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47-630: The Boulevard Trail connects the summit of Mount Le Conte with the Appalachian Trail along the main crest of the Great Smokies. The trail is named after the rugged gap situated between Mount Le Conte and Mount Kephart . The trailhead is located along the Appalachian Trail 2.7 miles (4.3 km) east of Newfound Gap. Unlike the other trails leading to the top of Mount Le Conte, the Boulevard begins near 5,500 ft (1,700 m), thus

94-603: A Cherokee myth recorded by ethnologist James Mooney in the late 19th century, the mountain was the home of the White Bear, the great chief of all bears, and the location of one of the bears' council houses. The enchanted lake of Ataga'hi ("Gall Place"), the waters of which could cure wounded bears, was believed by the Cherokee to be located somewhere between Kuwohi and the headwaters of the Oconaluftee River to

141-446: A glimpse of the often hostile environment of highland Appalachia, passing through the spruce-fir forest and its accompanying blowdowns and dead Fraser Firs. The Appalachian Trail (A.T.) crosses Kuwohi, passing immediately north of the observation tower. A 7.5-mile (12.1 km) leg of the trail connects the mountain with Newfound Gap and provides the only access to the mountain in winter months. The nearest A.T. backcountry shelters are

188-589: A good spring on the Carolina side of Mt. Kephart, about three miles (5 km) from our starting point. It had been freshly cleaned out and lined with native rock. The water was clear and icy cold." A Civilian Conservation Corps camp operated on the mountain's southern base in the 1930s, the chimney of which remains near the head of the Kephart Prong Trail. During World War II , this camp was used to house conscientious objectors. Also in this area are

235-472: A large die-off of Fraser fir caused by non-native insect balsam woolly adelgid . Built in 1959, the observation tower features a circular observation platform accessed by a spiral ramp. The ramp is 375 feet (114 m) in length, and rises at a 12 percent grade, in sync with the Clingmans Dome Trail. The platform, 28 feet (8.5 m) in diameter, allows spectators a 360-degree panorama of

282-697: A series of complexly deformed thrust sheets. During the Mesozoic and Cenozoic , the gradual uplift and erosion of this part of the Appalachian Mountains has continued. Although a dense forest understory covers most of the mountain, outcroppings of the Copperhill Formation can be found on Kuwohi at the Forney Ridge Parking Lot at the end of Clingmans Dome Road. This outcrop exposes massive metaconglomerate of

329-847: Is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina in the Southeastern United States . At an elevation of 6,643 feet (2,025 m), it is the highest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park , the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the 2,192-mile (3,528 km) Appalachian Trail . It is also the third highest point in eastern mainland North America, after Mount Mitchell (6,684 feet or 2,037 metres) and Mount Craig (6,647 feet or 2,026 metres). Kuwohi has two subpeaks: 6,560-foot (2,000 m) Mount Buckley to

376-545: Is a mountain in the central Great Smoky Mountains , located in the Southeastern United States. The Appalachian Trail crosses the mountain's south slope, making it a destination for thru-hikers. The Jumpoff, a 1,000-foot (300 m) cliff on the northeast side of the mountain, has views of the central and eastern Smokies. A stand of Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest coats the mountain's upper elevations. With an elevation of 6,217 ft, Mount Kephart

423-609: Is common throughout the central Smokies. This type of rock is exposed at Charlies Bunion , just to the northeast of Kephart. The Anakeesta Formation rocks are part of the Ocoee Supergroup, formed from ocean sediments nearly a billion years ago. The mountain was formed 200 million years ago when the African and North American plates collided and thrust the rock upward during the Appalachian orogeny . Mount Kephart

470-551: Is named after Horace Kephart , an author and early proponent of establishing a national park in the Smokies. The mountain was called "Mount Collins" until the USGS gave it its current name in 1931, shifting the name " Mount Collins " to the peak between Kuwohi and Newfound Gap . Before the 1880s, Mount Kephart was known by various local names. Mount Kephart was probably visited and measured by Arnold Guyot during his survey of

517-476: Is not between Laurel Top and Newfound Gap, and Guyot would have missed its elevation by a staggering 1,300 feet (400 m). Other than Mount Kephart, the only peak between Laurel Top and Newfound Gap higher than 6,000 feet (1,800 m) is Mount Ambler, a knob on Kephart's southwest slope. Laura Thornborough, a writer who made many excursions into the Smokies in the 1930s, recalled a stream now known as Icewater Spring, on Kephart's south slope: Our party reached

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564-602: Is open annually from April 1 through November 30, begins just past Newfound Gap and leads up the mountain to the Forney Ridge Parking Area, 330 feet (100 m) below the summit. A 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) paved trail leads from the parking lot to the observation tower. The short, steep trail provides a small visitor information center and park store staffed by the Great Smoky Mountains Association. The trail offers

611-648: Is rather gentle, providing some peeks through the brush of the surrounding mountains. At the junction, the Appalachian Trail continues east to Charlies Bunion and the eastern Smokies, whereas the Boulevard Trail heads north across the flank of Mount Kephart en route to Le Conte. Approximately 0.2 miles (0.32 km) from the Boulevard-Appalachian Trail junction is the Jumpoff Trail, a 0.3-mile (0.48 km) side trail that crosses

658-569: Is said that passersby should add a stone to a pile of rocks as a peace offering to evil spirits, a substantial rock pile has developed at the summit of High Top. From High Top, the Boulevard Trail continues for another 0.2 miles (0.32 km) to the Mount Le ;Conte backcountry shelter (modeled after those found on the Appalachian Trail) and then a short distance to LeConte Lodge , where the trail terminates at its junction with

705-766: Is the 7th-highest mountain in Tennessee . Its topographic prominence is drastically reduced, however, by its close proximity to two higher neighbors, Kuwohi and Mount Le Conte . Like much of the Smokies crests, Mount Kephart lies on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, in Sevier County, Tennessee and Swain County, North Carolina . The mountain rises nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above its northern base at Porters Flat, and approximately 3,400 feet (1,000 m) above its southern base along

752-461: Is the second highest in eastern North America. The Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest which covers Kuwohi occurs only at the highest elevations in the Southeastern United States and has more in common with forests at northern latitudes than with the forests in the adjacent valleys. Kuwohi stands prominently above the surrounding terrain, rising nearly 5,000 feet (1,500 m) from base to summit . The forest on and around Kuwohi has experienced

799-543: The Alum Cave Trail and the Trillium Gap Trail . LeConte Lodge is the only commercial lodging available in the national park, as it operates about 10 rustic cabins with no electricity or appliances. The lodge also operates an office which provides t-shirts and other merchandise for hikers and various amenities for guests of the lodge. A final spur trail leads 0.2 miles (0.32 km) from LeConte Lodge to

846-521: The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians , drafted legislation for the Tribe to support changing the name of Clingmans Dome to Kuwahi ('mulberry place')—the original name given to the area by Cherokees. The resolution describes the area, "Kuwahi or 'mulberry place', is the highest point in our area and has significance to us as Cherokees as it was visited by medicine people who prayed and sought guidance from

893-561: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park . A paved road connects it to U.S. Highway 441 at Newfound Gap 6.7 miles (10.8 km) away. A 45-foot (14 m) tall concrete observation tower at the summit, built in 1959 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places , offers a panoramic view of the mountains. An air quality monitoring station, operated by the Environmental Protection Agency ,

940-401: The Oconaluftee River headwaters. Newfound Gap , at just over 5,000 feet (1,500 m), divides Mount Kephart from Fork Ridge (Mt. Collins) to the west. The gap is traversed by U.S. Highway 441, the only paved road crossing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from north to south. Mount Kephart is composed of a type of slate and meta- siltstone known as Anakeesta Formation, which

987-461: The Shark Valley tower at Everglades National Park —were built using similar designs. Bebb's original design consisted of a massive stone tower topped by a circular platform and fire observation cab, accessed by a concrete ramp. Fred Arnold, head of the park service's Forest and Wildlife Protection branch, rejected the inclusion of the fire observation cab, arguing that while Kuwohi was

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1034-591: The Taconic orogeny . Later, Devonian - Mississippian metamorphism of these strata occurred during the Acadian orogeny and additional Pennsylvanian to Permian alteration by retrograde metamorphism and deformation occurred during the Alleghanian orogeny . During the latest part of this orogeny, this segment of the Appalachian Mountains was formed by thrust faulting and folding that uplifted these strata as

1081-406: The Copperhill Formation. At this outcrop, it consists of massive 6-metre (20 ft) thick beds of micaceous quartzite . It contains coarse pebbles of quartz and feldspar , flat pebbles of fine-grained black graywacke, and egg-shaped concretions up to 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter. These cobble -sized concretions are readily weathered to leave rust-stained depressions or cavities in

1128-557: The Creator regarding important matters facing our people, and then returned to our towns to give guidance and advice." The Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians passed the legislation, submitted by Hill and Crowe, during its regular session on July 14, 2022, thus lending the Tribe's support for the name change effort. The change was presented as an opportunity "to talk about the language " and remind people that "this

1175-912: The Double Spring Gap Shelter, which is 2.6 miles (4.2 km) to the west near the Goshen Prong junction, and the Mount Collins shelter, which is 4 miles (6.4 km) to the east near the A.T.'s junction with the Sugarland Mountain Trail . Kuwohi is the upper terminus for several additional hiking trails, including the Forney Ridge Trail (to Andrews Bald ) and the Forney Creek Trail (to the Benton MacKaye Trail on

1222-405: The Ocoee Supergroup accumulated in a string of narrow, deep-water basins that stretched along the entire southern-central Appalachian margin from Tennessee, North Carolina, to Georgia. These basins were rift basins formed by the rifting of Rodinia . The initial metamorphism of the Ocoee Supergroup occurred about 400 million years ago as the result of Ordovician - Silurian tectonism during

1269-420: The Smokies crest in the late 1850s. The name he used for the mountain, however, is uncertain. Guyot listed two mountains between Laurel Top and New (Newfound) Gap as having elevations greater than 6,000 feet (1,800 m) — Peck's Peak, which Guyot measured at 6,232 feet (1,900 m), and Mount Ocona, which Guyot measured at 6,135 feet (1,870 m). The former may refer to Peck's Corner, although Peck's Corner

1316-470: The east. In 1789, an act passed by the North Carolina legislature ceded what is now Tennessee to the federal government. This act fixed a portion of the boundary between the two along the crest of the "Great Iron or Smoky Mountains," which would have included the mountain later known as Clingmans Dome. The mountain was dubbed "Smoky Dome" by American settlers moving in from other areas. In 1859,

1363-448: The highest point in the park, it was not particularly useful for fire detection purposes. Park service director Conrad Wirth objected to the use of a ramp, favoring instead a spiral staircase. After John B. Cabot, head of the park service's Eastern Office of Design and Construction, convinced him of the ramp's usefulness, Wirth decided the stone tower would not be necessary, stating a single central support column would suffice. The tower

1410-476: The metaconglomerate. Soils of Kuwohi are mostly moderately deep to shallow, well drained dark brown loam or sandy loam of strong to extreme acidity ; Breakneck and Pullback series are most common. The climate of the summit of Kuwohi is humid continental ( Köppen Dfb ). The surrounding areas have an oceanic (Köppen Cfb ) climate, as does most of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As with much of

1457-496: The metagraywackes and metaconglomerates. Adjacent to and south of its summit, thin, southward-dipping, and discontinuous beds of garnetiferous (locally graphitic and sulfidic ) metasiltstone occur within the Copperhill Formation. The Copperhill Formation is part of the greater Ocoee Supergroup, a body of clastic metasedimentary rocks formed 560 million years ago. They unconformably lie upon Precambrian granitic and gneissic rocks. The sediments that originally comprised

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1504-564: The mountain was renamed to "Clingmans Dome" by geographer Arnold Guyot for compatriot Thomas L. Clingman , who extensively explored, measured, and promoted the area in the 1850s, and who would go on to become a Confederate general of the American Civil War . Guyot named the mountain for Clingman because of an argument between Clingman and a professor at the University of North Carolina , Elisha Mitchell , over which mountain

1551-662: The mountain's south slope to the Kephart backcountry shelter. Its trailhead is on U.S. 441 between Newfound Gap and the Oconaluftee Valley . After two miles (3 km), the Kephart Prong Trail forks, one way following the Sweat Heifer Trail to Kephart's southwest slope (near Mt. Ambler), the other continuing on to Dry Sluice Gap (near Charlies Bunion). Kuwohi Kuwohi ( Cherokee : ᎫᏩᎯ , also known as Clingmans Dome , its former official name)

1598-431: The overall elevation gain along the trail is dramatically less than that of all other routes. However, this oft-quoted statistic is a bit misleading, as the trail contains many dips and subsequent rises over its eight miles (13 km) course. Still, the high elevation provides for a much cooler hike, making the trail more attractive in summer months. The Appalachian Trail between Newfound Gap and its Boulevard Trail junction

1645-573: The post- World War II era. Designed by Hubert Bebb of the Gatlinburg-based architecture firm Bebb and Olson, the tower's modern design, especially the use of concrete as the primary building material, marked a departure from previous park structures, which favored more rustic elements . Though some criticized the Kuwohi tower as too "urban," two other park service observation towers—the nearby Look Rock tower along Foothills Parkway and

1692-543: The remains of a Works Progress Administration fish hatchery built in 1936. The Appalachian Trail crosses Mount Kephart's southern slope en route to the Sawteeth and the eastern Smokies. While the trail misses the summit by just over 200 feet (60 m), several clearings between Mount Ambler and Icewater Spring have views of the south-central Smokies and Kuwohi. There is a backcountry shelter at Icewater Spring for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. The Jumpoff Trail crosses

1739-742: The shores of Fontana Lake ). The western terminus of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail , which connects the Smokies to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, is located atop Kuwohi. It follows the Appalachian Trail for 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the east, where it then begins to descend toward the Blue Ridge Parkway , via the Fork Ridge Trail. The Cherokee name for the mountain is Kuwahi or Kuwohi ( ᎫᏩᎯ , translating to ' mulberry place'. According to

1786-597: The submission of an application to BGN. The National Park Service "strongly supported" this name change. It was ultimately approved, with the official press release of the name change to Kuwohi, which was effective immediately, being released on September 18, 2024. Kuwohi is part of a geological formation known as the Copperhill Formation. It consists predominately of massive, coarse-grained metagreywacke and metaconglomerate . The lower northern flanks of Kuwohi are underlain by thick layers of sulfidic, quartz - garnet - muscovite phyllite and schist , which occur within

1833-539: The summit en route to the Jumpoff, a high cliff on the mountain's northern slope. The view from the Jumpoff is usually greater than 180 degrees, from Mount Le Conte to the northwest to the Balsam Mountains to the southeast. The Jumpoff Trail is just a few feet beyond the Appalachian Trail and The Boulevard Trail intersection, approximately three miles from Newfound Gap. The Kephart Prong Trail ascends

1880-626: The summit of Cliff Tops, which looks out over Le Conte's western flank into the central Smokies. Manning, Russ; Sondra Jamieson (1991). The Best of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: A Hiker's Guide to Trails and Attractions . Norris, Tennessee: Mountain Laurel Place. ISBN   0-9625122-2-2 . . 35°38′19″N 83°25′04″W  /  35.6387°N 83.4179°W  / 35.6387; -83.4179 Mount Kephart Mount Kephart

1927-429: The summit of Mount Kephart en route to a 1,000-foot (300 m) cliff overlooking the eastern Smokies and Sevier County . About a mile past the Jumpoff Trail junction, the Boulevard Trail descends for appx. 500 feet (150 m) before rising again to the top of 5,988 feet (1,825 m) Anakeesta Knob . The trail then descends once again, before rising along the eastern side of Mount Le Conte. At 7.5 miles (12.1 km)

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1974-631: The surrounding terrain. Cantilevered signs point out the various peaks, ridges, cities, and other features visible in the distance. Depending on the haze, visibility ranges from 20 miles (32 km) on hazy days to 100 miles (160 km) on very clear days. The tower was one of nine observation towers constructed as part of the Mission 66 program (1955–1966), an effort by the National Park Service to upgrade its facilities to accommodate an influx of visitors to national parks during

2021-504: The trail comes to a 0.2-mile (0.32 km) spur trail leading to one of the four peaks of the Le Conte massif , Myrtle Point . Myrtle Point is particularly known for its fantastic sunrises, as it provides a clear view to the east. Just beyond the side trail to Myrtle Point, the Boulevard Trail ascends to High Top , the highest point on Mount Le Conte (6,593 ft; 2,010 m). In the vein of an ancient Cherokee custom whereby it

2068-548: The west and 6,400-foot (1,950 m) Mount Love to the east. The headwaters of several substantial streams are located on the slopes of Kuwohi, including Little River on the north slope, and Forney Creek and Noland Creek, both of which are tributaries of the Tuckasegee River , on the south slope. The mountain is located entirely within the watershed of the Tennessee River . Kuwohi is protected as part of

2115-542: Was Cherokee homeland." The official process started with the filing of an application for a name change through the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN). On August 2, 2022, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to support the name change, after consultation with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The council of the tribe voted in early 2024 to authorize

2162-501: Was actually the highest in the region. Mitchell contended that a peak by the name of Black Dome (now known as Mount Mitchell ) was the highest, while Clingman asserted that Smoky Dome was the true highest peak. Guyot determined that Black Dome was 39 feet (12 m) higher than Smoky Dome. In the early morning hours of June 12, 1946, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress crashed near the summit of Kuwohi, killing all twelve aboard. In June 2022, Lavita Hill and Mary "Missy" Crowe, both members of

2209-665: Was built by the Waynesville, North Carolina construction firm of W.C. Norris at a cost of $ 57,000 (equivalent to $ 600,000 in 2023). Ground was broken in December 1958. After several weather delays and a great deal of controversy over the aesthetics of the design, the tower was completed on October 23, 1959. Kuwohi is the most accessible mountain top in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 7-mile (11 km) Clingmans Dome Road, which

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