| Brasstown Bald | |
|---|---|
| Enotah | |
 October 2018: Brasstown Bald is the highest mountain in the background | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,784 ft (1,458 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 2,108 ft (643 m)[1] |
| Listing | U.S. state high point 25th Mountains of Georgia |
| Coordinates | 34°52′27″N83°48′38″W / 34.874199°N 83.810652°W /34.874199; -83.810652[2] |
| Geography | |
  Brasstown Bald | |
| Parent range | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Jacks Gap |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Drive or hike |
Brasstown Bald is the highest point in the U.S. state ofGeorgia. It is located in the northeastern part of the state in theBlue Ridge Mountains on the border betweenTowns andUnion counties south of the city ofHiawassee. The mountain is known to the nativeCherokee people asEnotah.[2]
The name in English is derived from a mistaken translation of the term for the nearby Cherokee village ofBrasstown, located along the upperBrasstown Creek (named in English from the same error) feeding theHiawassee River.[3]
Immediately north of the mountain and across the state line withNorth Carolina are other places named by English settlers:Brasstown, a community in the Brasstowntownship ofClay County, North Carolina.
Brasstown Bald encompassesTowns andUnion counties with the county line intersecting the peak. The mountain is part of theBlue Ridge Mountains (part of theAppalachian Mountains) and within the borders of the Blue Ridge Ranger District of theChattahoochee National Forest. The mountain consists mostly ofsoapstone anddunite.
On a clear day it is possible to see thetallest buildings ofAtlanta, some 85 miles away from the summit. TheU.S. Forest Service haswebcams atop theobservation tower and aRAWSweather station further down the mountain. The public can drive to a parking lot 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the top viaGeorgia State Route 180 Spur and then continue to the summit via a shuttle bus or a short hike on a paved trail.[4]
According to the two Georgiahistorical markers, the area surrounding Brasstown Bald was settled by theCherokee people. English-speaking settlers derived the word "Brasstown" from a translation error of the Cherokee word for its village place. Settlers confused the wordItse'yĭ (meaning "New Green Place" or "Place of Fresh Green"), which the Cherokee used for their village, withÛňtsaiyĭ ("brass"), and referred to the settlement as Brasstown. The Cherokee gave the locative name,Itse'yĭ, to several distinct areas in their territory, including an area nearby in what is considered present-day North Carolina.
According to Cherokee legend aboutItse'yĭ, a great flood swept over the land. All the people died except a few Cherokee families who sought refuge in a giantcanoe. The canoe ran aground at the summit of a forested mountain (now known as Enotah). As there was nowild game for the people to hunt and no place for them to plant crops, theGreat Spirit killed all the trees on the top of the mountain so that the surviving people could plant crops. They continued planting and lived from their crops until the water subsided.[citation needed]
Other transliterated spellings of the Cherokee name for the mountain includeEchia,Echoee,Etchowee, andEnotah.[citation needed]
The term "Bald" is common terminology in the southern Appalachians describing mountaintops that have 360-degree unobstructed views.
Former Georgia Supreme Court JudgeThomas S. Candler is memorialized with a stone monument at Brasstown Bald. It was erected in 1971 three months before he died in recognition of his efforts to support getting more visitors to the mountain and establishing a visitor center there for them.[5]
From the northeast, starting at the intersection of Owl Creek Road and the Unicol Turnpike (concurrentGeorgia 17 andGeorgia 75) nearMountain Scene, the climb is 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long, gaining 2,820 feet (860 m), an average 6.3%grade.
From the southeast, starting at the intersection ofGeorgia 180 and Georgia 17/75 near Sooky Gap, the climb is 8.3 miles (13.4 km) long, gaining 2,560 feet (780 m), an average of 5.8% grade.
From the west, starting at the intersection of Georgia 180 and Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway (Georgia 348) near Choestoe, the climb is 9.3 miles (15.0 km), gaining 2,940 feet (896 m), an average of 6.0% grade.
From the intersection of Route 180 and Route 180 Spur at Jacks Gap the climb is 2.9 miles (4.7 km) at an average gradient of 11.2%, (height gain: 1,720 feet (524 m)).
An additional route to the summit is theWagon Train Trail, starting at Young Harris College. The trail is traditionally hiked by graduating students and their families on the evening before graduation; avespers service is held at the summit.
Due to its altitude of 4784 ft, Brasstown Bald experiences anoceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb), cooler than most of the Southeastern US, as well as receiving noticeably more rain than lower-altitude cities in theUpland South.
While there isn't exact data for the peak of Brasstown Bald, PRISM, a climate project byOregon State University containsinterpolated climate data for an altitude about 400 ft below the peak (4324 ft):
| Climate data for Brasstown Bald (34.8737 N, 83.8078 W, 4324 ft above sea level) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.5 (5.8) | 45.7 (7.6) | 52.8 (11.6) | 60.9 (16.1) | 67.3 (19.6) | 73.2 (22.9) | 76.0 (24.4) | 75.2 (24.0) | 71.2 (21.8) | 63.3 (17.4) | 53.4 (11.9) | 45.6 (7.6) | 60.6 (15.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 33.8 (1.0) | 36.7 (2.6) | 43.0 (6.1) | 50.9 (10.5) | 58.1 (14.5) | 64.8 (18.2) | 67.9 (19.9) | 67.0 (19.4) | 62.2 (16.8) | 53.5 (11.9) | 44.0 (6.7) | 37.2 (2.9) | 51.6 (10.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 27.6 (−2.4) | 33.2 (0.7) | 40.9 (4.9) | 48.9 (9.4) | 56.5 (13.6) | 59.7 (15.4) | 58.7 (14.8) | 53.2 (11.8) | 43.8 (6.6) | 34.5 (1.4) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 42.6 (5.9) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.57 (141) | 4.89 (124) | 5.20 (132) | 5.49 (139) | 5.59 (142) | 5.95 (151) | 5.04 (128) | 5.49 (139) | 5.15 (131) | 4.79 (122) | 4.91 (125) | 5.36 (136) | 63.43 (1,610) |
| Source:[6] | |||||||||||||
Brasstown Bald is the only known location of the isopodLigidium enotahensis.[7]
In the 2005 through 2008 editions of theTour de Georgia, a long-distance bicycle race, Brasstown Bald was the site of anhors categorie "King of the Mountains stage" finish.
| Year | Stage | Start | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 6 | Blairsville | Kanstantsin Sivtsov |
| 2007 | 5 | Dalton | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2006 | 5 | Blairsville | Tom Danielson |
| 2005 | 5 | Gainesville | Tom Danielson |
| 2004 | 6 | Athens | Cesar Grajales |
NOAA Weather Radio stationKXI22 transmits from atop the mountain, which used tosimulcast withKXI75 fromBlue Ridge, Georgia until 2021. They now have separate programming. The programming originates fromNWSFO Peachtree City.
Georgia Public Broadcasting had or has construction permits from theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) for twolow-powerbroadcast translator stations at the summit. Thedigital TV station on channel 12 (W25FP-D, licensed December 2009) is the direct replacement foranalog TV stationW04BJ in nearbyYoung Harris, and also covers forW50AB in nearbyHiawassee (both to the north). New stationWBTBFM 90.3 will transmit at just 97 watts, equivalent to several hundred watts because of theheight above average terrain of over 700 meters, or more than 2,300 feet. Both stations will have Young Harris as thecity of license.[citation needed]
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Media related toBrasstown Bald at Wikimedia Commons
