Nantahala Mountains

Mountain chain in western North Carolina and northeastern Georgia. The Nantahalas extend south for around 80 km/50 mi from the junction of the Nantahala and Little Tennessee rivers to the Chattahoochee National Forest. The highest peak in the range is Standing Indian Mountain (1,677 m/5,498 ft).

The Nantahala Mountains are largely located withn the Nantahala National Forest (area 2,130 sq km/822 sq mi; headquarters Asheville). Other major summits in the range are Cheoah, Cowee, Snowbird, Tusquitee, and Whiteside. Wayah Bald Mountain (1,647 m/5,400 ft), 14 km/9 mi west of Franklin, North Carolina, is known especially for its wild azaleas. There are a nuumber of noteworthy sites within the Nantahala range, including: Fontana Lake (on the border with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park); the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest near Santeetlah Lake; Lake Hiwassee; Nantahala Gorge; Whitewater River, with its 125 m/411 ft-high falls; and sections of the historic ‘Trail of Tears’ and the Appalachian Trail.