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Author:
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Backpacker Magazine
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Activity:
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Hiking
ActivitySearchHiking
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State:
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Tennessee (TN)
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Distance:
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9.88 mi
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Difficulty:
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5 / 10
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Rating:
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Unrated
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This 10-mile out-and-back on the Appalachian Trail delivers outstanding returns on your aerobic investment. It's a relatively easy stroll on a high, narrow ridgeline with constant views into Tennessee and North Carolina. From the Clingmans Dome parking area, hike 0.25 mile to the summit observation tower, where you can claim Tennessee's (and the AT's) high point (6,643 feet) before turning left on the AT.
You'll roll through spruce, fir, beech, and ash to open views at 6,575-foot Mount Buckley and 5,560-foot Jenkins Knob. Then, at 4.5 miles, you'll hit The Narrows, where the ridge squeezes to a few yards wide, for a 0.5-mile tiptoe to 5,607-foot Silers Bald and its views of Fontana Lake and surrounding balds. To make it an overnight, head to Silers Bald Shelter 0.2 mile beyond.
MAP AND GUIDE: Trails Illustrated Great Smoky Mountains National Park ($12, natgeomaps.com); Hiking Trails of the Smokies, by Don DeFoe, ($20, smokiesstore.org)
CONTACT: (865) 436-1200, nps.gov/grsm
-Mapped by Jeff Chow
TO TRAILHEAD: From Gatlinburg, take US 441 into GSMNP. At mile 14.7, turn right onto Clingmans Dome Rd. and go 6.3 miles to the parking lot (closed from December through March).
| Position Format: |
Datum: |
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Clingmans Dome to Silers Bald
| Dist: 9.88 mi |
Points: 791 |
Calories: none |
| Time: none |
Speed: 0.0 mph |
Pace: 0:00 / mi |
CLG001
Location: 35.556853°, -83.496222°
Follow the wide, paved trail lined with benches from the parking lot to the observation tower.
CLG002
Location: 35.562657°, -83.499774°
Bear right to summit Clingmans Dome and the lookout tower.
CLG003
Location: 35.563440°, -83.498459°
Turn right onto Clingmans Dome Tower Trail.
CLG004
Location: 35.563076°, -83.498701°
Clingmans Dome (6,643 ft.): This summit is the second highest point east of the Mississippi, and the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. Climb the 54-foot tower for 100-mile views of seven states on clear days. On cloudy days, you won't be able to see the ground below the tower. Next, backtrack to Waypoint 2 and continue west along the ridgeline.
CLG005
Location: 35.562081°, -83.504355°
Continue straight at 3-way junction.
CLG006
Location: 35.562218°, -83.505936°
Traverse the summit of Mount Buckley.
CLG007
Location: 35.564716°, -83.533401°
Hike past Goshen Prong Trail and continue along the ridgeline.
CLG008
Location: 35.565162°, -83.542818°
Trail passes Double Spring Gap Shelter.
CLG009
Location: 35.564970°, -83.544663°
Traverse Jenkins Knob.
CLG010
Location: 35.564798°, -83.559605°
The Narrows: The ridge squeezes to a few yards wide; carefully maneuver the next half-mile stretch to 5,607-foot Silers Bald.
CLG011
Location: 35.565589°, -83.563042°
Pass Welch Ridge Trail on the left.
CLG012
Location: 35.565938°, -83.565488°
Silers Bald: The Tennessee-North Carolina state line runs across this 5,607-foot mountain. Look east for views of Clingmans Dome. Next, follow the ridgeline southwest to Silers Bald Shelter.
CLG013
Location: 35.564158°, -83.568342°
Silers Bald Shelter: Spend the night at the shelter, or turn around and retrace the route back to the parking lot.
View from Clingmans Dome Road
Location: 35.556861°, -83.496062°
A misty view from the Clingmans Dome Road. © Scott Sanders
Lookout Tower
Location: 35.563425°, -83.498336°
© Scott Sanders
Clingmans Dome Tower
Location: 35.562980°, -83.498497°
© Jeff Chow
Double Spring Gap Shelter
Location: 35.565179°, -83.542646°
© Jeff Chow
