Great Smoky National Park High Point Trip Report
Clingmans Dome (6643 ft)
Date: July 4, 1996
Author: Ron Tagliapietra
The shortest route is to drive US 441 between Cherokee and Gatlinburg to Newfound Gap
on the NC-TN state line. From here, the Clingmans Dome road winds eight miles west to
a large parking area on the slopes of the peak. The paved tourist trail extends a half
mile from the lot to the handicapped-accessible observation deck on the summit.
The tourist trail gains only 400 feet in elevation. The peak is also the HP for the state
of TN, for Sevier county TN, and for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Several other
county HPs are visible from the summit, including Thunderhead, Mt. Guyot, and Mt. Mitchell.
Those who prefer longer hikes or wish to get credit toward their "South Beyond 6000" certificate
and patch must do a longer hike. One of the shorter hikes that counts for this is to follow
the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap (5045 ft.). This route crosses another Southern Sixer,
Mt. Collins en route to Clingmans Dome. Several other trails also climb Clingmans Dome's slopes.
You can find 2.5 pages of information on this peak in my book The Southern Sixers.