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| Andrews Bald | ||
| Trail Features: | Panoramic Views | |
| Trail Location: | Clingmans Dome Area | |
| Roundtrip Miles: | 3.5 miles | |
| Total Elevation Gain: | 899 feet | |
| Avg. Elev Gain / Mile: | 514 feet | |
| Highest Elevation: | 6310 feet | |
| Trail Difficulty Rating: | 5.30 (moderate) | |
| Parking Lot Latitude: | 35.55646 | |
| Parking Lot Longitude: | -83.49591 | |
Directions to Trailhead:
From the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, drive 13.2 miles south along Newfound Gap Road to Clingmans Dome Road. Turn right onto Clingmans Dome Road and drive 7 miles all the way to the end of the road. Because of the popularity of this area, the parking lot for this area is very large. The Andrews Bald trailhead is at the very end of the parking lot.
From Cherokee, drive north 20 miles to reach Clingmans Dome Road.
Trail Description:
If ever there was a need for sturdy boots and hiking sticks in the Smokies, Andrews Bald would be high on the list. Basically, for most of the trail, you’re walking in a creek bed, filled with rain run-off, rocks and small boulders. Don’t let this deter you though, just be forewarned.
The day we hiked this trail we virtually rolled the dice. Clingmans Dome was shrouded in fog, a leftover from the rain and snow that passed through the night before. Did I mention this was in mid-May?
The whole point of hiking to Andrews Bald is for the spectacular panoramic views that reward you at the end of the trail. If it’s fogged-in, what’s the point?
We took our chances anyway and made the call to go for it.
So, in the fog and mist, we began our descent down Clingmans Dome along Forney Ridge. You’ll be hiking the Forney Ridge Trail through a spruce and fir forest before in order to reach Andrews Bald.
At just over a tenth of a mile into the hike, the bypass trail to the Appalachian Trail forks off to the right. To continue onto Andrews Bald, turn left.
At roughly 1 mile from the trailhead, the Forney Creek Trail will branch off to the right . Go straight here to continue onto the Bald.
You’ll enter Andrews Bald at roughly 1.7 miles. To get to the best views, continue on for another 100 yards or so. You’ll have several acres of open grassy bald from which to choose a picnic spot or to just enjoy the incredible views.
High elevation grassy meadows in the Appalachians are known as balds. Andrews Bald is the highest grassy bald in the Smoky Mountains. Without maintenance from the Park Service, both Andrews and Gregory Bald would be reclaimed by forest. Both balds are known for their spectacular displays of azalea and rhododendron blooms in late spring and early summer. On this particular hike we were a few weeks too early.
Although it was still windy and cool, we had blue skies above us and excellent views of Fontana Lake and the southern Smokies. We definitely made the right call to hike the trail that day.