End of season open house

Before Clingmans Dome Road closes for the winter, the Great Smoky Mountains Association invites everyone to an open house at the visitor center store.

The association will host the open house at Clingmans Dome Visitor Center on Saturday and Sunday, December 1-2, from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., weather permitting.

Visitors can enjoy light refreshments as they take one last seasonal stroll around the visitor center. All Clingmans Dome-branded merchandise will be 20 percent off (with the exclusion of additional discounts) in the store at the visitor center on those two days.

Located at the end of Clingmans Dome Road, 7 miles from Newfound Gap at the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, Clingmans Dome Visitor Center sits at an elevation of 6,300 feet. A half-mile trail leads from the visitor center to the observation tower atop Clingmans Dome – the highest peak in the Smokies. The Clingmans Dome observation tower is open year around. Multiple trails lead to the dome, and hikers are always permitted to walk the closed road.

Since its inception in 1953, Great Smoky Mountains Association has supported the preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by promoting greater public understanding and appreciation through education, interpretation and research. A non-profit cooperative association and national park partner, GSMA has provided more than $44 million to the park during its 65-year history.

Clingmans Dome Road and Clingmans Dome Visitor Center are typically closed to the driving public from December 1 through April 1.