NATURE · MOUNTAIN
Gregory Bald
Nature
Gregory Bald is a 4,949-foot grassy summit in the Great Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee–North Carolina border, rising prominently above Cades Cove and Fontana Lake. Unlike the surrounding forested peaks, it is a natural Appalachian bald, now maintained to keep it from returning to woodland. Its open top and sweeping views make it a popular hiking destination, especially in early summer when flame azaleas bloom. The mountain also holds deep Cherokee meaning as Tsistu'yi, or Rabbit Place. Its present name honors settler Russell Gregory, who pastured cattle there and was killed nearby in 1864 during the Civil War while defending his land.
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Fontana Dam, North Carolina
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