Order of Visit: High Point #4
Date Visited: November 4, 2018
Route Taken: Drive-up to Parking Area & and hike on Appalachian Trail to Double Spring Shelter – 7 miles roundtrip
Type of Terrain: Paved path & well-maintained trail
Elevation: 6,643 feet
Ancestral Lands: Cherokee, Yuchi
what’s in a name?
The Cherokee Indians named this sacred mountain Kuwohi (“the mulberry place”). According to Cherokee lore, the mountain was home to White Bear, the great chief of all bears. Additionally, the legend told of an enchanted lake, which could heal wounded bears located between the mountain and the headwaters of the Oconaluftee River to the east.
Following the removal and relocation of the Cherokee people during the Trail of Tears in 1831, American settlers adopted new names for the high point. Some Tennesseans dubbed the peak “Old Smoky” while others called it “Smoky Dome.” It was eventually renamed in honor of U.S. Senator, lawyer, antebellum political leader, and Confederate General Thomas Lanier Clingman.
A stubborn hothead with a bullying personality, Clingman became notorious for getting into a heated political debate with the U.S. Senator from Alabama, William L. Yancey, that ultimately led to a duel in 1845. (The conflict was resolved with apologies after both combatants had fired and missed).
Later, in the 1850s, Clingman got into a protracted and public debate with Dr. Elisha Mitchell (namesake of North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell) over which peak was tallest in the Smoky Mountains. The gentle and shy Mitchell advocated for Black Dome (later named Mt. Mitchell, NC), while Clingman insisted it was Smoky Dome in Tennessee.
Swiss surveyor, geologist, and Princeton professor, Arnold Guyot eventually settled the controversy once and for all in 1859. He proved Mt. Mitchell was the higher of the two peaks by 41 feet. But Guyot renamed Smoky Dome in Clingman’s honor as a consolation prize.
In 2022, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians proposed the federal government restore Clingmans Dome to its indigenous name. Kuwohi is not only Tennessee’s highest point, but also the highest natural point within the Cherokee Nation’s traditional homeland.
The high point currently sits inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park) and the National Park Service strongly supported the restoration of Kuwohi’s name. Consequently, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the change on September 18, 2024.
Trip Summary
This was the first of our state high points where we drove to the summit. We really wanted to hike there using the Appalachian Trail, but its location in the middle of a national park would have required at least 16 miles of hiking in 35-40 degree weather.
That was a bit much for us for a November hike, so we compromised and drove to the summit in the morning to grab a coveted parking spot (the lot fills up super quick each day). From there we made the obligatory visit the iconic “flying saucer” observation tower.
The hike up to the tower from the parking lot is paved, but super steep. We had to chuckle watching many of our fellow visitors stopping for multiple photo breaks (aka to catch their breath).
After we reaching the observation tower, we still had to climb the steep circular ramp, while avoiding some serious patches of ice. The 20+ mph winds whipped past us the entire way, so we only stayed in the tower long enough to get a few quick photos then headed back down.
Once back down on solid ground, we hopped on the Appalachian Trail and headed south for a nice hike. Although we were on the ridge, the trees blocked the worst of the wind, and the sun stated to warm us a bit.
Finn was excited to learn that not only was he hiking on the AT, but this section straddles the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. So it was a two-fer!
Once we reached our turn-around point that morning, we headed back to Double Spring Shelter for a picnic lunch. While there were encountered six southbound AT thru-hikers who were coming up on the 2,000 mile mark on their trek. In just another week or two, they’d be finished with their journey! And so they were excitedly talking about their plans to celebrate in Atlanta.
We enjoyed sharing a lunch spot at the shelter with them and hearing about their journey. In a interesting twist of fate, we all were standing on the summit of Mt. Katahdin in Maine within a few days of each other earlier that summer! What a wild coincidence.
Our lunch break ended when the dog accompanying one of the thru-hikers spotted a deer and he bolted off into the woods after it. Three of the hikers ran after the dog, but there was no way their efforts were going to stop the chase.
As they continued to repeatedly call the dog’s name from various points down the trail, the dog soon reappeared near the shelter. Finn quickly grabbed its leash and secured the dog until the hikers returned, making himself the hero of the day.
After all the excitement died down, we bid farewell to the hikers. They went south toward Springer Mountain, while we headed back north to Clingmans Dome so we could approach the summit via a “real trail,” and not just the parking lot path.
Details
When to Visit: April to November. The roads leading to the summit close from 1 December to 31 March, and as needed during other unsafe conditions. Regardless of when you visit, expect lots of traffic and delays. This is the most visited national park in the U.S. with more than 11 million visitors annually!
Getting There: Clingman’s Dome is located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 23 miles south of Gatlinburg, TN.
Entrance Fees/Permits: Although this peak located in a national park, you won’t need your National Park Pass to visit! When the state of Tennessee transferred ownership of Newfound Gap Road to the federal government in 1934, they stipulated that no toll or fee shall ever be imposed to travel the road (Thanks Tennessee!!)
Parking: Clingman’s Dome is a very popular attraction, and even though there is ample parking for 100+ cars, the large paved lots fill up early. There are bathrooms at the Visitor Center below the observation tower.
Accessibility: The parking is within ½ mile from the summit. And while trail from the parking area to the summit’s observation tower is paved, it is very steep.
Bonus: Clingman’s Dome is the highest point along the entire Appalachian Trail, and the third highest point east of the Mississippi (after Mt. Mitchell, NC and Mt. Craig, NC). On a clear day, views from the observation tower can stretch for 100 miles.
Resources:
- Clingmans Dome (National Park Service)
- 6 Ways to Hike to Clingmans Dome (Roots Rated)
- Clingmans Dome via the Appalachian Trail (Backpacker Magazine)