. Turns out, they were bird watchers, and this week is "International Hawk Migration week." Go figure. After one of the group obliged to take a photo for me, I snapped a couple of shots of the cloudy views, & headed immediately back into the woods and got back to my car very quickly. Overall, not great, but not bad. Another state high point in the books, at the very least. " — kellieirene • Sep 19, 2017

"Hooray for Labor Day weekend! We flew into Atlanta from Vegas with the intention of bagging 9 new state highpoints and a couple National Park highpoints in 4 days. We accomplished that and then some!" — Kevin • Sep 5, 2016

"Went to Sassafras to check on the summit condition since phase one has been completed to make way for an observation tower in the near future. It's a bit sad to see all the trees removed and the bare summit. I know I'll miss the eerie sound of the cicadas in the early evening as the sun sets up there. It'll be years before the summit area begins to look natural again." — StoneMan • Apr 15, 2016

"An amazingly misty/foggy/gorgeous day hike up to Sassafras as we travel south to Florida. Squirrel, Wild Turkey, and Chickadees were having a great time along with me. The summit was a bit depressing as it had been denuded, and unfortunately there wasn't much of a view due to the fog, but it was still a great time in the woods. " — micklongley • Nov 30, 2015

"#5 on "the southern six pack" Finally the weather was starting to clear when I arrived. There was a nice view of the larger mountains to the north. It looks like a small observation deck was recently built. It was a nice addition. Took a few photos and headed out to Asheville, NC." — hollis83 • Jul 5, 2013

"The last of three highpoints in one day ... all reached by mountain biking along the summit road. This one may have been my favorite simply due to the remoteness and solitude I enjoyed. Legs were tired by the time I finished." — catamount • Apr 24, 2004

"At midnight on July 1, 1991, 5 climbers, Pete Allard, Jim Grace, Shaun Lacher, David Sandway and myself, Dennis Stewart, took their first step off the summit of Mount Rainier and began a climbing marathon to reach the highest point in each of the 48 contiguous states in one calendar month. During the month of July in 1991, the team hiked over 250 miles, climbed over 14 vertical miles and drove over 14,000 miles. Their total time (summit to summit) was 30 days, 10 hours and 52 minutes. All 5 members of the climbing team reached every summit during the month long expedition. Sassafras Mountain was the 15th peak climbed on this record breaking trip, which got the team recognition in Guinness Book of Records." — Stewy • Jul 10, 1991