Mountain Wanders: Locating the 'real' Beauty Spot

Since I was eight or nine years old, the extraordinary high and wild places that comprise so much of Unicoi County have captured my fascination and imagination. I won't claim to have explored every peak, ridge and holler, but between Devil Fork Gap in the southwest corner of the county and the far reaches of Little Mountain in the northeast, I've wandered a good many of them.And in my view, for full-on stunning mountain scenery, very few of the wild treasures in this part of the world (or likely most others) match that highland meadow which lies along the crest of Unaka Mountain, fittingly known as The Beauty Spot.I've always felt a little bad for people who talk about having moved a lot when they were growing up, never living in one place long enough to really know its wilder side – especially if some of those places are actually known for their natural treasures. Here in the Appalachian Highlands, we have a whole mountain kingdom of such treasures, so if you're able, but for some reason you're not getting out there to seek out and enjoy them, I feel bad for you, too. But if you'd like to get out more and experience Northeast Tennessee's own remarkable wild side, a trip to Beauty Spot Bald is both an easy and spectacular place to start.First, a little primer: Contrary to persistent myth, Unaka Mountain is not The Beauty Spot, nor is Beauty Spot Unaka Mountain. For most my life I've listened to people, including many otherwise knowledgeable natives and long-time residents of our area, refer to either the whole of Unaka Mountain or the overlook high atop the mountain as The Beauty Spot. Both of these notions are wrong.Actually, Beauty Spot Bald (its true name) is a natural, 20-or-so-acre meadow, specifically classified as an Appalachian grassy bald, which straddles the Unaka Mountain crest along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. But take to social media and ask for directions to Beauty Spot, and some of your replies will no doubt send you way up to the Unaka Mountain Overlook (once called Pleasant Gardens), three miles above Beauty Spot. As I mentioned, folks have long confused the two.Adding to the confusion these days are countless "outdoor experts," websites, blogs and such, which publish poor information and advice.For example, you can do a little online searching and readily see four different names being used for the single gravel road that crosses Unaka Mountain and from which Beauty Spot is accessed. Depending on the source, it is called either Beauty Spot Gap Road, Red Fork Road, Forest Service Road 230 or what I consider to be the correct, longest used and most descriptive one...surprise – Unaka Mountain Road.Here's a quick list of reasons to make Beauty Spot Bald a priority on your local adventure list:• Arguably, the top sunset spot in the region (yep, including the Roan.)• Drive-up access to primitive, mountaintop camping (just don't trash it up or block the Appalachian Trail with Uncle Joe Bob's 17-person cabin tent.)• Seriously cool picnic spot (see number 1.)• Now considered a top spot for a pre-wedding photo shoot.• Long considered an amazing place for a wedding (just ask my wife.)NOTE: Unfortunately most of the above, if not all, have at some time been spoiled or ruined by unleashed dogs, which I've seen happen first-hand. Leashes are legally required on the Appalachian Trail, which crosses the entire Beauty Spot. I like dogs, too, but please keep 'em leashed, or in the car or at home if you are unable to respect the other people you'll almost always find up there. Quite often this relatively small area can get crowded.Beauty Spot is easily reached from N. Main Street in Erwin via State Route 395 (Rock Creek Road) for about 7.3 miles to Indian Grave Gap at the North Carolina state line; then two miles on Unaka Mountain Road (FSR 230), or on foot, 2.5 miles via The Appalachian Trail (northbound). If you drive, at 2 miles you will turn right off Unaka Mountain Road onto the short Beauty Spot access road. Sometimes there is a Forest Service sign there, mostly displaying the marksmanship of some of our more "exceptional" locals.In his poem, "The Rhodora," Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote, "If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being."Stand some soundless evening on the high point of Beauty Spot Bald, as the final shades of purple, red and gold fade behind Flint Mountain, the pyramid peak of Sugar Loaf and the dimming silhouettes of distant blue summits, and I promise, Emerson's words will come to life.•••David Arthur Ramsey is an outdoor photographer, writer and conservationist, born and raised in the mountains of Unicoi County. His work has been published locally, regionally and nationally and has most often been associated with work to preserve and protect our vital lands and waters throughout the Southern Appalachian Mountains. "Field and Stream" Magazine and Toyota Motor Company named him the 2011 National Hero of Conservation for his grassroots leadership in saving the 10,000-acre Rocky Fork Watershed in northeastern Tennessee. Ramsey may be reached via: www.ramseyphotos.com.