This is the highest point in the Smokies at 6,643 feet. It is a 1-mile round-trip steep incline to the top, where Clingman's Dome observatory is.

There were several folks who made use of the few benches along the steeply paved trail.

Unfortunately for us, when we reached the top, it was surrounded by clouds, so we couldn’t see past 100 feet.

It is still worthy of another visit.

This is a steep climb up a paved walkway in the clouds! You get a great view of the clouds from the lookout tower. There is a restroom at the parking lot level. There is no admission fee to get in this park!

This is the highest point in the park. You enjoy a pleasant drive up the mountain. There is a paved parking lot, observation deck, etc., at the top.

On a rainy day, you won't be able to see much, which, unfortunately, it was when we went. The drive was also a little scary in the rain, but beautiful when sunny. There are several scenic overlooks, too.

Newfound Gap Road, which runs straight through the middle of the Smokies National Park, leads you to several visitor attractions. As this is the only main road it does get very busy at certain times of the day and especially during the summer and autumn. We traveled along it early one morning and didn’t find it too bad. The speed limit is only 40mph, so you need to allow extra time to accommodate this.

About half way along the road is the turning for Clingmans Dome, this is similar to Look Rock (see Foothills Pathway review). There is a large car park and information point with map. You then climb a concrete pathway and get very out of breath (altitude 6,643 ft). Once at the end of the pathway you climb a concrete lookout tower which itself is 54ft high. I would suggest you take a bottle of water with you, as although initially the length of the walk doesn’t seem to bad – half a mile but the altitude and steepness really takes the breath out of you. This is the highest point in the Smokies and the view is great. However there is quite often low-lying cloud, which can obscure the view. We had this problem, but it is worth staying for a while as the cloud moves quickly, so one minute you can’t see a thing, the next you can see for miles. There are information boards at the top so you can pinpoint certain peaks etc. According to the official guide, on a clear day you can see for over 100 miles into seven states. Definitely worth visiting.

The trail up to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Smokies, is paved but very steep. I rested several times on the way up. The view is spectacular from the viewing station at the top. On the way up you can see all the damage that acid rain has done to the trees--very sad and eerie. It makes you want to run out and join the Sierra Club. You can also access and hike the Appalachian trail which is nice if you don't have time to do the whole trail.