Southern Sixers


In peak bagging terminology in the United States, the Southern Sixers refers to the group of mountains in the southern states of North Carolina and Tennessee with heights of at least six thousand feet. The southern sixers are the tallest group of mountains in the eastern United States and the only peaks in the Appalachian Mountains besides New Hampshire's Mount Washington to exceed 6,000 feet.
Most of these mountains are located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Mount Mitchell State Park, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, or in Cherokee or Pisgah National Forest. There are a few, though, that are located on private property. All of these mountains are located within of the North Carolina - Tennessee border, with 12 on the state border itself and many more on various county borders.
Those who complete a list of 40 of these peaks are awarded membership in the South Beyond 6000 club.

List of Southern Sixers

RankPeak NameElevation RangeLandTN0621NC0573ProminenceIsolation
1Mount Mitchell6,684Black MountainsMMSPYancey County6,0891,189
2Mount Craig6,647Black MtnsMMSPYancey287.91
3Clingmans Dome6,643Great Smoky MountainsGSMNPSevier CountySwain County4,51370.64
4Mount Guyot6,621Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierHaywood1,58116.73
5Balsam Cone6,611Black MtnsMMSPYancey171.88
6Cattail Peak6,600Black MtnsMMSPYancey120.62
7Mount LeConte6,593Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevier1,3607.21
8Mount Buckley6,580Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierSwain60.42
9Mount Gibbes6,571Black MtnsWMITYancey1112.35
10Big Tom6,560Black MtnsMMSPYancey.19
11Clingmans Peak6,557Black MtnsWMITYancey497.02
12Potato Hill6,475Black MtnsPisgahYancey80.29
13Mount Love6,446Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierSwain106.41
14Mount Chapman6,417Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierSwain5771.48
15Richland Balsam6,410Great Balsam MountainsBRPHaywood1,00027.13
16Potato Knob6,400Black MtnsBRPBuncombe, Yancey40.45
17Old Black6,370Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevier, Cocke CountyHaywood170.70
18Blackstock Knob6,359Black MtnsBRPBuncombe, Yancey4801.64
19Celo Knob6,327Black MtnsPisgahYancey6473.52
20Mount Hallback6,320Black MtnsMMSPYancey2001.11
21Waterrock Knob6,292Plott BalsamsBRPHaywood, Jackson County1,94710.66
22Roan High Knob6,285Unaka MountainsCherokee / PisgahCarter CountyMitchell County3,48518.81
23Roan High Bluff6,267Unaka MountainsPisgahMitchell1471.54
24Browning Knob6,240Plott BalsamsBRPHaywood, Jackson160.33
25Luftee Knob6,234Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPHaywood, Swain4342.53
26Gibbs Mountain6,224Black MtnsPisgahYancey120.81
27Mount Lyn Lowry6,220Plott BalsamsPrivateHaywood, Jackson3801.22
28Mount Kephart6,217Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierSwain6603.09
29Black Balsam Knob6,214Great Balsam MtnsPisgahHaywood9897.08
30Winter Star Mountain6,212Black MtnsPisgahYancey5321.13
31Percys Peak6,200Black MtnsPisgahYancey80.32
32Grassy Ridge Bald6,189Unaka MountainsPisgahMitchell, Avery County6482.35
33Mount Collins6,188Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierSwain4651.80
34Marks Knob6,169Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSwain3691.34
35Big Cataloochee Mountain6,155Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPHaywood6752.61
36Mount Hardison6,134Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSwain254.60
37Tricorner Knob6,120Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierHaywood, Swain160.55
38Mount Yonaguska6,120Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPHaywood, Swain40.33
39Mount Ambler6,120Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierSwain86.45
40Mount Hardy6,110Great Balsam MtnsBRPHaywood, Jackson7603.46
41Craggy Dome6,105Great Craggy MountainsBRPBuncombe County7853.49
42Plott Balsam6,088Plott BalsamsBRPHaywood4081.69
43Thermo Knob6,080Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPHaywood, Swain60.62
44Reinhart Knob6,080Great Balsam MtnsBRPHaywood, Jackson2001.41
45Sam Knob6,050Great Balsam MtnsPisgahHaywood3601.15
46Shining Rock6,040Great Balsam MtnsPisgahHaywood3202.87
47Grassy Cove Top6,040Great Balsam MtnsPisgahHaywood3201.37
48Tennent Mountain6,040Great Balsam MtnsPisgahHaywood120.71
49Patton Knob6,040Black MtnsBRPBuncombe, Yancey.80
50Chestnut Bald6,040Great Balsam MtnsBRPTransylvania County, Haywood1601.67
51Yellow Face6,032Plott BalsamsNature ConservancyJackson3121.16
52Cold Mountain6,030Great Balsam MtnsPisgahHaywood9902.86
53Mount Sequoyah6,003Great Smoky MtnsGSMNPSevierSwain1631.28

Map

The locator map below shows the locations of those Southern Sixers with more than one thousand feet of topographic prominence or considerable isolation.