By Gail Marsh
Forget what usually comes to your mind when you hear the word “bald,” like:
- No hair on top of one’s head,
- A statement that needs further explanation,
- Missing spot of tread on your RV tires.
Yes, all of these certainly relate to the word “bald.” However, none relates to the Appalachian Balds. RVers, if you don’t know what balds are, you should!
What are balds?
What is a bald? The National Park Service defines balds as treeless, grassy meadows usually located on ridgetops or high elevations within the southern Appalachian Mountains. These unusual areas are covered with natural grasses and shrubs rather than the forest trees and vegetation you might expect.
Age
Native Cherokee people mention the existence of these unique, treeless formations in many of their ancient legends. This leads scientists to believe that the balds are very old, though their exact age has not been determined.
Two types of balds
There are two known categories of balds: grassy balds and heath balds. Grassy balds live up to their names, hosting a variety of native grasses. Heath balds are comprised of evergreen shrubs like rhododendron and mountain laurel.
Both types of balds defy the general definition of a forest—as an area densely covered with trees. It seems almost otherworldly to hike out of a forested region and up to the bald with its vastly different vegetation. From the top of a bald, you have an unobstructed 360-degree view of nearby mountaintops, lakes, and ridges.
In May and June, hikers, photographers, and nature lovers ascend to see the “bloom” on Gregory Bald. This heath bald offers visitors an amazing display as the flame azaleas and mountain laurel burst into bloom, causing the bald to practically glow with colors of pink, orange, red, and white blossoms.
Why RVers should know about the Great Smoky Mountain balds
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is such a treasure! No wonder it’s the most visited National Park in the nation. A wide range of plant and animal species live within the park’s ancient mountains, and the balds are just one of the many unusual and beautiful features. RVers owe it to themselves to visit at least once—especially now that you know about the balds!
If you go
There are several RV campgrounds near the Appalachian balds. Here are just a few:
- Townsend/Great Smokies KOA: This campground provides visitors a host of amenities, including full hookups, Wi-Fi, a swimming pool, and a camp store. This family-friendly campground offers easy access to fishing, tubing, and horseback riding in the nearby national park.
- Big Meadow Family Campground: Family- and pet-friendly with full hookups, restroom/laundry facilities and a campground store. Relax in the pool, take a horseback ride, or entertain children at the playground.
- Greenbrier Campground: Located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, this campground offers RVers a range of sites with full hookups, showers/laundry/restroom facilities, and a camp store. Fish at the beach, hike the trails, or play horseshoes with the family.
How about you?
Have you visited Great Smoky Mountain National Park? Did you hike to one of the balds? Tell me about it in the comments below.
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The Blue Ridge Parkway near Cherokee, NC has many scenic overlooks along the way that include many balds. No hiking required to enjoy these scenic beauties.
I live on an island in the Pacific North West. My land is halfway up the side of a hill that’s 435′ elevation at the top. There are MANY balds all through the dense forest. We call them rocky balds, because in many cases the bedrock is visible with only a light layer of vegetation: moss, some grass and flowering plants, more moss. It’s because the soil is so thin. Not all of these balds are at the top of a hill, just any place where the rock has been cleared of soil – due to winds or rain or water runoff. There’s no view from the top of the hill, which is bald. The fir trees are so tall they surround it from the slope below. So, it’s not just in the Smokey Mountains that you find balds!!
I’ve hiked sections of the Appalachian Trail. There are many balds within a day’s hike from each other…usually where campsites are located.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 Yes, I have been in the the national park several times. I went to school at Carson-Newman College (now a university) in Jefferson City Tennessee for a couple of years to play track and cross-country. We went there to train a few times ~50 years ago. Our favorites were running the Cades Cove loop and the Laurel Falls trail. The last time we took the RV there, the closest we could get was Pigeon River Campground (https://campinginthesmokymountains.com/). It was a bit of a drive to the national park, but also within the Smokies. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂