The Joyce Kilmer - Slickrock Wilderness is made up mainly of the Little Santeetlah and Slickrock Creek watersheds, which are joined by a common ridgeline at their headwaters. These basins are extremely steep and rugged, with elevations ranging from a low of 1,086 feet at the mouth of Slickrock Creek to over 5,300 feet on Stratton Bald. The original wilderness covered 14,033 acres in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Rock outcrops are common, and numerous drainages and cascading streams dissect the terrain. A dense hardwood forest, some of which is old growth, blankets these slopes. The forest is broken only by occasional grass or heath balds along the high ridges. Black bear and wild boar are common to these woods.

The Joyce Kilmer - Slickrock Wilderness has been designated as Class I air quality under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 and recent additions to the wilderness has increased the size to 18,483 acres.

Air Quality Related Values (AQRV)

Visibility

The high mountain peaks, Haoe and Stratton Bald; rock outcroppings like the Hangover; and the rugged mountains blanketed with hardwood forests make up the wilderness landscape. Viewed from within, the wilderness scene is mainly close-up and comprised of the vegetation, rocks and cascading streams which are so characteristic of this area. Visitors who climb to the higher mountain peaks will experience more long-range views of rugged topography covered with hardwoods. The wilderness scene is also highly valued by those who are outside of the wilderness, but can look out over the majestic landscape.

Water

The high-quality mountain streams in the wilderness rush and tumble down the steep terrain over moss-covered rocks and through rhododendron thickets. Cool, clear deep pools in these streams are numbing, even in the hottest part of the summer. Slickrock Creek is a highly productive trout stream which supports an excellent wild brown trout population. The headwaters of Slickrock Creek contain native brook trout prized by fly fishermen, whereas brown and rainbow trout are prominent in the lower reaches. Little Santeetlah Creek and its tributaries are home to brown, brook and rainbow trout. The trout fisheries in these streams represent a major recreation opportunity in the wilderness.

Flora

Joyce Kilmer - Slickrock Wilderness is most famous for the impressive old-growth forest found in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. The magnificent trees in this area include tulip poplars that are over 300 years old and some are more than 20 feet in circumference and 100 feet tall. A figure-eight loop trail leads visitors through the cathedral-like Memorial Forest, crossing rustic bridges over cold, clear mountain streams and through thick stands of rhododendron. One feels drawn back to a more primeval time as you pass under the towering hemlocks, white pine and poplars. But, old-growth trees are not restricted to this one portion of the wilderness. Most of the Little Santeetlah drainage, the Joyce Kilmer section of the wilderness, has never been logged and man has done little to alter the landscape. Old growth trees are also found at the higher elevations of the Slickrock Creek drainage.

The great diversity in vegetation typical of the Southern Appalachian Forests is richly illustrated in Joyce Kilmer - Slickrock where there are more than 100 tree species and an abundance of wildflowers. A variety of forest types cover the area: from cove hardwoods such as tulip poplar, buckeye, basswood and cherry on rich, moist sites; to the upland hardwoods (oaks and hickories) found on drier sites. Associated understory species on the dry sites include mountain laurel and blueberry. At higher elevations hemlock, sugar maple, beech and birch are common. An understory of rhododendron covers much of this area. Some of the high and rocky ridges are covered by treeless balds. The balds contain a tick growth of mountain laurel and other shrubs. Hemlock and white pine are typically found along the streams. This variety of vegetation makes the wilderness experience ever-changing as the visitor passes from one slope, aspect and elevation to another.

updated: 9/22/2006