POPULAR LOCATIONS
IN THE SMOKIES
Beginning
at the Sugarlands Visitor’s Center, Newfound Gap Road leads up and over
the mountains to Oconaluftee.
Chimney
Tops - The Chimneys top a sheer rise of almost
2,000 feet and were known to the Cherokee as “Dukiskwal-guni” (forked antlers).
The Chimneys Picnic Area, located in a ravine on the mountain’s side, is
an excellent place to stop for a leisurely lunch.
Mount LeConte
- Mt. LeConte is the Park’s third highest peak at 6,593 feet. Despite runner-up
ranking, LeConte serves as the focal point of the Park, offering unforgettable
views from two different overlooks.
Newfound
Gap - In 1940 Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially
dedicated the Park from this majestic site. The road, completed in 1932,
straddles Tennessee and North Carolina here.
Charlie’s
Bunion - This 1,000-foot sheer drop-off can
be found four miles east along the Appalachian Trail. The cliff is named
after a bunion that prevented Charlie Conner, an Oconaluftee settler, from
traveling through the Gap in 1928.
Clingman’s
Dome - Clingman’s Dome is the Smokies’ highest
peak and the third highest point east of the Mississippi, at 6,642 feet.
Andrews
Bald- A picture-perfect picnic spot, Andrews
Bald offers glorious views of the towering mountain ranges of North Carolina
and Georgia. It’s a 3.6 mile round-trip hike from the Forney Ridge parking
area at Clingman’s Dome and is the most accessible bald in the Park.
Smokemont
– A popular campground with a self-guiding nature trail through the reborn
forest. |