NC Appalachian Trail - Section 2 - Newfound Gap to Clingman's Dome

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
4/20/62022	8.6 miles	4 hours 47 minutes	1,213'	1.9 mph	256.9

Parking: 

• 1 car at Clingman's Dome Visitor Center, 1 car at Newfound Gap

Maps:

• FarOut app (Guthook)
• GaiGps app
• National Geographic Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Directions:

• Walk .5 miles up paved trail to Clingman's Dome. At the bottom of the tower, get on a side trail to the AT. Turn right and hike on the AT to Newfound Gap.

After a short hike and waiting for Clingman's Dome Road to open at 1pm, we were on our way up to the trailhead. There was a long line of cars waiting to go up. Once parked at the visitor center, everyone rushed up the trail to Clingman's Dome. The tower looked smaller in person than it does in photos. Views were good, but it was crowded. One highlight - we could see Bluff Mountain (where we do trail maintenance) from the tower.

We headed down and got onto the AT. Our friend Dian joined us for the day. She's also a section hiker. It snowed not too long ago in the smokies. We found patches of ice on the trail. Overall, a nice section. Not too much up. We were close to Clingman's Dome Road, so there was some car noise, but I tuned it out. Fewer wildflowers in this section compared to the Deep Gap Trail. We saw oddly few thru hikers today. Not many people on the trail (once you leave Clingman's Dome).