The spike station is a standard NCGS bronze disk stamped "SPRUCE PINE NCDOT 4170 ft" set into the top of a round concrete monument 30 cm in diameter projecting 5 cm above ground located directly underneath the Spruce Pine Lookout and Firetower,[2] which was constructed in 1958 as part of the Forest Service's efforts to detect woodland fires.

Along with the firetower mentioned above, at the mountain top stands four concrete block electric and generator houses, a wooden outhouse, one micro-wave tower, numerous vhf and uhf receivers and transceivers, a U.S. Forestry Service air monitoring station and a 180' high Homeland Security/North Carolina Highway Patrol Communications Viper Tower.

From south to north rise the spruce and fir covered eastern slopes of the Black Mountains comprising at least a dozen peaks along the visible ridge with Mt.

Mitchell (6684 ft.) following close to a dozen Rocks, Mounts, Gaps, Hills, Peaks and Cones northwards terminating with Celo Knob (6327 ft.) abruptly cresting downwards to Burnsville.

Ice storms can occur as early as late November which can make traveling to the top of the mountain a challenge.