High Points Driving Tour
Description
Sightseeing in the “high elevations” of the Great Smoky Mountains can be an experience that won’t soon be forgotten. We travel past the Appalachian Trail and traverse the Crest of the Smokies as we take in the sights above 5000 ft. You will gain facts of the area from your guide that will make these mountains come alive with Native American stories and geographical facts. We travel into the North Carolina side of the National Park to take in the vistas and learn about the impact logging had to the area. You will be amazed how the forest has reclaimed itself over the years. Our goal for this trip is to arrive at the Clingmans Dome parking area and gift shop. This is the highest point in the National Park at 6,643′. If the weather permits, we'll take an optional short walk through the spruce-fir forest and learn about this unique environment.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Newfound Gap Road is one of the most scenic drives in the southeast. We'll make the 13-mile long drive out of the Sugarlands Valley while we learn about the people, plants, animals, and history of the Great Smoky Mountains. Along the way we'll stop at several scenic overlooks for photos of the towering mountains and dark, shaded valleys.
The highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this mountain provides sweeping views of as many as seven states. We'll walk among the spruce and fir trees and enjoy the cool mountain air as we learn about the place the Cherokee called Kuwahi.
Deep in the mountains at a height of more than 5,000 feet we'll stand on the state line while looking down the the Sugarland Valley to our north and the Oconaluftee Valley to the south. The famous 2,200 mile-long Appalachian Trail passes through this point next to the stone stage where President Franklin Roosevelt gave the Great Smoky Mountain National Park dedication.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(128)
Wonderful excursion. Very interesting. Guide was very knowledgeable and readily answered any questions.
The views were spectacular! Our guide was so sweet and knowledgeable! She was very helpful with mobility issues with one member of our party. It was a little rainy so we didn’t walk around as much as we would have if it was not raining but the views with the rain and the clouds allowed us to see “The Smokey’s” at their best!
We were all glad we booked with SMG! Best way to see the park - with someone else driving and with a guide that can explain what you are seeing. Our guide, Philip, was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about everything related to the park. The geography, the history, plants, animals, the Cherokee. We will definitely do another tour with SMG! The price was very reasonable and a bargain for the quality.
Perfect way to see the literal high points of the park. Our guide was full of good history and stories about the people and the region. Clean and roomy van. Worth every penny.
This is a totally wonderful trip!! We got to the top of Smoky at 6710 feet, the view is absolutely stunning!! Our tour guide Wes is terrific, we love this trip❤️❤️。A LOT!!!
The driver was very knowledgable & patient with us.
Lydia was amazing. Took us to see amazing views and more importantly shared a lot of history and current information along the way. Not only did she keep my interest the whole time but also the 4 teenagers in our group. This was our most favorite thing we did on our trip.
So great to hear this was a favorite aspect of your entire vacation. Great to have you.
This was an amazing tour-highly recommend it! Beautiful scenery and we loved how informative our driver was. Jay was an amazing guide and provided so much information and insight into the beautiful mountain experience!! This is a must do!
Sooooo glad you joined us.
We enjoyed our tour and we were lucky to have almost perfect weather. Our guide Jay, was very nice and knowledgeable about the area throughout the tour. We were disappointed that we only had 15 to 20 minutes at Clingman’s Dome/Kuwohi. The itinerary on Booking.com as well as TripAdvisor says the tour stops there for 60 minutes, so we expected to be able to hike the area or go to Clingman’s Dome. We did stop at Elkmont Ghost Town, which was interesting. After the tour, I went back to review the itinerary to see if I misread something, I had not. I’m giving a five star review because we did really enjoy the tour despite having incorrect information on the itinerary. My suggestion is you update your description to match the one on both Viator’s and the Smokey Mountain Guides websites.
Hi there. Great feedback. As our tours are often dynamic in nature, each tour may slightly be different. We will audit these descriptions and adjust. Thanks again for the heads up and honest feedback.
Very relaxing beautiful drive. Had scenic stops with great pictures taken. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history and where the perfect views were. Very friendly.
Great to hear you had a good trip with SMG
