Clingmans Dome : Ask Biography

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Clingmans Dome (or Clingman's Dome) is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. At an elevation of 6643 ft (2024.8 m), it is the highest mountain in the Smokies, the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the 2174 mi (3498.7 km) Appalachian Trail. East of the Mississippi River, only Mount Mitchell (6684 ft (10756.9 disp=s)) and Mount Craig (6647 ft (10697.3 disp=s)) are higher.

Clingmans Dome is protected as part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A paved road, closed in winter (December 1 through March 31), connects it to U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road). The concrete observation tower, built in 1959, offers a panoramic view of the mountains in every direction. An air quality monitoring station, operated by the Environmental Protection Agency, is the second highest in eastern North America.

The Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest which covers Clingmans Dome occurs only at the highest elevations in the southeastern United States, and has more in common with forests at northern latitudes than with the forests in the adjacent valleys. Clingmans Dome stands prominently above the surrounding terrain, rising nearly 5000 ft (1524 m) from base to summit.