Mount Guyot is a mountain in the eastern
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...
, located in the southeastern United States. At in elevation, Guyot is the fourth-highest summit in the
Eastern U.S.
The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East ...
, and the second-highest in the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, whi ...
. While the mountain is remote, the
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
crosses its south slope, passing to within of the summit.
Mount Guyot lies on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, between
Sevier County and
Haywood County. There are two peaks atop the mountain approximately one-half mile apart, with the southwestern peak being the true summit. The mountain rises above its eastern base near Walnut Bottom and above its western base near
Greenbrier Cove. Ramsey Cascades, one of the park's most spectacular waterfalls, spills down a sandstone cliff near the bottom of Guyot's western slope.
A dense stand of
Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest
Southern may refer to:
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* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
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coats the summit and upper slopes of Guyot. Human settlement never expanded deep into the eastern Smokies, so the area around Guyot and adjacent peaks suffered substantially less disturbance than the mountains in the western or central parts of the range. A long hike and a challenging
bushwhack are required to reach the summit, the highest in the Eastern U.S. without a trail.
Geology
Mount Guyot is composed of
Precambrian
The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...
rocks of the Ocoee Supergroup, formed from ocean sediments approximately one billion years ago. The mountain is underlain by Thunderhead sandstone, which is common throughout the Smokies. The Thunderhead sandstone was thrust over Roaring Fork sandstone several hundred million years ago. Mt. Guyot itself was formed during the
Appalachian orogeny
The Alleghanian orogeny or Appalachian orogeny is one of the geological mountain-forming events that formed the Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Mountains. The term and spelling Alleghany orogeny was originally proposed by H.P. Woodward in 1957 ...
over 200 million years ago, when the North American and African plates collided, thrusting the rock upward.
History
Mount Guyot was named in honor of Swiss geographer
Arnold Guyot
Arnold Henry Guyot ( ) (September 28, 1807February 8, 1884) was a Swiss-American geologist and geographer.
Early life
Guyot was born on September 28, 1807, at Boudevilliers, near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He was educated at Chaux-de-Fonds, then ...
by Guyot's friend, Samuel Buckley. Buckley was a naturalist who accompanied
Thomas Lanier Clingman
Thomas Lanier Clingman (July 27, 1812November 3, 1897), known as the "Prince of Politicians," was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1843 to 1845 and from 1847 to 1858, and U.S. senator from the state of Nort ...
on a survey expedition to the crest of the Smokies in 1858. While Buckley's measurements were often wildly inaccurate, Guyot conducted an expedition the following year, recording more accurate elevations and giving preliminary names to various peaks along the crest. Guyot measured the elevation of Mt. Guyot at , missing the modern measurement by just .
Regarding the Eastern Smokies, surveyors and authors alike agreed on one thing: the region was very remote and isolated. Guyot said of the area, "neither the white man or the Indian hunter venture in this wilderness." For
Horace Kephart
Horace Sowers Kephart (September 8, 1862 – April 2, 1931) was an American travel writer and librarian, best known as the author of '' Our Southern Highlanders'' (a memoir about his life in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina) ...
, who wrote extensively on the Smoky Mountains in the early 1900s, Mt. Guyot was the climax of a dense, virtually-insurmountable wilderness:
Kephart goes on to relate the account of James Ferris and his wife, two naturalists who bushwhacked their way across the crest of the Smokies to Mt. Guyot in 1900. According to Mrs. Ferris:
Mt. Guyot remained isolated until the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
constructed a segment of the
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
across the mountain's western slope in 1935. Although the trail opened up the heart of the Eastern Smokies to backpackers, access remained relatively difficult. According to author Laura Thornborough, who climbed Guyot in the late 1930s:
Thornborough followed the route out of Greenbrier that ascends Guyot's western slope. She recalls that "there was no trail to Guyot, not even a dim one, but our guides knew the way." The party followed Ramsay Prong until it became "a mere trickle of water," and emerged near modern-day Guyot Spring. From the state line, they found a "dim trail" leading to the summit. Thornborough concludes her report by saying, "if it is wilderness you want, then go to Guyot."
[Thornborough, p. 122.]
Access
The
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
and the Balsam Mountain Trail intersect just south of Guyot
at
Tricorner Knob
Tricorner Knob is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 6,120 feet (1,865 m), with 160 feet (48 m) of clean prominence. The Appalachian and Balsam Mountain trails intersect ne ...
. They are the only maintained trails to traverse the mountain.
From the
Cosby Campground (specifically behind Campsite B51), the
Snake Den Ridge Trail
The Snake Den Ridge Trail is an American hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Cocke County, Tennessee. Winding its way up the backbone-like crest of Snake Den Ridge, the trail connects the Cosby Campground to the Appalachi ...
winds to its intersection with the Appalachian Trail at Inadu Knob. From this
intersection, it is approximately to Guyot Spring, on Mt. Guyot's west slope.
A section of the Appalachian Trail stretches from
Newfound Gap
Newfound Gap (el. ) is a mountain pass located near the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States of America. Situated along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, the state l ...
to
Tricorner Knob
Tricorner Knob is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 6,120 feet (1,865 m), with 160 feet (48 m) of clean prominence. The Appalachian and Balsam Mountain trails intersect ne ...
, near Guyot's south slope. The Appalachian-Balsam Trail intersection is approximately from Balsam Mountain Road, a gravel road that begins near
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
, North Carolina.
While Guyot's eastern slope is very steep, its western slope, known as Guyot Spur, descends gradually for nearly five miles to the
Little Pigeon River. A well-known bushwhack follows the creek on the north side of Guyot Spur, starting at Ramsay Cascades and emerging on the Appalachian Trail near Guyot Spring (probably the same path Thornborough's guides followed in the 1930s). This route is approximately eight miles from the Ramsay Cascades Trail parking area, four miles (6 km) of which are maintained trail.
While the summit is less than a half-mile from the Appalachian Trail, the thick forest makes any bushwhack a challenge. A faint manway rises from Guyot Spring to the northern summit, although the manway is heavily overgrown. Dead Fraser fir blowdowns and low visibility complicate navigation from any direction.
References
External links
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trail Map- Large file in .pdf format.
Tricorner Knob Shelter- Information on the back country shelter near Mt. Guyot's southern slope.
- Information provided by the Carolina Hiking Club for climbing Mt. Guyot and other nearby high peaks.
The Mount Guyot page at Summitpost.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guyot, Mount
Mountains of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Guyot (Great Smoky Mountains)
Mountains of Tennessee
Mountains of North Carolina
Southern Sixers
Protected areas of Haywood County, North Carolina
Protected areas of Sevier County, Tennessee
Mountains of Haywood County, North Carolina
Mountains of Sevier County, Tennessee