The island of Ocracoke is a part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It is the most southerly inhabited island of the Outer Banks, and can only be reached by one of three public ferries (two of which are toll ferries), private boat, or private plane. Other than the village of Ocracoke and a few other areas (a campground, a pony pen, a small runway), the entire island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. A single paved two-lane road, NC 12, runs from the village at the southern end of the island to the ferry dock at the northern tip of the island, where a free ferry connects to Hatteras Island. The second ferry dock, located in the village, has toll connections to Swan Quarter, North Carolina on the mainland and Cedar Island, near Atlantic, North Carolina. Ocracoke Island Airport (FAA Identifier W95) is located slightly south-east of the village, allowing small aircraft to land.

The village of Ocracoke is located around a small sheltered harbor called Silver Lake, with a second smaller residential area built around a series of man-made canals called Oyster Creek. The village is located at the widest point of the island, protected from the Atlantic Ocean by sand dunes and a salt marsh. The average height of the island is less than five feet above sea level, and many of the buildings on the island are built on pilings to lift them off the ground. As a result, flooding is a problem during hurricanes and large storms. The Ocracoke Lighthouse, one of North America's oldest lighthouses, is situated near Silver Lake.

The mountain was named after Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Carolina, who determined its height in 1835 and fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls in 1857, having returned to verify his earlier measurements.

The ascent of Mount Mitchell is now rather easy, since a road off the historic and scenic Blue Ridge Parkway runs nearby, and a 300-metre or 1000-foot trail leads through a conifer forest to the top. The summit once featured a 40-foot stone observation tower, which was torn down in late 2006 and is being replaced by a shorter observation platform. Also at the summit is the tomb of Dr. Mitchell.

The weather on Mount Mitchell is very mild in the summer and very harsh in the winter, more like Maine or southeastern Canada than the southeastern U.S. In 1985, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the state occurred there on January 21 when it fell to -34?F or -37?C, during a severe cold spell that brought freezing temperatures as far south as Miami. It is also the coldest average* reporting station in the state at 43.8?F or 6.6?C ? well below any other station.

Unlike the lower elevations in the surrounding regions, heavy snows often fall from December to March, with 1.5 meters or 5 feet falling in just a day in the Great Blizzard of 1993. The summit is always windy, with the record being 286 km/h or 178 MPH.

Still, hundreds of tourists visit the peak each spring through autumn, for its incredible views and sunsets. Wildflowers are abundant all summer long. Young fir and spruce trees do well in the subalpine climate, and their pinecones feed the birds along with wild blueberry and cranberry shrubs. For visitors, a snack bar more palatable for humans is also available at the summit parking lot.