12'' Grandfather Mtn, North Carolina, USA

If you’ve been through the North Carolina high country, you’ve likely been in the presence of Grandfather Mountain. Grandfather rises above the Appalachian Mountains to 5,946 feet. It’s known for it’s distinct stone profile face and is one of the most prominent and important mountains in the Appalachians. Grandfather received its current name by pioneers who saw the face of an old man looking towards the sky. It’s famous for its rugged character and is home to many hidden caves. It is the highest peak along the eastern ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, even visible on rare occasions from Charlotte. Grandfather Mountain includes the highest swinging bridge in America as well as over a dozen distinct ecological zones and home to over seventy species of threatened and endangered plants and animals. This mountain is also known for some of the South’s most severe weather, the station on the Southwest ridge having recorded wind gusts of over 200 mph. Text by D. Beaton

TinyMtn's model of Grandfather Mountain showcases the entire high ridge line from Linville Bluffs and Split Rock in the far Southwest corner, through the Mile High Swinging Bridge area, Raven Rocks and MacRae Peak, past Calloway Peak (the highest point on the map, at 5946'), and down the Northeast slope to the crags above Boone Fork. To the Northwest, the model includes all of the famous rocks along the Profile Trail, down the Green Ridge, and even Linville Gap and the summit of Peak Mountain, across the Watauga River. Grandfather's huge Southeast slope covers the final corner of the map. This model uses very detailed data from the USGS, and even large prints will have very minute details, such as the road cuts for both the Blue Ridge Parkway and 221.

Grandfather Mountain means something special to you, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. Whatever your connection, we hope you'll consider keeping a 3D printed sculpture of this magnificent mountain around to look at and appreciate.

Model scale is 1:17100
Model covers an area approximately 3.2 by 3.2 miles
Altitudes covered: 3308' to 5946'
There is no vertical exaggeration in this model: it is a true scale model of the area.

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TinyMtn models are most affordable in the "White Strong and Flexible" and "Sandstone" materials. This model is in "White Strong and Flexible." When you receive the model, there may still be Nylon dust on it from the printing process. Use either an airbrush, canned dust blower, or a soft old toothbrush to remove this dust. Do not get the "White Strong and Flexible" material wet, and don't prime it or use any oil-based paints on it. You can safely seal it with Polycrylic or a similar water-based clear spray sealant. Read more about this popular material here.

The "Frosted Detail" material will show more detail, but is semi-transparent and has an uneven surface texture when unpainted (due to the orientation of the model when Shapeways prints it). It may show up feeling a little greasy and with small crystals in crevasses. Clean those off by soaking the model in warm (but not hot) soapy water and brushing with an old toothbrush. To get the surface to an even matte finish, spray with a few light coats of sandable primer (white automotive primer works), and then do a baking soda grit-blast.

These models have been optimized for the above materials, and are not offered in other materials for strength or cost reasons. If you need one in another material, please tinymtnbiz@gmail.com and we'll try to accommodate your request.

(C) 2015 TinyMtn (TM)
Model created using GDAL, NetPBM, Gmsh, Carve, MeshLab, and other custom software
Source of digital elevation data: U.S. Geological Survey
The USGS home page is https://www.usgs.gov/