Stormy Roan Mountain Engagement Session

Nicole and Allen drove all the way from Iowa for their engagement session at Roan Mountain! They decided to come down a few weeks before their fall elopement and spend their session exploring one of my favorite trail segments of the Appalachian Trail, and it’s actually in Tennessee! It’s one of my favorites because after a very short hike from the parking lot you are rewarded with incredible 360 degree views but if you want to keep exploring you can continue to hike as far as you want across the other balds. “Balds” are just an open grassy hill top on a mountain ridge, and here they offer epic views.

Of course in the middle of summer we had threat of rain and an evening storm - always to be expected and while Roan Mountain can get consumed by fog, without a threat of danger, I think it’s always worth trying because the weather predictions are often inaccurate and quickly changing in the mountains. I gave Nicole and Allen a heads up and we just planned to meet a little earlier incase we needed to wait out any rain. But luckily that wasn’t necessary because we managed to avoid the rain but get an incredible stormy sky for a backdrop.

Roan Mountain is also a great option for an elopement with lots of open space up top and is typically a great location most months of the year because it is one of the few roads maintained when snow comes while the summer brings an epic display of the rhododendron flowers!