Silers Bald, Mountain summit in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, US
Silers Bald is a mountain summit reaching approximately 5,600 feet in the Great Smoky Mountains along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The peak features open meadows mixed with young forest, creating a varied landscape across the ridgeline.
Jesse Siler, a North Carolina resident, grazed sheep and cattle on the mountain during the 19th century, giving it its current name. The peak later became part of the protected national park when the land was preserved.
The summit holds traces of pastoral heritage visible in the open meadows surrounded by young forest, marking where people once farmed the land before it became protected. This mixed landscape reveals how the mountain transitioned from farmland to wilderness.
The summit is accessible via a 15-kilometer round trip starting from the Forney Ridge Trailhead, following the Appalachian Trail through forested sections. The hike is best attempted on a clear day when visibility allows you to enjoy the ridge views.
The mountain rests on Thunderhead sandstone, a rock formation created from ocean sediments deposited about one billion years ago. This ancient geological foundation underlies the entire ridge system in this part of the park.
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