Clingmans Dome via The Appalachian Trail - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Carolina

May 6

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.” - Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh.

“Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse. If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” - Ted Lasso

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.” – Buddha

The Story -

On Tuesday, my sister Stacy and I hiked twelve miles on a combination of out and back trails at Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It was Stacy’s last training hike before embarking on a challenging, life-altering one thousand-mile four-month hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT).

Clingman’s Dome -

At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Only Mt. Mitchell at 6,684 feet and Mt. Craig at 6,647, both located in Mt. Mitchell State Park in western North Carolina, rise higher. An observation tower on the summit of Clingmans Dome offers spectacular 360° views of the Smokies with views stretching over one-hundred miles. Unfortunately for us, the summit was cloudy and foggy so we had very limited views. And while the views were anti-climatic, it still was an amazing experience.

A Peakbagger Looks At Fifty - Jimmy Buffett

A peakbagger is a dubious term used to describe a hiker whose principal goal is the attainment of a summit, or a series of summits. And while my main goal is not to accumulate summits, my fifty for fifty list does include hiking the top ten peaks East of the Mississippi River. So I guess I am a peakbagger then, yet there are worse goals, right? And with the Clingmans Dome added to my list, I now have hiked the top three, four of the top five, and six of the top ten peaks this year. Quite an accomplishment with seven full months left to go to complete my objective.

Spill The Tea -

For our hike, Stacy and I drove the Clingmans Dome Access Road to the Fork Ridge Trailhead, starting our hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT). We stayed on the AT most of the day, up and over Mt. Collins and then gradually climbing to Clingmans Dome. After staying some time at the observation tower at Clingmans Dome, we continued on the AT to the 6575ft Mount Buckley overlook before turning around and hiking back to the start. Before exiting the trail, we took a short side hike to the Mount Collins AT Shelter, a shelter used by through-hikers on the AT, to get a glimpse of life on the trail.

Top Four List -

Their isn't any water and the views were not the best, yet there were many other things that made this hike remarkable. Here’s four -

Wildlife - Driving into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and up Clingmans Dome road, we passed two elk and a cackle of mature turkeys. We got perhaps a little too close for comfort to the turkeys, as the male flared up aggressively at us.
Wildflowers - Deep green moss and beautiful Virginia Spring Beauty flowers were everywhere, blanketing the forest floor like carpet. It was magical and felt like a scene from The Lord of the Rings movies.
Spending Time With My Sister - Perhaps the best part of my hike on Tuesday was being able to spend time with my lovely, talented, intelligent, and adventurous sister Stacy. She will be on the AT for at least the next four months and I will miss her.
Sense of Accomplishment - Reaching the summit of Clingmans Dome gave me a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment. Not only was it nice to check the third-highest peak east of the Mississippi off my birthday list, but it was also a great feeling to complete such a difficult hike.

Wrap It Up -

I was thrilled to hike the trails to Clingmans Dome for the varied reasons listed above. Don’t go for just the views, there is a great chance you will leave disappointed since the few views that are available are extremely weather dependent. Go for the experience, perhaps with your sibling or a friend, and the opportunity to deeply immerse yourself among the wildlife and wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. God’s creation at its best.

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