Gregory Bald
Gregory Bald rises to 1,505 m in Tennessee. Rocky Top stands 1,657 m to the east-northeast, 9.1 miles off. The nearest named place is Gregorys Little Bald, a peak 0.5 miles away. Indian Lakes Scenic Byway passes 3.7 miles off.
The story
Gregory Bald is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains. It has an elevation of 4,949 feet (1,508 meters) above sea level. The mountain's majestic summit makes it a popular hiking destination. Another feature that attracts many visitors are the flame azaleas that bloom over the bald every summer. The azaleas reach peak bloom around mid-to-late June. Gregory Bald is located along the Tennessee-North Carolina border, between Blount County and Swain County. It rises approximately 3,000 feet above its northern base in Cades Cove, and approximately 3,300 feet above its southern base at Fontana Lake. The mountain is located entirely within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gregory Bald is a type of mountain known as a grassy bald. Unlike most summits in the Appalachian Mountains, which are heavily forested or culminate in jagged peaks, grassy balds are covered by a thick layer of wild grass. Trees and other foliage are sparse. How and why a summit develops into a grassy bald is unknown. While there is evidence that Gregory Bald was a natural grassy bald, the National Park Service must currently work to prevent the summit from becoming forested.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q5606809, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1505.1 m
How to reach it
- 3.7 mi off the Indian Lakes Scenic Byway
- 12.2 mi off the Cherohala Skyway, National
- 18.6 mi off the Nantahala Byway
- 18.6 mi off the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Shute Cove Overlook · 14 mi
- Stratton Ridge · 15 mi
- Hooper Point Overlook · 16 mi
- Haw Knob · 17 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Gregorys Little Bald: 0.5 mi
- High Point: 0.8 mi
- Gregorys Little Bald: 0.8 mi
- Parson Bald: 1.0 mi
- Rye Patch: 1.2 mi
- Twentymile Creek Cascade: 3.4 mi
- Judy Branch Falls: 4.0 mi
- Aiken Branch Falls: 5.2 mi
- Abrams Falls: 6.2 mi
- Bear Creek Falls (Cheoah): 6.6 mi
- Tallassee Recreation Area: 11.4 mi
- Citico Recreation Area: 12.3 mi
- Harrison Branch Recreation Area: 12.8 mi
- Tellico Wildlife Management Area: 13.5 mi
- Swan Cabin: 13.7 mi
- Tree of Shame: 4.8 mi
- Tuckaleechee Caverns: 10.8 mi
- Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest: 11.8 mi
- River Rat Tubing Outpost: 13.5 mi
- Next to Heaven Adventure: 15.8 mi
- Bolden Knight Bluff: 9.3 mi
- Morton Bluff: 9.7 mi
- Morton Bluff: 9.7 mi
- Turkeypen Bluff: 10.4 mi
- Emert Bluff: 12.0 mi
- Joyce Kilmer Memorial: 12.0 mi
- Junaluska Memorial: 14.2 mi
- Tanasi Monument: 14.8 mi
- Chota Monument: 15.1 mi
- Tucker Springs Historical Marker: 16.7 mi
- The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum: 12.6 mi
- Graham County Historical Association: 14.1 mi
- Junaluska Museum: 14.2 mi
- Cades Cove Preservation Association & Cades Cove Museum: 16.9 mi
- Greenback Heritage Museum: 19.7 mi
- Cades Cove Covered Picnic Shelter: 7.8 mi
- Cades Cove Picnic Area: 7.9 mi
- Look Rock Picnic Area: 9.1 mi
- Tremont Picnic Area: 13.0 mi
- Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area: 16.4 mi
- Calderwood: 7.0 mi
- Proctor: 8.5 mi
- Elkmont: 18.5 mi
- Judson: 19.0 mi
- Sam Houston Statue: 17.1 mi
- Bear: 24.4 mi
- Cherohala Skyway restroom/trail head: 16.8 mi
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 21.7 mi
- Vista Gardens: 24.2 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 9.1 miles of Gregory Bald. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Top | ENE 71° | 1,657.32 m | 9.1 mi |
| Blockhouse Mountain | ENE 77° | 1,650.92 m | 9.0 mi |
| De Armond Bald | ENE 78° | 1,554.75 m | 8.4 mi |
| Mt. Squires | ENE 67° | 1,540.46 m | 7.6 mi |
| Spence Field | ENE 68° | 1,509.76 m | 8.1 mi |
| Gregorys Little Bald | E 82° | 1,452 m | 0.5 mi |
| Devils Tater Patch | ENE 67° | 1,451 m | 4.7 mi |
| Little Bald | ENE 66° | 1,445 m | 5.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:40 | 19:14 | 19:47 |
| June solstice | 06:21 | 20:17 | 20:55 |
| September equinox | 07:24 | 19:00 | 19:34 |
| December solstice | 07:42 | 16:47 | 17:27 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 38 | 42 | 49 | 57 | 64 | 71 | 74 | 73 | 68 | 58 | 48 | 41 |
| Precip in | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Tapoco, 7 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Feb; busiest: Oct.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/356773523
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