Wayah Bald Rebuild Part 1
On Saturday November 11th, 2017 - Jeff Johnson Timber Frames, Inc. began rebuilding the burned off roof of Wayah Bald Lookout Tower. The tower was damaged in the fall of 2016, when the Camp Branch Wildfire raced up the eastern side of Wayah Bald, overtaking the ridge and enveloping the tower.
The generosity of the Jeff and Susan Johnson, along with their crew, spending Veteran's Day transporting, assembling, and putting in place the first step of the roof was a beautiful sight. This is Part 1 of 2 of the morning of November 11th.
NC Appalachian Trail: 1916 Ranger Station to Wayah Bald tower
Mile 116.9 to mile 119.9 / April 9, 2016 / John 1:3, Isaiah 55:12
Albert Mountain Fire Tower - Franklin, NC Hiking (Appalachian Trail)
Hiking to Albert Mountain Fire Tower, just outside of Franklin, North Carolina via the Appalachian Trail is a unique experience. Enjoy stunning 360 degree views of the Nantahala National Forest, from atop of the fire tower.
Joanna Bald Lookout Tower - Nantahala National Forest, NC
My second lookout tower of the day, and third of Memorial Day weekend. The Joanna Bald lookout tower is easily the least worthwhile trip of any publicly accessible tower in the state. (Rendezvous Mt, Cowee Bald, and Camp Creek Bald are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th for me so far.) This tower can be reached by a long, lonely drive on FR 423 to Tatham Gap, then some more driving on FR 423B to the gate. It is a short 0.5-mile walk to the top of the mountain, which is forested and covered in communications towers. The mountain is within the Snowbird Mountains Wilderness Study Area of Nantahala National Forest, and is extremely isolated.
The name Joanna Bald is not the official name, simply an English nickname that is still used for the tower. The USGS benchmark name is Teyahalee Bald. Either way, this peak is the tallest in the Snowbird Mountains at 4,716 feet. The 31-foot tower was built in 1952, and the top cab was locked. There is only one good view northeast of Cheoah Bald through a powerline cut. This is not worth your time unless you are doing the lookout tower challenge. The drive down FR 423 to Andrews was equally as isolated. I stopped at a landslide with a view of Teyahalee Bald, then continued on to my third lookout tower of the day.
Hike location
Hike report
WAYAH FIRE TOWER ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
Views from the Wayah Fire Tower. Wayah Bald has a vantage point of 5,342 ft. in elevation in the Nantahala National Forest, near Franklin, North Carolina. On a clear day, you can see north to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and south into the rolling hills of Georgia. Take a short hike from the summit parking area to climb an old stone fire tower, built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, to witness panoramic views of the southern Appalachian mountain chain. When built in 1937, Wayah Bald Fire Tower had an interior stairway to the second story, where an external wooden catwalk encircled a public observation level enclosed by 12 windows. The third story housed fire-detecting equipment and served as the lookout, with 16 windows providing a 360-degree view of the Nantahala National Forest. It also contained living quarters for the watchmen, including two drop-down beds attached to the wall and a wood stove for cooking and heat. These amenities allowed uninterrupted lookout service for up to two months at a time. Food, water and mail were delivered weekly by the nearby CCC camp. By the mid-1940s, cracks began to develop in the stone tower, allowing water in and damage to begin. Since there were other nearby lookouts, the fire detection service at Wayah Bald was stopped in 1945. Two years later, the forest service removed the upper levels of the tower for safety reasons.
Cowee Bald Lookout Tower - Nantahala National Forest, NC
My sixth and final lookout tower hike of Memorial Day weekend. This is a similar experience to Joanna Bald, a very long drive in the middle-of-nowhere for a short walk and not great views. Cowee Bald is the 3rd tallest peak in the Cowee Mountains at 4,944 feet and the tallest in the remote Cowee-Alarka complex. The walk from gated FR 70 was 0.5-miles to the summit which is crowed with many communications towers. The lookout tower was at the far end of the summit in its own little field. Originally built in 1933, the 30-foot tower was in very good condition. The top cab was locked per usual, but the views from the stairs were good. To the south the town of Franklin is surrounded by the Cowee and Nantahala Mountains. Due north the Plott Balsam Mountains dominate the scenery. If the top cab is open this would be a worthwhile destination, you could have a better view of the Great Smokies and Great Balsams from the catwalk. FR 70 is much, much better than FR 86 for driving, which is very eroded in spots and includes two creek fords.
Hike location
Hike report
2017 Solar Eclipse at Wesser Bald Fire Tower in the Smokies [The Mountain Lioness]
Solar Eclipse 2017-08-21
My priority was watching the eclipse myself before focusing on what I could capture on camera. I did my best to show the eclipse, some of the progression leading up to it, and the crowd's reactions.
Blog story: [Coming Soon]
The Mountain Lioness
Adventure Blog
themountainlioness.com
Forest Service Rd 711, off Wayah Bald Rd, NC
Eventually the road surfaces changes to broken blacktop.
Appalachian Trail - Wayah Bald NC
Our hike on the Appalachian Trail near Franklin, NC from Wayah Gap to Wayah Bald and Winespring Bald.
Wesser Bald Fire Tower, Nantahala National Forrest 2016
Wesser Bald Fire Tower, Nantahala North Carolina
Hiking on the Appalachian Trail near the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) up to Wesser Bald Fire Tower. Wondering what to do in Nantahala? This hike is one of the coolest things to do in this area. Located in the Nantahala National Forrest, 6 miles of hiking the AT from the NOC. The view and sunset from the fire tower are amazing. You can hike in from the NOC or Tellico Gap.
Chambers Mountain Lookout Tower - Newfound Mountains, NC
Chambers Mountain is home to one of the few remaining accessible lookout towers in North Carolina. The peak at 4,509 feet, is located in the Newfound Mountains west of Asheville and north of the Pigeon River Valley. The communications towers on the peak can be seen from I-40 as you drive by the U.S. 74 exit to Waynesville. The hike is straightforward, follow the gravel and gated Lookout Point from Chambers Mountain Rd to the summit in 2.4 miles. The grade is surprisingly steep. Halfway to the summit is a cleared meadow for cattle grazing where there are good views west and south of the Great Balsam Mountains around Waynesville. Unfortunately these were the only views I had since the cloud ceiling hadn't lifted when I reached the summit. Chambers Mountain is one of two actively staffed lookout towers in NC. The tower is 45 feet high, and although the top cab is closed you can still climb the stairs. If you have a nice day you will see the Newfound and Bald Mountains to the north/northwest, Great Smoky Mountains to the west, Plott Balsam Mountains to the southwest, and Great Balsam Mountains to the south. As I got close to my car I looked back up and clearly saw the towers on the summit, I started my hike an hour too early.
Hike was 4.8 miles in 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Appalachian Trail - Wayah Bald to Nantahala Outdoor Center
Heading out of Wayah Bald shelter, I pass by and give a tour of Cold Spring shelter (1:45). I then take a blue blaze up to the summit of Rocky Bald (4:13) where I enjoy an amazing campfire (6:51) with some fellow hikers. The next morning I grab a quick video of a critter (7:15) and head out passing through Tellico Gap and climbing the Wesser Bald Fire Tower (9:21). I start the descent into the NOC passing by the Jump Off (11:33) and down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (12:55). I give a short tour of my bunk (13:58) at the NOC, and the next morning upgrade to a cabin room and give a tour of it (14:59).
➤ Highlights
1:45 - Cold Spring shelter
4:13 - Rocky Bald
6:51 - Campfire
7:15 - Morning with a critter
9:21 - Climbing Wesser Bald Fire Tower
11:33 - The Jump Off
12:55 - Nantahala Outdoor Center
13:58 - Tour of the NOC bunkhouse
14:59 - Tour of the NOC Dogwood Cabin
➤ Videography
This video series documents my section hike covering ~200 miles over 25 days on the Appalachian Trail. It was my first long ass section hike (LASH), and I learned a great deal about myself, my gear, and the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
I was not able to look at any of this footage while on the trail, so I was filming it all blind. As an amateur video editor, putting these videos together proved to be quite a learning experience.
Nearly all of this video footage was shot on a Sony HDR-AS50 Action Cam using a Stuntman backpack strap mount. It was all shot in 1080p 60fps with Image stabilization enabled. Other portions of footage and still images were captured with an iPhone 6S+, which in my opinion has superior video quality. All editing was done with Adobe Premiere Pro.
2011 Appalachian Trail Thru Hike Rainbow Wayah Bald view
Wayah Bald view mile marker 121
Fisher Peak tower WBRF-FM , Franklin, NC
Guys working on Fisher Peak tower WBRF-FM , Franklin, NC
5140 Wayah Rd Franklin NC
This magnificent home is at 2500+ ft. elev.,bordered on two sides by US forest service and sits beside TWO bold creeks that merge on the property with about 400 ft. of creek frontage.
Atop the stone observation tower on Wayah Bald in NC 3/14/13
Terry Bliss's (a.k.a. Blue Moon) Appalachian Trail 2013 thru-hike (videos posted in order)
Franklin, North Carolina Tourism Spot - Discover Us!
Discover Franklin North Carolina and enjoy the Smoky Mountain Rumble motorcycle rally, a great show at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts or explore the mountains of Western North Carolina. Learn more at
Appalachian Trail. Winding Stair Gap Section.
Walking North on the Appalachian Trail in the Winding Gap Stair section to Route 64.
Bartram Trail - Wallace Branch Trailhead (Wildflowers & Birds) - Franklin, NC
The Bartram Trail - Wallace Branch Trailhead to 'Williams Pulpit.' In this video we talk a little about the trail 'blaze' (yellow). We also discuss the amount of wildflowers and birds that can be seen and enjoyed along this historic trail.
Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower // Trail (V)log
The United States Forest Service built the 70-foot tall tower in 1941. It is the tallest USFS lookout tower in Western North Carolina, and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
The steel tower atop the 5,340-foot Fryingpan Mountain was built for extensive views to watch for fires until the early 1990s. Today, only hikers enjoy the views from the tower.
Directions: Park at the entrance to the Forest Service Road 450, at Milepost 409.6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road gate is always closed (do not block it). Just walk around the gate and walk up the gravel road to the summit and climb Fryingpan Tower.
Info from Romantic Asheville:
Thanks to Nick for the drone footage! Check out his channel here: