Thunderhead Mountain is a mountain in the west-central part of the

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 The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. Rising along the border between

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, the mountain dominates the Western Smokies. 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 ...

crosses its summit, making it a popular hiking destination. Rocky Top, a knob on the western part of the mountain's summit ridge, shares its name with a popular Tennessee state song. Thunderhead rises approximately above its northern base at Little River and approximately above its southern base at Bone Valley. The mountain consists of three peaks, the lowest being Rocky Top at above sea level and the easternmost being the highest at above sea level. Thunderhead is the highest point in Blount County, Tennessee and the highest point on the Appalachian Trail coming from the south until the trail ascends Silers Bald some to the east. The mountain's name originated in the 19th century. It probably referred to the unpredictable weather that often strikes the higher elevations in the Smokies. According to Laura Thornborough, a writer who hiked to the summit of Thunderhead along with local guide Sam Cook in the 1930s:

Geology

Thunderhead consists of precambrian sandstone. Thunderhead sandstone is part of the Ocoee Supergroup, which was formed from ancient ocean sediments between 500 million and one billion years ago. The mountain itself was formed appx. 200 million years ago 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 195 ...

, when the collision of the North American and African plates thrust the rock upward.

History

James Spence, who cleared the ridge to the west (now known as Spence Field), was the first known permanent settler in the vicinity. While the extent of Spence's farm is unknown, cattle-grazing had rendered Thunderhead a grassy bald by the late-19th century. Thunderhead is one of the few mountains listed under its current name in Arnold Guyot's 1859 survey of the crest of the Smokies. Guyot measured Thunderhead's elevation at above sea level, missing the modern measurement by just seven feet (2 m). During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, a group of East Tennesseans attempted to form a wilderness settlement on the mountain's north slope known as "New World," although the settlement didn't last. The settlement was located along Thunderhead Prong, near Chimney Rocks. As preservationist groups began buying land in the Smokies in the early 1900s, Thunderhead became a favorite hiking destination for park visitors. John W. Oliver, the great-grandson of the first European settlers in

Cades Cove Cades Cove is an isolated valley located in the Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The valley was home to numerous settlers before the formation of the national park. Today Cades Cove, the single most popular destinati ...

, started offering guided hikes to the mountain in 1924. The trail he (and Thornborough's guide, Sam Cook) used largely followed the Bote Mountain Trail-Appalachian Trail route still in use today. In the years after 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, w ...

was formed, wooded plants started to reclaim much of the Smokies crest west of Clingmans Dome. Park strategy at present is to allow Thunderhead to return to its natural state. A narrow path is maintained across the top of the mountain for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers.

Access

The Bote Mountain Trail, with its trailhead on Little River Road, ascends to the crest of the Smokies and intersects the

at Spence Field. From Spence Field, it is approximately to the summit of Thunderhead. The Lead Cove Trail, also beginning on Little River Road (near

), offers the shortest access to the summit by bypassing the first of the Bote Mountain Trail. From the Lead Cove trailhead, it is approximately to the summit of Thunderhead. The Anthony Creek Trail, rising out of the Cades Cove campground, also bypasses the first of the Bote Mountain Trail. From the Anthony Creek trailhead, it is approximately to the summit of Thunderhead. While the main summit of Thunderhead is covered in foliage, Rocky Top offers a 360-degree view of the western Smokies.

References

External links

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trail MapThunderhead Mountain
- Peakbagger.com
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Landforms
{{Mountains of Tennessee Mountains of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Mountains on the Appalachian Trail Mountains of Tennessee Mountains of North Carolina Protected areas of Blount County, Tennessee Protected areas of Swain County, North Carolina Appalachian balds Mountains of Swain County, North Carolina Mountains of Blount County, Tennessee