Clingmans Dome Observation Tower - Great Smokey Mountains National Park - U.S. Benchmarks on Waymarking.com

01/01/1963 by USGS (FIRST OBSERVED)
DESCRIBED BY US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1963 CHEROKEE, 12.0 MI NW. OF, 10.0 MI S. OF GATLINBURG AND 5.4 MI SW. OF NEWFOUND GAP ON TOP OF CLINGMANS DOME, FROM NEWFOUND GAP GO W. ON CLINGMANS DOME ROAD TO PARKING AREA, PACK 0.5 MI ON TRAIL TO TOP AND STATON, CENTER OF CIRCULAR CONCRETE OBSERVATION TOWER WITH SPIRAL RAMP LEADING TO TOP, TOWER DESIGNATED---CLINGMANS DOME OBSERVATION TOWER---.


Long Description:
From the guidebook, we read:
The road ends at a large parking plaza, 7.7 m. A Class B trail to the summit of CLINGMANS DOME (6,642 alt.), about 0.5. m. in length. From the plaza are fine views of the Blue Ridge Range, and the Natahala National Forest and Andrew's Bald in North Carolina. From the top of Clingmans Dome are visible a number of the highest peaks in the Smokies; Mt Kephart, Siler's Bald, and Mt. Collins. On some days clouds fill the valleys on both the Tennessee and North Carolina sides, and on the brightest days the blue haze, from which the Smokies derive their name, dims the landscape.
----- TENNESSEE - A Guide to the State (third printing 1949).
The observation platform at Clingman's Dome continues to be a very popular tourist destination while visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When the guidebook was written, the observation platform was a large wooden tower, which was replaced with a spiraling concrete structure in 1960. As the guidebook says, the views can be clear of the surrounding mountains or completely fogged in clouds.

Condition: Mark found in good condition Designation: Concrete observation tower Benchmark Agency: National Geodetic Survey Benchmark Agency (if other): NGS Monumentation type: Lookout Tower Monumentation type (if other): Original tower - Wooden Platform / Current Tower - Concrete Platform County: SWAIN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA USGS 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle Name (optional): Clingmans Dome Special category (optional): Mountain summit marks Special Category (if other): Mountain top observation platform Find type: Coordinates and/or to-reach information from the NGS database (or Geocaching's copy of it) were used Web address of this benchmark's datasheet (optional): [Web Link] NGS PID: FB2495 Local database's URL (optional): [Web Link]

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