Snake Mountain (North Carolina – Tennessee)

Snake Mountain is a mountain located along the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, east of the community of Zionville, in the southeastern United States. It is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and includes parts of Watauga County, North Carolina, and Johnson County, Tennessee. It has two peaks, the highest of which reaches an elevation of 5,564 feet (1,696 m). The lower peak, at 5,518 feet (1,682 m), is Johnson County's high point.[3][4]

Snake Mountain
Snake Mountain, viewed from Trade, Tennessee
Highest point
Elevation	5,564 ft (1,696 m) [1]
Prominence	2,240 ft (680 m) [2]
Coordinates	36°19′52″N 81°42′27″W [1]
Geography
Snake Mountain Location in North Carolina
Location	Watauga County, North Carolina, U.S.
Parent range	Blue Ridge Mountains
Topo map	USGS Zionville

The mountain generates several feeder streams to the North Fork New River (via Maine Branch[5]), South Fork New River (via Meat Camp Creek[6]) and Watauga River (via Cove Creek[7]). Several ridges form from Snake Mountain, with the main being Snake Mountain Ridge,[8] which marks the border between North Carolina and Tennessee; also there is Sugartree Ridge[9] and Hessian Ridge,[10] which are smaller outcrops from Snake Mountain, to its west. Several gaps also surround the mountain: Elk Horn Gap,[11] Pottertown Gap,[12] Rich Mountain Gap[13] and State Line Gap.[14]

Historically, both the Old Buffalo Trail and Daniel Boone Trail converge at the foot of the mountain, at Zionville.[15]