Kuwohi Observation Tower Trail

This route starts and ends at the Kuwohi Trailhead parking area at the end of Clingmans Dome Road, covering 1.0 mile round trip with about 335 vertical feet of gain. From the parking area, follow the paved path as it climbs immediately and steadily, with grades reaching 12 percent in places; benches are spaced along the way for those adjusting to the elevation. At 0.5 miles, the path reaches the base of the observation tower, an elevated concrete structure completed in 1959 and known locally as the "flying saucer." A spiral ramp leads up to the circular viewing platform at 6,643 feet, the highest point in Tennessee and the third-highest point in the eastern United States, with views extending across the Great Smoky Mountains into North Carolina on clear days. Return by retracing the same paved path back to the parking area.