STRATTON BALD (VIA WOLF LAUREL)

Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Creek Wilderness was designated with the passage of the 1975 Wilderness Act and expanded in size in 1984 with the North Carolina Wilderness Act. The 17,013 acres of forest shares a common boundary along the Unicoi Mountains with the Citico Creek Wilderness in the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, but the majority of land is in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. Although the wilderness is best known for the gigantic strands of virgin timber in the Poplar Cove area, the high elevation areas including Stratton Bald (5360 feet) and Hangover offer fantastic views of the surrounding Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. Both areas exceed 5000 feet and offer dramatic 270-360 degree views. This hike to Stratton Bald is a moderate but short hike that starts at the Wolf Laurel Trailhead and climbs to an open meadow on top of Stratton Bald with excellent views of North Carolina to the south and Tennessee to the west.