Tennessee’s highest peak just got its real name back after 165 years

Kuwohi’s ancient name returns to the Smokies

At 6,643 feet, Kuwohi is the highest point in Tennessee and in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and for 165 years, most people didn’t even know its real name.

The Cherokee called it Kuwohi long before anyone else drew a map of these mountains. Now the name is back on the signs, and the mountain itself hasn’t changed one bit.

What’s waiting at the top will stop you cold.

The third-tallest peak east of the Mississippi

Kuwohi doesn’t just top Tennessee. It ranks third among all peaks east of the Mississippi River, behind only Mount Mitchell and Mount Craig, both in North Carolina.

The mountain rises nearly 5,000 feet from base to summit and sits right on the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

Over 650,000 people make the trip to the summit each year, which makes Kuwohi one of the most visited spots in the most visited national park in the country.

Sacred ground where medicine people sought answers

The Cherokee have called this mountain Kuwohi (koo-WHOA-hee) since long before it appeared on any American map. The name means “mulberry place” in the Cherokee language.

This was the highest point in their homeland, and medicine people climbed it to seek guidance from the Creator.

In Cherokee oral tradition recorded by ethnologist James Mooney in the late 1800s, the mountain was home to the White Bear, the great chief of all bears.

That history lived in the land even when the name on the signs said something else.

How two Cherokee women changed the mountain’s name

In 1859, the mountain was renamed Clingmans Dome after Thomas Lanier Clingman, a North Carolina politician who also served as a Confederate brigadier general. The name stayed for over 160 years.

Then in 2022, two enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe, pushed to change it back. The EBCI Tribal Council approved the effort that July.

Principal Chief Michell Hicks submitted the official application in January 2024, and by September 2024, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names made it official.

Permanent signs in both English and Cherokee syllabary went up by June 2025.

The 1959 tower still earns its place at the top

A 45-foot concrete observation tower sits at the summit, built in 1959 as part of the National Park Service’s Mission 66 program, a major push from 1955 to 1966 to modernize parks across the country.

The tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it wasn’t just built for Kuwohi.

It became the prototype for two later Mission 66 towers: Look Rock Tower here in the Smokies and Shark Valley Tower in the Everglades. To get to the top, you walk a 375-foot spiral ramp at a 12 percent grade.

On a clear day, you can see into the next state

The tower gives you a full 360 degrees with nothing in the way. On the clearest days, you can see up to 100 miles out and into neighboring states.

Most days, haze and air pollution pull that down to about 20 miles, so clear mornings matter. Sunrise and sunset draw the biggest crowds for the light and color those conditions bring.

At night, the elevation and distance from city lights make Kuwohi one of the better stargazing spots in the entire region.

A forest that has more in common with Canada than Tennessee

The slopes of Kuwohi are covered in Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest, one of the rarest ecosystems in North America. The whole forest type covers only about 100 square miles.

The red spruce and Fraser fir that grow here look more like something from a boreal forest in Canada or Maine than from the valley below.

A non-native insect called the balsam woolly adelgid hit the Fraser fir population hard.

But a study found the number of adult firs on Kuwohi tripled between the 1980s and 2020, a real sign the forest is coming back.

Three major trails cross at this summit

The Appalachian Trail runs 2,192 miles from Georgia to Maine, and Kuwohi is its highest point.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which stretches all the way across North Carolina to the Outer Banks, has its western terminus right here. The Forney Ridge Trail begins at the parking area and leads down toward Andrews Bald.

You can walk to the tower and back in under an hour, or you can pick up the AT and keep going for days. The summit is where those choices open up.

The half-mile trail is short but it will work you

From the parking area to the tower is half a mile, paved the whole way. You gain about 330 feet of elevation, and the grade earns it.

The National Park Service doesn’t call it wheelchair accessible because of how steep sections get, despite the pavement. Benches along the trail give you a place to stop.

Most people take 20 to 30 minutes going up. Coming down is faster, but watch your footing on the ramp.

Andrews Bald blooms with fire in June

The Forney Ridge Trail from the parking area runs 1.8 miles to Andrews Bald, the highest grassy bald in the Smokies at about 5,860 feet. The 3.6-mile round trip is rated moderate and takes most people about two hours.

When you get there, the meadow opens up with views across the southern half of the park and out to Fontana Lake. In June, flame azaleas cover the bald in orange and red.

By summer, wild blackberries and raspberries grow along the edges.

The spruce-fir loop is worth 15 minutes of your drive

Before you reach the summit parking area, the Spruce-Fir Nature Trail cuts a 0.35-mile loop right off Kuwohi Road.

It takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk and passes through the same endangered Fraser fir forest that covers the upper mountain.

Signs explain what you’re looking at, including highland bogs, moss-covered ground, and rare plants. Northern flying squirrels and high-elevation songbirds move through here.

It’s easy, it’s short, and it shows you something most visitors drive right past.

Layers matter more than you’d think up here

The summit runs 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the valleys below, and snow can fall anytime from September through May. Fog and clouds move in fast at this elevation, sometimes in minutes.

Bring a jacket even if you left in a T-shirt. Kuwohi Road opens April 1 and closes after Nov. 30.

From December through March, the parking area isn’t reachable by car, but you can still walk in along the 7-mile road or come up via the Appalachian Trail.

A parking tag keeps things from getting complicated

Anyone parking more than 15 minutes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs a paid parking tag. You can buy one online or at the visitor center as a daily, weekly, or annual pass.

The summit lot holds about 150 vehicles and fills up fast on summer weekends, so arriving early gives you the best shot at a spot and at clear views.

A small visitor center near the trailhead has maps and a park store. Pets and bicycles aren’t allowed on the trail to the tower.

Reach Kuwohi in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

To get to Kuwohi, take Newfound Gap Road, also marked as US-441, and turn onto Kuwohi Road. From there it’s a 7-mile drive to the parking area.

The park has no entrance fee, but parking tags are required and sold on the official website and at the park.

While you’re in the area, the Newfound Gap overlook, the Rockefeller Memorial, and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center are all close by.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park drew over 12 million visitors in 2024, so plan ahead.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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