Editing Avery County, North Carolina (section)

==Geography==
{{maplink|frame=yes|zoom=8|id=Q497804|type=shape-inverse|text=Interactive map of Avery County}}
[[Image:Stream in Linville.png|300px|thumb|[[Linville River]], between Linville and Pineola]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|247.51|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|247.34|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|0.17|sqmi}} (0.06%) is water.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2022 |title=2020 County Gazetteer Files – North Carolina |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_counties_37.txt |access-date=September 9, 2023 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

Avery County is extremely rural and mountainous with all of the county's terrain located within the [[Appalachian Mountains]] range; with a mean altitude of {{convert|3510|ft|m|disp=or}} it is the second-highest county east of the Mississippi behind nearby [[Haywood County, North Carolina|Haywood County]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cohp.org/records/mean_elevation/mean_elevations.html|title=Mean County Elevation Lists|website=cohp.org|access-date=March 15, 2018}}</ref> The highest point in the county is [[Grassy Ridge Bald]], {{convert|6,165|feet|m}} above sea level.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roan Highlands - Hiking to Grassy Ridge Bald on Roan Mountain |url=https://hikinginthesmokys.com/roan-mountain-state-park/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=Hiking In The Smokys |language=en-us}}</ref> Most of [[Grandfather Mountain]], whose highest point is {{convert|5,946|feet|m}} Calloway Peak on the tri-point bordering Watauga and Caldwell Counties, is within Avery County. At {{convert|5,526|feet|m|disp=or}}, [[Beech Mountain]] (also shared with Watauga County) is the highest incorporated community east of the Mississippi River, while at {{convert|3,606|feet|m|disp=or}} Newland is the highest county seat in the Eastern United States.

===National protected areas===
* [[Blue Ridge Parkway]] (part)
* [[Pisgah National Forest]] (part)

===State and local protected areas===
* [[Bear's Paw|Bear Paw State Natural Area]]
* [[List of North Carolina state forests#North Carolina state forests|Gill State Forest]] (part)
* [[Grandfather Mountain State Park]] (part)
* [[List of North Carolina state parks#State Natural Areas|Pineola Bog State Natural Area]]
* [[Pisgah National Forest Game Land]] (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands">{{Cite web |title=NCWRC Game Lands |url=https://www.ncpaws.org/ncwrcmaps/gamelands |access-date=March 30, 2023 |website=www.ncpaws.org}}</ref>
* [[Pisgah (WRC) Game Land]] (part)<ref name="NCWRC Game Lands"/>
* [[List of North Carolina state parks#State Natural Areas|Sugar Mountain Bog State Natural Area]]
* [[List of North Carolina state parks#State Natural Areas|Yellow Mountain State Natural Area]] (part)

===Major water bodies===
* [[Buckeye Creek (North Carolina)|Buckeye Creek]]
* [[Cranberry Creek (North Carolina)|Cranberry Creek]]
* [[Little Horse Creek (North Carolina)|Little Horse Creek]]
* [[Linville River]]
* [[Mill Creek (North Carolina)|Mill Creek]]
* [[North Harper Creek (North Carolina)|North Harper Creek]]
* [[North Toe River]]
* [[Watauga River]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Johnson County, Tennessee]] - north
* [[Watauga County, North Carolina|Watauga County]] - northeast
* [[Caldwell County, North Carolina|Caldwell County]] - east
* [[Burke County, North Carolina|Burke County]] - south
* [[McDowell County, North Carolina|McDowell County]] - south
* [[Mitchell County, North Carolina|Mitchell County]] - west
* [[Carter County, Tennessee]] - northwest