What’s the best cliff or high point in the smoky mountains
>>2811109In the winter it's the Newfound Gap parking spot because you can get a decent view of the valleys and hills below but the parking lot isn't clogged because it's cold outside.
>>2811109You're never going to find it and I'm never going to post it on the internet. You'll have to meet me on trail and ask in persont. local
>>2811149I just gave your previously unknown spot a five star rating and review and uploaded the location and photos to Google Maps in exchange for $2 worth of Play Store credit, sorry Cletus but public land belongs to everyone, not just the locals.
>>2811171I didn't know there was any monetary reward for doing that. But I find all sorts of weird cliffs on Google Maps that people mark as having views and I'm not sure if there are views. I mean like places that are topographically prominent, but in Appalachia if the trees aren't cleared or there's not a rock sticking out, you won't see anything through the trees. I don't know about GSMNP, but I have a bunch of other weird cliffs I have found on Google Maps and other places where I'm not sure if there's a view or even a trail or public access but would be interesting to go and find out.
Hiking to the top of clingmans dome in January was pretty cool. Would recommend
>>2811222Can't you drive to the top??? The whole point is you park there and can walk across the ridge to other knobs from there I thought.
>>2811227You can but the road isn't maintained in the winter so they close it off. I was just there in December.
>>2811230That's the problem with national parks. I was in a state forest and there was a road that wasn't maintained in the winter. It was fucking a sheet of solid ice for 10 mi - luckily it was 55 degrees outside but it was quite the slip and slide due to my shitty tires, but it wasn't closed. National Park the rules are strict. I'd rather go in spring/summer and hike to an adjacent peak, I mean I think that's kinda what they expect you to do and most fittish people do. I was on a different road in a similar area last winter, and on google maps it was marked "road closed in winter", but it wasn't gated, just not maintained (phew). And it actually wasn't TOO bad with snow and ice. I wish they just threw down some sand on the gravel roads in winter.
>>2811109
>>2811109As other anon's said, for pure views, go to Clingman's dome when Newfound Gap isn't closed but the main access toad is. It is like a 16mi RT via the AT or a 15mi RT via the access road (just ride a bike, there won't be snow there if you check the forecast.) Cliffs and stuff are harder... the Jumpoff Point past Mount Kephart and Charlies Bunion are what you are looking for. Both are also accessible from Newfound Gap. Leconte isn't bad either, not quite cliffs but still a good amount of vertical dropoff. For pure cliffs nearby you are gonna wanna go to Whiteside MTN, Laurel Knob, and Shortoff MTN/the Amphitheater (when Linville Gorge reopens)
>>2811232Hiking clingmans dome wasn't that bad. It was probably asphalt 2/3rds of the time I went and 1/3 was like a few inches of snow. Walking the two lane road to the top with no cars and very few other people reminded me of some post apocalyptic movie.
>>2811242l-linville gorge closed? I was just there last sept>shortoff mtnI'm going to assume that's the hardest to get to gorge view. I did Hawksbill Mountain and that was plenty hard for me.>>2811284Yeah but I mean like I think the whole point is that you can drive up to the top, and then string a few peaks together by ridge climbing if you come in warmer weather. Seems like the most scenic way to do it. Though really I just dislike national parks and tend to stay away because of the crowds and rules.
>>2811307If you can get parking. Which, you can't, because it's GSMNP.
>>2811307I was there in sep too. It closed due to the hurricane in late sep early oct. rock jock is open though. Shortoff isn't bad from Wolf Pit but it has good rock for climbing and a good view northwards towards the gorge.
>>2811323what is rock jock? is that a climbing route or something? I am just a hiker.
>>2811109smoky's have some of the highest peaks in appalachian range but the prominence makes them feel less significant since there's no many rolling mountains in the range. You never get to experience something like you do over on the west coast with like Mount Hood for example
>>2811330mt hood requires a permit and ice climbing to ascend...
>>2811331No it doesn't. What are they going to do to stop you if you don't have your permit?
>>2811335my main point is that its a technical ascent requiring expensive gear and a high level of skill and fitness that eastern summits do not require
>>2811109don't take your life away anon
>>2811328it is a trail on the western side of the gorge
>>2811336having done hood (my favorite view on the west coast) and basically everything in NC, there is nowhere other than the black mountain alpine routes (which only last a month for the required ice) that feels anything close to the cascade volcanos. That being said, NH, NY, and ME have some great winter stuff that comes pretty damn close.
>>2811872sounds impossibleI assume the west side of the gorge is the steeper side?
>>2811873>>2811336I've done big climbs every month of the year, in every part of the country plus internationally. I'm qualified to say that the rugged peaks of New York, New England, and Québec hold their own against ANY mountains this side of the Himalaya. Not just in winter either. Every season has its own challenges in the northeast's alpine regions. People from the west, south, and other regions routinely get caught off-guard by the sheer difficulty of hiking, scrambling, and climbing here.
>>2811878The majority of the climbing rock is on the east side but the trails on the south western side are harder
>>2812494Having seen the shape of the gorge from the top of it that makes sense. I prefer easier trails.
>>2811317Protip, you can park in any of the pulloffs throughout the park and just walk to where you want to go. But if the trailhead parking lot you were planning on parking is full, you're doing tourist shit during peak season/hours and thus part of the problem.
