Roan Mountain Gardens Recreation Area has reopened after a year-long renovation project funded by $700,000 in federal stimulus money.

Located near the North Carolina-Tennessee state line between Asheville and Boone, the recreation area has gotten an overhaul of its facilities, including: a new handicapped accessible restroom, a new Rhododendron Gardens observation deck and resurfacing of its connecting trail system, and a resurfaced main road leading to the Cloudland parking lot.

Restoration has also been done on the balds at Grassy Ridge, Bradley Gap and Big Hump Mountain. Crews have been mowing, weed-eating, and using chainsaws to control trees, shrubs and blackberries from encroaching on the sensitive species native to the area. High-elevation grassy balds represent a very rare plant community and Roan Mountain supports some of the most extensive and pristine grassy balds in the Southern Appalachians. 828.682.6146.