About Hooper Bald Overlook
Most Smokies-area overlooks look through a gap in the trees. Hooper Bald works differently: the summit is a grassy bald, so the horizon opens in nearly every direction and you can turn in a full circle. It is one of the most exposed spots on the Cherohala Skyway.
What is a bald
An Appalachian bald is a high summit with grass and shrubs instead of forest. No one agrees on the cause; theories include fire, grazing, old Cherokee clearing and weather. Whatever the reason, a bald gives you a view that a forested ridge can't. Hooper Bald, at about 5,400 feet in the Nantahala National Forest, has views over the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, Lake Santeetlah and the Unicoi crest.
Visiting
The Skyway passes close to the bald, and a short walk gets you onto the open ground. Plan on 20 to 30 minutes and wear wind layers; the top is often 15 degrees colder than Robbinsville.
- Location: on the Cherohala Skyway, about 15 miles from Robbinsville on the North Carolina side.
- Season: the Skyway is open year-round, but ice, fog and early snow close it at times. Check the national forest page before a winter trip.
- Services: none along the road. Fuel up in Robbinsville or Tellico Plains.
- Cell signal: unreliable.
Pair it with
Santeetlah Overlook and Stratton Ridge are on the same stretch of road, within a few minutes. Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, with its old-growth poplars, is a short drive down a side road. The Cherohala runs through national forest, so none of the national park's parking-tag rules apply. If you are coming from Gatlinburg, allow about 2 hours each way via Maryville and Tellico Plains.