![]() ![]() On a clear day, you can see up to 100 miles including seven states from the top of the tower. Zoom in to see detail on interactive map View Seven States at Clingmans Dome iStockĬlingmans Dome offers great views without demanding you work too hard to see them. Left: Cliff Top, Center: High Top, Right: Myrtle Point. ![]() ![]() At Cliff Top you can watch the sun go down over Clingmans Dome. From High Top, Myrtle Point is less than a half-mile down the Boulevard Trail, taking a spur trail approximately midway.įor the best sunset views backtrack to the west side of Mt Le Conte near LeConte Lodge and take Cliff Top Viewpoint Access Trail. Le Conte’s summit however, is not where the best views are.įamous for its sunrise views is Myrtle Point on Mt. Duck hawk is another name for peregrine falcon you just might see some here. Two miles from the trailhead you’ll get a bonus: Inspiration Point with views of Little Duck Hawk Ridge and its Eye of the Needle to the northeast. There are many trails to get to the top, but the shortest and most popular is 5.5-mile Alum Cave Trail. Le Conte is the third highest peak inside the park but it is also the “tallest” mountain in the eastern United States when measured from its base at Gatlinburg, 5301 feet to the mountain’s summit, called “High Top.” Head to Mount Le Conte for the best sunrise and sunset vistas in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ![]() Billy Hathorn via Wikimedia Commons Sunrise and Sunset on Mount Le Conte The view of the sunset from Cliff Top on Mount LeConte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The monument itself is a viewing platform of Newfound Gap. The memorial honors a $5 million donation from the Rockefeller Foundation which helped establish Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Enjoy the views from the many overlooks on the way to the Rockefeller Memorial. The gap itself is near the midpoint of the road at mile-post 14.7 just north of the intersection of Clingmans Dome Road.įrom the Newfound Gap parking area, you can stand on the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee. It travels from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, rising 3,000 feet to the pass and down again, ending in Cherokee, North Carolina. Its namesake road, 33-mile long Newfound Gap Road (U.S. Interpretive walk along the Newfound Gap overlook Gloria Wadzinski When a surveyor correctly found that this gap was lower than the previous title-holder, the discovery was “newly found” and hence the name Newfound Gap was adopted. Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass over the Smoky Mountains in the park. When establishing a route over a mountain, a gap generally gives you the easiest way up and over. In Appalachia, a “gap” is a low point in a mountain ridge, known as a “pass” in other parts of America. Look Rock Tower, a short hike from the overlook off of Foothills Parkway in Tennessee. Go even higher by taking the one- to two-mile round trip hike (depending on whether you park at Look Rock or the campground) to the Look Rock Tower for 360-degree views of the mountains. The overlook built on top of a cantilevered rock is handicap accessible. Gloria Wadzinskiįor a quiet lookout point, head for Look Rock on the west edge of the park off of Foothills Parkway (closed in winter). Look Rock Look Rock Overlook on the western edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you want to feel like you are on top of the world, here are four spots for fantastic views. Only have a short amount of time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Don’t waste your time trying to decide where to get the best views in this vast outdoor wonderland. ![]()
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