Black Mountains, a ridge of mountains located in North Carolina and the northern part of Georgia and Alabama, and extending approximately east and west. The Black Mountains form the culmination of the Appalachian system and contain the highest peaks east of the Rocky Mountains. The most noted of these are Mount Mitchell, 6710 feet, Clingman's Peak and Guyot's Peak, both of which exceed 6500 feet in altitude. See APPALACHIANS; BLUE RIDGE.