To get the rest of the way, you can walk a fairly steep paved path that ends in a spiral walkway to an observation tower with 360-degree views. It's well worth the effort, because at 6,643 feet in elevation, Clingmans Dome is the highest peak in the Smokies -- as well as the third-highest peak east of the Mississippi River. If the air is clear, you can see as far as 100 miles, although air pollution often shortens this distance considerably. Sunset can be particularly beautiful here.

As you look out on the surrounding fir trees, many of which have been killed by a non-native, aphid-like insect known as the balsam woolly adelgid, you'll actually be in the middle of a rainforest. Granted, it's not the tropical variety, but the average 85 inches of rain a year that Clingmans Dome gets qualify it as a coniferous rainforest just the same.

CATALOOCHEE

Ironically, this isolated valley on the North Carolina side of the park receives fewer visitors than more popular Cades Cove, but during its heyday around the turn of the century, it was a much larger and more prosperous settlement. Records from 1910 show that 1,251 people lived here. Today, only a handful of their 200 buildings are left.

Along a 2 ½-mile stretch of road, you can view five historic buildings that are part of a designated auto tour.

The drive begins at the Palmer House, which was built as a log cabin in 1860. Siding was added about 1902, giving the house a decidedly more modern appearance. Today, the building houses exhibits on life in the Cataloochee Valley around the turn of the century.

Driving west, you'll next come upon the Will Messner Barn, moved here from neighboring Little Cataloochee Valley, and then the Palmer Chapel, a Methodist church built in 1903 and remodeled in 1929. Circuit-riding preachers came just once a month, but Sunday school was held every week.

The Beech Grove School, built in 1901 to replace an older log building, is next. Here the valley's children learned to read and write from November through January -- and sometimes through March if funding was available.

The 1903 Caldwell house, a white clapboard house with pretty sky-blue trim, is the last house on the drive. Be sure to go upstairs and read the catalog pages peeling off the walls and ceiling. You're likely to come upon an advertisement for boys' rubber hi-cut boots or perhaps black satin dresses (only $9.98).

Cataloochee is also famous for its resident elk herd, thanks to a program begun in 2001 to reintroduce this majestic animal to the Smokies. The elk tend to congregate in the handful of open fields next to the road in the early morning and just before sunset.

Other good times to spot them include cloudy summer days and before or after storms. The elk sport colored plastic ear tags that identify where they came from originally, and each also wears a radio collar for monitoring. Be sure to also keep an eye out for bear, deer and wild turkeys, all of which reside here.

In addition to the elk herd and the historic homes on the auto tour, the Cataloochee section of the park also offers a campground open mid-March through October, with 27 sites.

FLORA, FAUNA

No matter where you decide to explore within the park, be sure to take note of the great variety of plants and animal life you're bound to encounter everywhere you go. The Smoky Mountains form the most biologically diverse national park in the continental United States.

An estimated 100,000 species of plants and animals live here. In fact, no less than 30 species of salamander exist in the Smokies, more than anywhere else on the planet, making the park the salamander capital of the world.

But whether you come for the critters or visit for the vistas, the Smoky Mountains are more than willing to share their splendor.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@