Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN · NC
A rocky ridge walk to a clearing with views over Miry Ridge.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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.
See the Great Smoky Mountains audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Kuwohi Observation Tower“You're approaching Kuwohi, the highest summit in the Smokies. The observation tower lifts you above the trees for a full circle of mountain ridges, if the clouds allow it.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Silers Bald Trail is a 9.2-mile out-and-back from the Forney Ridge Trailhead at Kuwohi to a small summit clearing on the Appalachian Trail. Budget about six hours: the round trip involves roughly 2,150–2,300 feet of climbing, rocky tread and several steep pulls. It suits hikers ready for a long high-elevation day, not a quick stop from the Kuwohi lot.
From the far end of Kuwohi parking, take the short connector and bypass path to the Appalachian Trail, then follow the AT west. The first ridgeline has several view openings before the route settles into old-growth spruce-fir forest. At roughly 2.6 miles, stay on the AT at the Goshen Prong junction. Double Spring Gap Shelter is about 3.2 miles from the start; after rain, long sections can turn to deep mud. Near the Welch Ridge junction, stay with the AT toward Silers Bald. The sign's shelter distance refers to Silers Bald Shelter; the bald summit is a short, steep climb away.
A USGS marker sits on a large rock in a small clearing. A short side path reaches a viewpoint over Miry Ridge, the best place to pause for the view. The bald was once part of a much larger grazing meadow, but much of that open ground has grown back in. Local history ties the name to Jesse Siler, a 19th-century North Carolina stockman who grazed sheep and cattle here.
Mid-May hikers have reported spring beauties, trout lily, violets and white trillium along the route, especially near Double Spring Gap. Bloom timing varies with the high-elevation season, so treat the flowers as a possible bonus rather than a promise.
Use the Kuwohi parking area at the end of Kuwohi Road, formerly Clingmans Dome Road; the Forney Ridge trailhead is at the far end of the lot. The road closes seasonally in winter and can shut sooner for snow or ice. Vehicles parked longer than 15 minutes need a park parking tag. Pets are prohibited on this backcountry trail; only Gatlinburg and Oconaluftee River trails allow pets. Carry enough water for the full trip. Overnight shelter use requires an advance backcountry reservation and permit.
Wildlife
1,566 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
899 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
ModerateForney Ridge Trail to Andrews Bald3.6 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadDescend through spruce-fir forest to Andrews Bald, then climb back.
ModerateKuwohi Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · At the trailheadA steep paved climb to a tower above the spruce-fir canopy.
ChallengingMountains-to-Sea Trail: Kuwohi to Waterrock Knob46.8 mi · 23.1 hr · 0.4 mi awayA 46.8-mile backpack from Kuwohi to Waterrock Knob
ChallengingForney Creek Trail11.2 mi · 8.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayA long creekside traverse through old logging country.
ModerateFork Ridge Trail5 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.8 mi awayA rocky descent from a high ridge into Deep Creek.
ChallengingPole Road Creek Trail3.2 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayA remote creekside descent with repeated water crossings.
EasySpruce-Fir Nature Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 3.4 mi awayA short, shaded loop through the Smokies' spruce-fir woods.
ChallengingRough Creek Trail2.7 mi · 2.3 hr · 4.4 mi awayA steep 2.7-mile connector from creek to mountain trail.
Visitor center · At the trailheadKuwohi Visitor CenterA stone-built visitor stop and small shop before the Kuwohi climb.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayKuwohi Observation TowerA steep climb to a 360-degree view from the Smokies' roof.
Sight · 1.1 mi awayAndrews BaldAn open mountain meadow with a 3.6-mile hike and a steep return.
Scenic pullout · 5.1 mi awayDeep Creek Valley OverlookA roadside viewpoint over Deep Creek Valley
Sight · 5.4 mi awayNewfound Gap OverlookA 5,046-foot pass, a state line, and a historic terrace.
Picnic area · 5.5 mi awayChimneys Picnic AreaA shady lunch stop beside a cold, boulder-strewn river.
Scenic pullout · 5.7 mi awayChimney Tops OverlookStep out for the twin peaks without taking a hike.
Sight · 5.9 mi awayBen Morton OverlookA west-facing Smokies overlook with a seasonal sunset alignment.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.
