The tower at the top of the Smokies puts seven states in one single glance

Kuwohi’s summit view goes on forever

Great Smoky Mountains National Park pulls in more visitors than any other park in the country, and one spot draws the biggest crowds of all.

You climb to 6,643 feet, higher than anywhere else in Tennessee, and step onto a concrete tower that puts nothing but sky and ridgeline around you. More than 650,000 people make this trip every year.

The forest up here doesn’t even look like it belongs in the South, and the road that gets you there has stops worth a full day on their own.

The Highest Point in the Smokies

Kuwohi tops out at 6,643 feet, the highest ground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and in the entire state of Tennessee.

Only Mount Mitchell and Mount Craig stand taller anywhere east of the Mississippi River, which puts Kuwohi in third place on that whole side of the country.

A 45-foot concrete observation tower sits right at the summit, and it has become one of the most popular stops in the nation’s most-visited national park.

Somewhere north of 650,000 people climb up here every single year to see what the fuss is about.

A 1959 Tower Built for the Modern Age

The tower you see today went up in 1959, replacing a wooden version from the 1930s that couldn’t keep pace with the crowds.

Gatlinburg architect Hubert Bebb designed it with a bold, modern look, and his early plans even included a tall central cylinder that made the structure resemble a silo before he scrapped that idea.

The project was part of Mission 66, a nationwide effort to modernize park facilities, and only nine towers like it exist.

In 2024, the mountain’s Cherokee name, Kuwohi, meaning mulberry place, replaced the old name and the tower earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Walk Up a Ramp That Spirals Toward the Sky

A curving concrete ramp stretches 375 feet from the base to the observation deck, and it climbs gently enough that you never touch a single stair.

That gradual rise is exactly why two other park towers, at Look Rock and in the Everglades, later copied the same design.

Once you reach the open platform, mountains fill every direction and the sky feels close enough to lean into.

The walkway itself has turned into one of the park’s most photographed landmarks, so don’t be surprised if you spend as much time looking at the ramp as the view.

See Seven States on a Clear Day

On the clearest mornings, the view from the deck stretches up to 100 miles, and you can pick out as many as seven states at once: Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

Haze rolls in as the day warms up, so if you want the sharpest view, get there early. Sunrise and sunset bring out the deepest color, though that also means the biggest crowds show up at those hours.

Even on a hazy, smoky day, watching the ridgelines fade into rolling layers and clouds drift below you is its own kind of show.

A Forest That Feels Like Canada

The upper slopes here grow a rare Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest, and it barely resembles anything in the valleys below.

Red spruce and Fraser fir crowd together the way they would in the woods of Maine, and the cool, wet, cloud-wrapped air gives the whole place the feel of a coniferous rainforest.

Pale, weathered trunks of older firs stand out among the green like ghosts scattered along the ridgeline.

Younger firs have been filling in around them for years now, so the forest stays thick and green even as those old giants slowly disappear.

Wildlife That Shifts as You Climb

About 1,900 black bears live in the park, and you can sometimes spot one crossing a road or trail near the summit.

The park holds the title of most biologically diverse area of its kind anywhere, with more than 19,000 recorded species calling it home.

Up in the spruce-fir forest, high-elevation songbirds and northern flying squirrels take over from the deer you’d expect lower down.

Dark-eyed juncos flit along the trails often enough that you’ll probably see one before you reach the tower. The higher you climb, the more the animals around you change.

A Short Trail With a Big Payoff

From the parking area, a paved half-mile trail runs straight up to the tower, gaining about 330 feet along the way.

That climb is steep enough that most people stop at least once to catch their breath, even though benches line the path for exactly that reason.

Because of the grade, the park doesn’t rate the trail wheelchair accessible.

Still, the walk feels tougher than the distance suggests, and every person who reaches the top will tell you the payoff is worth every step it took to get there.

Where Three Legendary Trails Meet

The Appalachian Trail passes right near Kuwohi’s summit and hits its highest point anywhere along the route here, at 6,625 feet, on its 2,197.9-mile run from Georgia to Maine.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail actually begins at this same spot and crosses all of North Carolina before ending at the Outer Banks.

Down at the parking area, the Forney Ridge Trail heads off toward Andrews Bald for those who want more time outside.

You can walk to the tower and back in under an hour, or turn the same trailhead into the start of a multi-day trek.

Andrews Bald Turns Orange in June

The Forney Ridge Trail runs 1.8 miles to Andrews Bald, the highest grassy bald anywhere in the park.

At about 5,860 feet, the meadow opens up to wide views across the southern half of the park and out toward Fontana Lake.

Flame azaleas set the whole bald ablaze in orange and red every June, and by late summer, wild blackberries and raspberries ripen along the edges for anyone willing to pick them.

The round trip covers about 3.6 miles, and most hikers spend close to two hours making the trek out and back.

A Rare Forest in a 15-Minute Walk

Just off Kuwohi Road, the Spruce-Fir Nature Trail loops for only 0.35 miles, but it winds through the same high-elevation fir forest that covers the summit above.

Signs along the way point out mossy ground, small highland bogs, and plants that grow almost nowhere else in the park.

The whole loop takes just 15 to 20 minutes to walk, making it an easy add-on for anyone driving Kuwohi Road anyway.

Most visitors drive right past the trailhead, so a stop here shows you a corner of the mountain that the crowds up top usually miss.

Some of the Darkest Skies in the East

Kuwohi’s elevation and distance from city lights make it a prized spot for stargazing once the sun goes down. On clear nights, the Milky Way arches overhead in detail you won’t get from most backyards on the East Coast.

That same open tower deck that frames the sunset during the day frames the stars once night falls.

Nearby, Waterrock Knob along the Blue Ridge Parkway offers another dark overlook with long mountain views if you want a second stop. Cool, still nights at this elevation can make the whole sky feel close enough to reach.

Scenic Stops Along the Road Below

At Newfound Gap, 5,046 feet up, you can stand with one foot in Tennessee and the other in North Carolina, right beside the Rockefeller Memorial that marks where the park was dedicated in 1940.

Down at the Oconaluftee Meadows, elk often graze at dawn and dusk close enough to watch from the roadside.

The Mountain Farm Museum nearby preserves a cluster of historic log buildings, while Mingus Mill, built in 1886, is currently viewable only from outside during a temporary closure for repairs.

String these stops together and the drive up to Kuwohi turns into a full day of sightseeing on its own.

Plan Your Trip to Kuwohi Observation Tower

You’ll reach Kuwohi by driving Newfound Gap Road, also known as US-441, then turning onto Kuwohi Road for a 7-mile drive to the parking area near Bryson City, North Carolina.

That access road stays open roughly April 1 through November 30 and closes for winter, though you can still hike in along the road or the Appalachian Trail during the off-season.

The lot holds about 150 vehicles and fills fast on summer weekends, so arrive early.

The park charges no entrance fee, but you’ll need a paid parking tag for any stop over 15 minutes, available online and at visitor centers.

Bring a jacket even in July, since the summit runs 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the valleys below.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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