Following our visit to the highpoint of North Carolina, we drove through Smoky Mountain National Park in search of Clingmans Dome. With no time to spare we drove (instead of hiked) the 8 miles from the highway to the parking lot. We found ourselves alone in the parking lot and never encountered anyone on our 15 minute expedition. We walked the half-mile up the paved trail, thoughtfully lined with benches, to the domed observation tower, which looked even more like a spaceship in the fog. Looking for proof of our visit we climbed the tower and took some pictures. The fog and rain did not afford us a view. Then we searched for the intersection of the Appalachian Trail. Clingmans Dome is the highest point along the AT.

P.S. Afterwards we ate at a terrific restaurant in Gatlinburg, TN called the Park Grill. It is styled after a NPS lodge & the staff dresses in mock NPS uniforms, I had the trout. We highly recommend it.

Melinda & Mel at the summit.

Clingmans Dome is located approximately 22 miles S of Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sevier County, Tennessee.

First named Smoky Dome, this highpoint was later renamed for Thomas Lanier Clingman (1812-1897), a U.S. Senator from North Carolina.