BLACK MOUNTAINS

mountain range in Yancey county in western North Carolina, U.S., extending north from the Blue Ridge, part of the Appalachian Mountains. The mountains include Mount Mitchell (6,684 feet ), the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Since they were not subject to glaciation, their slopes are covered with soil to the top, except for rocky precipices, and are heavily wooded. They lie within the Pisgah National Forest.