The Appalachian Trail in this section is entirely within the Nantahala National Forest and is routed through mature, hardwood forest for the most part. The growth of rhododendron, mountain laurel, flame azalea, mountain ash, the vast beds of fern and galax, the ever-changing profusion of wild flowers blooming from April to frost, the frequent streams and springs, and the fall coloring, all contribute to make the AT in the south so distinctive.
The late Rev. A. Rufus Morgan, who helped establish and maintain the AT in
North Carolina, has described the area most eloquently:
"...a
trip in October will give opportunity of seeing grouse, wild turkeys ,squirrels,
deer, and occasionally other wild life. The coloring, also, makes a fall trip a
beautiful experience. Early October will give an abundance of wildflowers, such
as asters, phlox, self-heal, and closed gentian.
"A Spring trip,
perhaps in late April, will show the white flowering trees, such as dogwood,
bellwood, service, and black locust. Along with these the red maples show a
beautiful contrast. Then there are the flowers...the bluets furnish quite a
carpet. There are violets in abundance, as well as the trilliums and trout
lillies. The many varieties of fern present an interesting study...from Deep
Gap to the Georgia line the interrupted fern grows in great profusion...during
June (and July)...a wealth of flame azalea and rhododendron especially the
purple rhododendron on Standing Indian Mountain."
At the Nantahala River, the AT climbs out of Nantahala Gorge and, heading south, proceeds over a series of 5,000-ft. summits (the heath balds so characteristic of the Southern Appalachians) and 4,000-ft. gaps. It flanks the headwaters of the Nantahala, Little Tennessee, and Tallulah Rivers. At Ridgepole Mtn., the end of the Nantahala Range, it turns to the Blue Ridge for the rest of its journey to Georgia.
The trail goes through historic country in western North Carolina. Before the coming of white settlers in the 18th century, the entire area was inhabited by the Cherokee Nation, with settlements along all major streams and trails going through the gaps.
Hernando deSoto is known to have traveled from Nikwasi (the present day Franklin) across the Nantahalas to the site of Murphy in 1539. He must have gone through one the gaps along the route of the Appalachian Trail.
In 1775, the naturalist William Bartram, traveled the Indian trail from Nikwasi to the Nantahala River, hoping to reach the overhill towns in East Tennessee. The following year, General Rutherford, on a search-and-destroy mission against the Cherokee, led his troops through Wayah Gap, and fought a skirmish there. In 1819 a line separating Cherokee and white settlements was drawn along the crest of the Nantahalas. "Old 64" in Wallace Gap follows the route of one of the Indian trading paths that developed into a colonial road.
Siler Bald in the Nantahalas was named for an early settler William Siler,whose great-grandson, the Rev. A. Rufus Morgan, helped establish the AT in North Carolina. Albert Mtn. was named for Morgan's grandfather, Albert Siler.
Standing Indian Campground on the headwaters of the Nantahala River, was the site of a lumber camp in the later 19th and early 20th centuries.
The John B. Byrne observation tower (memorial to the former supervisor of the Nantahala National Forest who first proposed the route of the Appalachian Trail in this area) is located on Wayah Bald.