The Clingmans Dome observation tower in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed for more than half the month of July to complete a final surface overlay along the tower ramp as part of a major rehabilitation project that began last year, according to park officials.
The work was supposed to have been finished earlier in the summer, but the rainy weather delayed it.
The trailheads and surrounding facilities will remain open, but the tower itself will be off limits to the public from July 10 through July 27 until the work is completed (weather pending, of course).
Last year, contractors worked to rehab the aging tower, stabilizing and repairing the concrete columns and walls and repairing stone masonry. A $250,000 grant from Partners in Preservation (PIP) provided the money for the work. It was awarded in 2016 to the Friends of the Smokies on behalf of the park after being one of the top nine most voted for parks in the Partners in Preservation: National Parks Campaign.
The tower is the highest point in the park and straddles the North Carolina and Tennessee state line. It's a major landmark and destination within the park, where visitors can see up to 100 miles over the surrounding scenery. Millions of visitors have climbed the tower since 1959.
For more information about the tower, visit the park website.