Clingmans Dome Visitor Contact Station

"The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, (GSMNP), in Tennessee, is one of the national parks that is free to get into but you still will have to pay for a parking tag. A daily pass is just $5 at the parking lot machine. The Clingmans Dome Observation Tower is the highest point in the GSMNP, Tennessee state, and it is also the highest point along the Appalachian Trail. So because of all these points, this trail is super busy, and it is very difficult to find an available parking spot in the parking lot. The bathroom had long lines, and there is an incline all the way to the tower. However the view at the observation tower is a 360-degree view, and it gave a stunning view of the fall colors, and was absolutely worth all the effort. Truly a marvelous view to behold ..."

"Love the views here. The half mile hike up 330 ft to the dome is strenuous but has plenty of seating area. Take a water with you, take it slow & you'll be glad you did it."

"Free to get in! But it’s $5 for one day parking, which isn’t bad at all. You can get a parking pass online ahead of time or go when the Visitors’ Center opens at 10:00 am. We wanted to see the sunrise from the Dome, but we didn’t get a parking pass ahead of time, so we had to go during daytime hours. It’s a steep, paved, half a mile hike up to the Dome with some beautiful forest along the way. We went on a cloudy day, so the view wasn’t as spectacular as it could have been. Beautiful nonetheless! Highest point in the Smoky Mountains!"

"It's a breather but a manageable hike up to the top. I highly recommend you make the trek. I hope your view is better than the one I had but I highly recommend you go for it. You can hike back down the the parking lot via the Appalachian trail. We got to see a bear just hanging out near the trail. Early in the morning was the way to go....minus the cloud cover that eventually left....after we came down from the top."