Clingmans Dome tower reopens

A Great Smoky Mountains National Park official said Monday that the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower is now accessible after a rehabilitation project that began last year.

“It has reopened,” said Jamie Sanders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in an email Monday.

In 2017, contractors began repairing deteriorated areas on the tower’s concrete columns and walls, stabilized support walls at the base of the ramp, and repaired stone masonry.

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.

The observation tower on the summit offers spectacular 360-degree 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 to over 100 miles.