At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Only Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mt. Craig (6,647), both located in Mt. Mitchell State Park in western North Carolina, rise higher. The observation tower on the summit of Clingmans Dome offers spectacular 360° views of the Smokies and beyond for visitors willing to climb the steep half-mile walk to the tower at the top.

On clear days views expand over 100 miles.

Clouds, precipitation, and cold temperatures are common at Clingmans Dome. Temperatures at the dome can be 10 -20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than in the surrounding lowlands. In fact, the cool, wet conditions on Clingmans Dome's summit make the spruce-fir forest that grows there a coniferous rainforest. Proper preparation is essential for a good visit. Dress in layers and be sure to bring a jacket, even in summer.

Although Clingmans Dome is open year-round, the road leading to it is closed from December 1 through March 31, and whenever weather conditions require.

It's seven miles to the end of Clingmans Dome Road and there are scenic pullouts with endless views of ridges and valleys along the way. The road ends in a large parking area from which a 0.5-mile trail leads to the summit. The trail is paved but steep and leads to an observation tower on top.

The park usually experiences an autumn leaf season of several weeks as fall colors travel down the mountainsides from high elevation to low. However, the timing of fall color change depends upon so many variables that the exact dates of "peak" season are impossible to predict in advance.

Elevation profoundly affects when fall colors change in the park. At higher elevations, where the climate is similar to New England's, color displays start as early as mid-September with the turning of yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry.

From early to mid-October, fall colors develop above 4,000 feet.

The fall color display usually reaches peak at mid and lower elevations between mid-October and early November. This is the park's most spectacular display as it includes such colorful trees as sugar maple, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, and the hickories.

Autumn is both a beautiful and busy time in the Great Smoky Mountains. The annual show of fall colors attracts huge numbers of sightseers, especially during the last three weeks of October. Areas in the park which experience the longest traffic delays are Cades Cove and Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441).

Why are fall colors so remarkable in the Smokies? One reason is the park's amazing diversity of trees. Some 100 species of native trees live in the Smokies and the vast majority of these are deciduous.

How do colors change? As summer ends, the green pigments in leaves deteriorate, giving other colors a chance to shine. Carotenoids, the pigment that makes carrots orange and leaves yellow, are exposed as the green fades. Reds and purples come from anthocyanins, a pigment that is formed when sugars in leaves break down in bright autumn sunlight.

For spectacular mountain views in any season, plan a road trip along the Foothills Parkway. From this scenic roadway, you’ll see the Smokies rise all around you, and each curve brings another far-reaching vista.

The Foothills Parkway has two segments, West and East. Authorized by Congress in 1944, the parkway has taken decades to build—the western route’s final “missing link” wasn’t completed until 2018. That segment of road is an engineering triumph, using nine bridges to carry the road over difficult terrain. You’ll traverse these bridges on the western parkway route.

Foothills Parkway West

Foothills Parkway West stretches from Chilhowee to Wears Valley, with 19 scenic overlooks including these:

Overlook 6, Look Rock. Stretch your legs with an easy, two-mile round trip hike to Look Rock Observation Tower for 360-degree views. Visibility can stretch up to 40 miles. Not into hiking? You can get great views from the parking area, too. Look Rock has a picnic area and the only bathrooms available on this drive.

Overlook 8, Emerine Gap. This is the only spot on the western parkway with views on both sides of the road. To the east lie the mountains and to the west are the town of Maryville and the vast Cumberland Plateau.

Overlook 11, Great Smoky Mountains Overlook. This overlook, located halfway along Foothills Parkway West, offers a breathtaking, panoramic view of the mountains from the parking lot’s eastern side.  

Overlook 16, Caylor Gap. Here’s a don’t-miss panoramic view near the Wears Valley end of your drive.

Foothills Parkway East

The shorter eastern parkway runs from the town of Cosby to Interstate 40. This route features four overlooks including these:

Overlook 3, Mount Cammerer. At nearly 5,000 feet, Mount Cammerer looms in your view. Hearty hikers can depart the parkway near Cosby and take an 11-mile round trip hike to a mountaintop lookout tower, but be aware that this hike is strenuous.

Overlook 4, Inadu Knob. Gaze at the summit of Inadu Knob, the last mile-high peak along the Appalachian Trail in this area. From that summit, the trail descends toward the river valley.

How to get there: Enter Foothills Parkway West at Chilhowee on Rt. 129 or at Wears Valley on Rt. 321. Enter Foothills Parkway East at Cosby on Rt. 321 or at the Interstate 40 entrance. Click here for a guide to driving the entire Foothills Parkway.

When your road trip is done, head back to your rental cabin to recharge. Find your perfect cabin with us at Colonial Properties Cabin & Resort Rentals.

In southern Appalachian vernacular, a gap is a low point in a mountain ridge. New Englanders call such places “notches” while westerners refer to them as a mountain “passes.” At an elevation of 5,046 feet, Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The old road over the Smoky Mountains crossed at Indian Gap, located about 1.5 miles west of the current site. Newfound Gap's recognition as the lowest pass through the Great Smoky Mountains did not come until 1872. Arnold Henry Guyot, a Swiss geographer, measured many Southern Appalachian elevations. Mount Guyot, the second-highest peak in the Smokies, takes his name. He used a simple barometer to measure changes in air pressure to calculate mountain heights. In most cases, he was within 2-3 percent of current values.

His work revealed Newfound Gap as the lowest pass through the mountains, displacing nearby Indian Gap. When the lower, easier crossing was discovered, it became known as the “newfound” gap. A new road followed, and it became the forerunner of Newfound Gap Road.

A trip over the Newfound Gap Road has often been compared to a drive from Georgia to Maine in terms of the variety of forest ecosystems one experiences. Starting from either Cherokee, North Carolina or Gatlinburg, Tennessee, travelers climb approximately 3,000 feet, ascending through cove hardwood, pine-oak, and northern hardwood forest to attain the evergreen spruce-fir forest at Newfound Gap (5,046'). This fragrant evergreen woodland is similar to the boreal forests of New England and eastern Canada.

At nearly a mile high, Newfound Gap is significantly cooler than the surrounding lowlands and receives much more snow. Temperatures at the gap maybe 10° F. or cooler than in the lowlands and precipitation falling as rain in Gatlinburg or Cherokee may be snow at Newfound Gap. On average, 69 inches of snow falls at the gap.

When there is snow on the ground, and the Newfound Gap Road has not been closed because of it, opportunities do exist for snow sports in the area. Many people use nearby Clingman's Dome Road (closed to vehicles December 1 - March 31) for walking and cross-country skiing. The road starts 0.1 miles south of Newfound Gap.

An exuberant mountain stream gave this area its unusual name. Roaring Fork is one of the larger and faster-flowing mountain streams in the park. Drive this road after a hard rain and the inspiration behind the name will be apparent.

The narrow, winding, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail invites you to slow down and enjoy the forest and historic buildings of the area. The 6-mile-long, one-way, loop road is a favorite side trip for many people who frequently visit the Smokies. It offers rushing mountain streams, glimpses of old-growth forest, and a number of well-preserved log cabins, grist mills, and other historic buildings.

Before entering the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a stop at the Noah “Bud” Ogle self-guiding nature trail offers a walking tour of an authentic mountain farmstead and surrounding hardwood forest. Highlights include a streamside tub mill and the Ogle’s handcrafted wooden flume plumbing system.

Just beyond the Ogle farmstead is the trailhead for Rainbow Falls, one of the park's most popular waterfalls. The hike to the falls is 5.4 miles roundtrip and is considered moderately strenuous. If you plan to attempt this hike, be sure to wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots and carry plenty of water and snacks.

The entrance to the motor nature trail is located a short distance past the parking areas for Rainbow Falls. Several homes and other buildings have been preserved in this area. The trailhead for Grotto Falls, another of the park's most popular waterfalls, is located along the route. And a “wet weather” waterfall called Place of a Thousand Drips provides a splendid finale to your journey. An inexpensive booklet is available at the beginning of the motor nature trail details landmarks along the route.

Directions to Roaring Fork

Beginning and ending within miles of downtown Gatlinburg, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a one-way drive that takes visitors along a 5.5 mile experience through the National Park. To access Roaring Fork, turn off the main parkway in Gatlinburg, TN at traffic light #8 and follow Historic Nature Trail Road to the Cherokee Orchard entrance to the national park. Just beyond the Rainbow Falls trailhead you have the option of taking the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (closed in winter).

The Sinks in the Great Smoky Mountains is one of the few waterfalls in the national park that you can actually drive to and enjoy, without hiking.

The 15-foot waterfall is named after the large whirlpool created by the rushing river at its base that resembles water draining from a sink.

Located a short drive from Gatlinburg (11 or so miles) on Little River Road, The Sinks offers a parking area right along the falls. Parking spaces are limited, and we recommend arriving early or during non-peak times so that you can find a spot.

Additionally, there is an overlooking and walking path located at The Sinks, so that you can experience the beauty of the waterfall.

When visiting, you may see people jumping off a nearby rock or swimming in the river around the falls. Please note that this is extremely dangerous and there have been serious injuries and deaths from doing so over the years.

Directions to The Sinks

From Sugarlands Visitor Center, follow Little River Road. The parking area for The Sinks is approximately 12 miles from the visitor center.