b"If you feel like stretching your legs a bit try (10) Cades Cove Nature Trail. This half mile loop takes visitors into the woods to experience how a settlers family would forge for necessities. Just ahead on the right you will find (11) Dan Lawson Place. Built around 1856, some of thebetter blade work of the time is represented in this home. Small outbuildings served as family pantries, also used as a granary and smokehouse. You can also stop at (12) Tipton Place. Hamp Tipton had this home built shortly after the Civil War. The long shed on the opposite side of the house is an apiary or bee gum stand, offering honey as a common confection. As your tour of the cove comes to a close, you will see (13)CarterShieldsCabin sitting nestled near the end of the loop. Another example ofcraftsmanshipinthearea,this small cottage offers visitors one lastopportunitytostep out of their lives and into the past.At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great SmokyMountainsNationalPark.Itisthehighestpointin Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. The observation tower on the summit of Clingmans Dome offers spectacular 360 views of the Smokies and beyond for visitorswilling to climb the steep half-mile walk to the tower at the top.Clouds,precipitation,andcoldtemperaturesarecommonat Clingmans Dome. Temperatures at the dome can be 10 - 20 degrees cooler than in the surrounding lowlands. The cool, wet conditions on Clingmans Dome's summit make the spruce-fir forest that grows there a coniferous rainforest. Dress in layers and be sure to bring a jacket, even in summer.Although Clingmans Dome is open year-round, the road leading to it is closed from December 1 through March 31, and whenever weather conditions require. It'sseven miles to the end of Clingmans Dome Road and there are scenic pullouts with endless views of ridges and valleys along the way. The road ends in a large parking area from which a 0.5 National Parkmile trail leads to the summit. The trail is paved but steep, and leads to an observation tower on top.Besides the trail to the summit, there are several trails that start on Clingmans Dome Road and parking area. The Appalachian Trail (AT) crosses Clingmans Dome, marking the highest point along its journey from Georgia to Maine. The Forney Ridge Trail leads to Andrews Bald, a high-elevation grassy bald.To get to Clingmans Dome, take 441 through the Park and turn off .1 miles south of Newfound Gap and follow the 7-mile Clingmans Dome Road to the large parking area at the end.Mileage to Clingmans Dome From Cherokee - 25 mi SmokyMountainNavigator.com From Gatlinburg - 23 mi 135"