Mount Cammerer – Hike Mount Cammerer in the Smoky Mountains

Trail Description:

This particular hike to the summit of Mt. Cammerer begins from the Low Gap Trailhead in the Cosby Campground. Although it’s a roundtrip hike of 12 miles, it’s still the shortest and most commonly used route to the 4928-foot summit.

The hike begins at the back of the section B area of the Cosby Campground. From here you’ll proceed to climb the Low Gap Trail for 3 miles before hooking-up with the Appalachian Trail. This is a steep and relentless climb over many switchbacks through a beautiful and mature hardwood forest.

Upon reaching the junction, turn left onto the Appalachian Trail and hike almost 2.5 miles to the Mt. Cammerer Trail.

You’ll continue climbing along this section of the Appalachian Trail, however, the elevation gain isn’t quite as steep as the Low Gap Trail. You’ll cross over a grassy ridge offering several nice places to take a break before turning onto the rugged spur trail that leads to the Mt. Cammerer summit. The trail to the tower is slightly more than half a mile long and is fairly level, but does involve some rock scrambling as you approach the tower. Take your time and watch your step.

At 4928 feet in elevation, the summit of Mt. Cammerer sits on the edge of a rocky outcropping overlooking the Pigeon River Gorge. On a clear day the views are simply awesome; some even say the best in the Park. For an even better vantage point, step up to the deck of the stone fire tower. This “western” style tower, which was fully restored in 1995, provides you with excellent 360 degree views. Look in any direction and see row upon row of mountains.

The mountain directly across the gorge with the white aviation tower at the top is 4263-foot Snowbird Mountain. Below you and outside of the park is the water tower for the hydro-electric plant in the Big Creek area. To the south is the Mt. Sterling Ridge with another interesting fire tower on its peak. And of course, towards the west, is the seemingly endless expanse of mountains we call the Smokies.

The octagonal fire tower at the summit was built by local laborers and the Civilian Conservation Corp in the late 1930s using hand-cut stone. Men working on the tower drilled and blocked the stone right out of the mountainside from a quarry just 100 yards downhill from the tower. Some of these stones weighed as much as 600 pounds.

The architectural style used for the tower was called “western” because it didn’t require a raised structure to see above the trees.

From February 15 to May 15, and then again from October 15 to December 15, the tower was manned by watchers who lived on the premises on two-week tours.

The mountain itself is named after Arno Cammerer, the well liked Director of the National Park Service in the 1930s. Cammerer was an instrumental figure in helping to establish a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains. With the help of Colonel David C. Chapman of Knoxville, Cammerer convinced John D. Rockefeller Jr. to make a gift of $5 Million, which was used to purchase the lands that would become the national park.

During his tenure as Director the areas under the National Park Service tripled in number, and visitation jumped from roughly 2 million to 16 million people a year.

After Cammerer’s death in 1941, the peak formerly known as "White Rocks" received his name.

If you’re interested in learning more about the fire towers in the Smoky Mountains and Western North Carolina, I highly recommend Hiking North Carolina's Lookout Towers by Peter Barr. In addition to the historical background of the fire towers, the book also serves as a hiking guide to many of the towers in the region.

Mount Cammerer
Trail Features:		Panoramic Views
Trail Location:		Cosby
Roundtrip Miles:		12.0 miles
Total Elevation Gain:		2470 feet
Avg. Elev Gain / Mile:		412 feet
Highest Elevation:		4928 feet
Trail Difficulty Rating:		16.94 (strenuous)
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