In addition to Mount Mitchell itself, the park encompasses several other peaks which top out at over in elevation, including Mount Hallback,
Mount Craig (just shy of Mount Mitchell in elevation and the second highest peak east of the
Mississippi River), Big Tom and Balsam Cone. Trails lead to all these summits save Mount Hallback, and their exploration takes visitors away from the crowds on Mount Mitchell but to places similarly spectacular. About of trails exist within the park in all. The buildings were built in the 1950s and renovation is planned. Most visitors come between May and November because the only access is the
Blue Ridge Parkway but Kevin Bischof, who became superintendent late in 2018, hopes to change that. The park is staffed year-round but most people would not be able to reach the park during the worst weather conditions. The park had 398,000 visitors in 2017. Another popular destination reachable by trail within the park is Camp Alice, at an elevation of 5800 ft (1767.84 m) south of the summit of Mount Mitchell. This historic site is the location of a logging and, later, Civilian Conservation Corps tourist camp at the terminus of the old Mount Mitchell toll road. Lower Creek flows across the main trail at this point and it is one of the highest elevation perennial streams in the Appalachians, flowing through the Spruce-Fir forest. Openings here in the forest surrounded by evergreens resemble such openings near treeline in higher mountain ranges. ==Gallery==