Sight · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A rocky Appalachian Trail summit with broad western Smokies views.
Overview
Rocky Top is a small, open rocky outcrop on the western end of Thunderhead Mountain’s summit ridge, where the Appalachian Trail crosses the first of three high points. This is a long, strenuous hike, not a roadside overlook. Save it for a day when you’re ready for a real climb and want to earn a broad view.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
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Guide
The Anthony Creek route starts at Cades Cove Picnic Area and climbs by Bote Mountain to Spence Field and the ridge; Lead Cove is another approach and is usually described as shorter. Route estimates vary, but Lead Cove is close to 12 miles round trip, while Anthony Creek is about 14 miles with roughly 3,600 feet of climbing. Either way, expect a big uphill and a long return. There’s no food or drink service at the summit, so carry what you need and check current backcountry trail cautions before setting out.
Rocky Top is the westernmost of Thunderhead’s three summit knobs; the higher Thunderhead summit is farther east along the ridge. From the open outcrop, a clear day can bring Cades Cove, Fontana Lake, Kuwohi, Mount Le Conte and Gregory Bald into view, with distant North Carolina ranges beyond. Mountain laurel can flower along the high ridge in June.
The 1967 song “Rocky Top,” written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, shares its name with this summit. Its mountain-home lyric is romantic storytelling, not the record of a settled homestead on this peak; the rocky outcrop and Appalachian Trail were here long before the song.
The trail crosses Spence Field on the way to Rocky Top. The field takes its name from James Spence, who built a cabin there in 1830. Sheep and cattle grazing helped keep the ridge’s grassy openings clear, so the open field and the rocky bald are also traces of how people used these high mountains.
Wildlife
1,569 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
900 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
142 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
26 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
42 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Smoky Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingSpence Field via Lead Cove Trail9.5 mi · 7 hr · 3.4 mi awayA steep, all-day climb to a historic meadow on the AT
ModerateFinley Cane, Bote Mountain and Lead Cove Loop6.9 mi · 4 hr · 3.4 mi awayA rhododendron tunnel leads to a rocky ridge with valley views.
ModerateTurkeypen Ridge Trail3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.4 mi awayA ridge walk through old cove fields and cool, moist hollows.
ModerateAnthony Creek Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 3.9 mi awayA shaded creek climb to the Bote Mountain junction.
ChallengingRussell Field Trail9.6 mi · 6.5 hr · 3.9 mi awayA steep climb to a small meadow reclaimed by forest.
EasyCades Cove Nature Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 4.2 mi awayA shaded sub-mile loop with a creek crossing.ChallengingRocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain Trail13.9 mi · 9.5 hr · 4.2 mi awayA steep day to Rocky Top and Thunderhead's quiet high point.ChallengingSpence Field and Russell Field Loop13.2 mi · 8 hr · 4.2 mi awayA strenuous loop from Anthony Creek to two high Smokies meadows.Sight · 1.1 mi awaySpence FieldA grassy crest meadow with June laurel and a grazing past.
Campground · 4.1 mi awayAnthony Creek Horse CampThree reserved horse campsites with trail access near Cades Cove.
Picnic area · 4.3 mi awayCades Cove Picnic AreaCreekside lunch tables and charcoal grills at the loop entrance.
Campground · 4.3 mi awayCades Cove CampgroundA woodland base for the cove's historic loop and wildlife.
Store · 4.4 mi awayCades Cove Campground StoreBike rentals, camp supplies and soft-serve before the loop.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayCades Cove Riding StablesA horse, carriage or hayride gives the cove a different pace.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayLynn Camp Prong CascadesEasy cascades on an old railroad grade through rhododendron.
Sight · 5 mi awayIndian Flats FallsThe unmarked spur leads to tiered falls after four creekside miles.Parkwolf’s Great Smoky Mountains ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
