Haywood County home to Waynesville, Canton, Clyde, Lake Junaluska, and the sprawling resort town of Maggie Valley is 554 scenic square miles of spectacular country, with beautiful mountains and valleys dotting the landscape. Thirteen of its mountain peaks soar to elevations of at least 6,000 feet (more than any east of the Mississippi River), and the county is one of the highest east of the Rockies, with a mean elevation of 3,600 feet. Notable mountain peaks include Cold Mountain, the basis for the award-winning, bestselling novel and major motion picture at 6,030 feet, Mt. Sterling at 5,836 feet, and Richland Balsam at 6,410 feet. First established in 1808, Haywood County sits at the western edge of the state, with the Blue Ridge Parkway running along its southwestern border. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Pisgah National Forest are located in the northern section of the county.