Big Bald

The Bald Mountains are a mountain range rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in the southeastern United States. They are part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Province of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Bald Mountains stretch from the Pigeon River in the south to the Nolichucky River in the north, and comprise parts of Cocke County, Greene County, and Unicoi County in Tennessee and parts of Madison County and Yancey County in North Carolina. The Great Smoky Mountains border the range to the south, and the Unakas rise opposite the Nolichucky to the north. The range gets its name from the relatively frequent occurrence of grassy balds atop the more prominent summits. The Cherokee National Forest and the Pisgah National Forest protect substantial sections of the Bald Mountains. The Appalachian Trail traverses the crest of the range. Populated areas within the range include Erwin and Del Rio in Tennessee and Hot Springs in North Carolina. The highest summit in the Bald Mountains is Big Bald, which rises to an elevation of 5,516 feet (1,681 m).

The David M. Buck House is a historic house located near Bald Mountain, Yancey County, North Carolina.

Wolf Laurel, North Carolina, is an unincorporated, private gated community, located in Madison and Yancey Counties of Western North Carolina. The unincorporated community is located approximately 30 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina, 6 miles from interstate 26 and borders the Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee state line and Appalachian Trail. It is named after Wolf Laurel Branch, which flows into Puncheon Fork after leaving the community upstream. The community is composed mostly of summer and part-time residences, nestled within the valleys and perched on the slopes of the Walnut Mountains, at elevations ranging from 3500 to over 5500 feet in altitude. Located within the community are tennis courts and recreational center, a golf course and country club center, numerous hiking trails, and road access to the national forest lands and Appalachian Trail. Skiers from around the southeast visit Wolf Laurel, primarily for the ski resort contained partly within the community boundary. Wolf Ridge Ski Resort is one of several in western North Carolina and still uses one of the last standing chairlifts, manufactured by Ski Lift International. Due to the altitude and because of lying within a region which is subjected to a regular meteorological phenomenon known as Northwest Flow Snow Events (NWFS), the average annual snowfall is uncharacteristic of other areas this far south. During the winter months, the community is lightly resided, and mostly attended with visitors to the ski resort.

Hatley Pointe Ski Resort (Formerly Wolf Ridge) is a ski area in the eastern United States in western North Carolina, near Mars Hill. Five miles (8 km) from Interstate 26, it has fifteen ski slopes and trails, with four of the slopes rated for beginners, nine 'intermediate', and only two as 'advanced'. With a top elevation of 4,600 feet (1,402 m) above sea level, Wolf Ridge has a maximum vertical drop of 700 feet (213 m). The slopes are accessed by two carpet lifts two chairlifts: one quad chair and one double chair. Typical of North Carolina ski areas, Wolf Ridge relies primarily on snowmaking for its slopes. As of January 2013, Wolf Ridge has been under new management.

Swiss is a populated place in the Cane River Township of Yancey County, North Carolina, United States. Its elevation is 2,756 ft (840 m).

Faust is an unincorporated community in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The community is nestled in the Walnut Mountains, located along Laurel Valley Road (SR 1503), which connects to nearby US 23A. The community is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Laurel Creek Gorge Bridge is a continuous steel plate girder bridge that spans Laurel Creek on Interstate 26/U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 23 between Asheville, North Carolina and Johnson City, Tennessee. It is the second tallest bridge in North Carolina—after the Peter Guice Memorial Bridge—with a deck height of 220 ft (67 m). Construction of the bridge was finished in 2002. Due to its proximity to the higher mountains and its elevation of over 3000', the highway in this area is subject to heavy snow and icing. The bridge design incorporates a special system which sprays de-icing liquid onto the bridge deck whenever icing is detected.The section of I-26 from U.S. Route 19 to the border with Tennessee was designated a scenic highway by the North Carolina Board of Transportation.

Bald Creek Historic District is a national historic district within the community of Bald Creek located about ten miles west of Burnsville, Yancey County, North Carolina.The district encompasses 18 contributing buildings and 5 contributing structures in the Bald Creek community. The district includes notable examples of Bungalow / American Craftsman and Rustic Revival style architecture. Notable contributing resources include the C.W. Burton House (c. 1900), Burton-Howell House (c. 1930), Works Progress Administration supported Bald Creek Elementary School and Gymnasium (1938), Bald Creek United Methodist Church (1951-1955), Wilson House (c. 1930), and Glenn Proffitt House (c. 1920).It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Higgins is a populated place in Egypt Township in Yancey County, North Carolina, United States. Already in decline in the 1920s, it was revived by a Presbyterian missionary who obtained support from the Markle Foundation in the 1930s, but has since been largely abandoned. Under the name of "Henry", it was a case study in Cities and the Wealth of Nations, by Jane Jacobs, who spent six months there in 1934.

California Creek Missionary Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church located near Mars Hill, Madison County, North Carolina. It was built in 1917, and moved to its present location in 1937. It is a Gothic Revival style white frame church with Colonial Revival style decorative elements. It has a cruciform plan and paired principal entrances in corner towers on the front facade. A two-story, brick Sunday School annex was built in 1954. The church was sold to private owners in the late-1970s.It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Cane River is an unincorporated community in Yancey County, North Carolina, United States. It is located west of Burnsville, at the intersection of U.S. Routes 19, 19E and 19W, along the Cane River.

Mars Hill High School, also known as Mars Hill School and Mars Hill Elementary School, is a historic high school building located at Mars Hill, Madison County, North Carolina. It was built between 1936 and 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and is a one-story native stone building in the WPA Rustic style. It consists of two sections: a rear-facing L-shaped classroom block and a gymnasium wing Mars Hill High School continued to serve the community as a high school until a new high school was built in 1973. The building housed middle and elementary school students until 2001.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.The building is currently undergoing renovations to become resident apartments.