Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest is the highest and coldest forest type in the Appalachian range, thriving in elevations above 5,500 feet where the climate is too harsh to support the broad-leaved hardwood forest that dominates the region's lower elevations.

Blog: http://www.willmoneymaker.com/blog/2013/2/clingmans-dome-photo-great-smoky-mountains