Thunderhead Mountain
Thunderhead Mountain rises to 1,685 m in Tennessee. Silers Bald stands 1,706 m to the east, 7.9 miles off. The nearest named place is Rocky Top, a peak 0.5 miles away. Indian Lakes Scenic Byway passes 9.8 miles off.
The story
Thunderhead Mountain is a 5,527-foot (1,685 m) mountain in the west-central part of the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the southeastern United States. Rising along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, the mountain dominates the western Smokies. The Appalachian Trail 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.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7799150, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1685.16 m
How to reach it
- 9.8 mi off the Indian Lakes Scenic Byway
- 12.0 mi off the Newfound Gap Road Byway, National
- 16.4 mi off the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway
- 16.4 mi off the Nantahala Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Carlos Campbell Overlook · 12 mi
- Newfound Gap Overlook · 16 mi
- Deep Creek Valley Overlook #1 · 16 mi
- Deep Creek Valley Overlook · 16 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Rocky Top: 0.5 mi
- Devils Race Patch: 0.7 mi
- Blockhouse Mountain: 1.3 mi
- Brier Knob: 1.5 mi
- Spence Field: 1.5 mi
- Lynn Camp Falls: 4.1 mi
- Indian Flats Falls: 4.4 mi
- Spruce Flats Falls: 4.7 mi
- Crooked Arm Cascades: 5.0 mi
- White Oak Sinks Falls: 5.1 mi
- Tuckaleechee Caverns: 7.3 mi
- River Rat Tubing Outpost: 8.0 mi
- Next to Heaven Adventure: 8.9 mi
- Ober Mountain Coaster: 12.4 mi
- Ski Mountain Coaster: 12.4 mi
- Mynatt Park: 14.1 mi
- Swain County Park: 15.6 mi
- David Monteith Park: 15.8 mi
- Wear Farm City Park: 17.0 mi
- MacNeill Park: 17.4 mi
- The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum: 8.0 mi
- Hollywood Star Cars Museum: 14.4 mi
- Ripley's Believe It Or Not!: 14.4 mi
- The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum;The Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum: 15.3 mi
- Tree Art Chainsaw Carving: 15.9 mi
- Cedar Bluff: 7.7 mi
- Cedar Bluff: 7.7 mi
- Emert Bluff: 9.4 mi
- Alum Cave: 15.4 mi
- The Jump-up: 16.3 mi
- Sugarlands Stone Cabin: 12.5 mi
- 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops Memorial: 12.5 mi
- Fort Harry: 13.9 mi
- Patriot Park Patriot Missile: 17.5 mi
- Patriot Park Liberty Bell: 17.5 mi
- Cades Cove Covered Picnic Shelter: 4.4 mi
- Cades Cove Picnic Area: 4.5 mi
- Tremont Picnic Area: 5.1 mi
- Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area: 8.4 mi
- Chimneys Picnic Area: 13.0 mi
- Bear: 15.3 mi
- Fish: 17.4 mi
- Sam Houston Statue: 19.7 mi
- Veterans Statue: 22.1 mi
- Dolly Parton: 22.1 mi
- Proctor: 6.7 mi
- Elkmont: 9.2 mi
- Judson: 14.0 mi
- Calderwood: 16.5 mi
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 12.1 mi
- Greenbrier: 20.6 mi
- Nantahala National Forest: 24.3 mi
- Vista Gardens: 15.0 mi
- Bamboo Forest: 22.7 mi
- Emerts Cove Covered Bridge: 20.5 mi
- Cherohala Skyway restroom/trail head: 24.7 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 8.0 miles of Thunderhead Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silers Bald | E 91° | 1,706.06 m | 7.9 mi |
| Rocky Top | SW 234° | 1,657.32 m | 0.5 mi |
| Blockhouse Mountain | S 191° | 1,650.92 m | 1.3 mi |
| Cold Spring Knob | E 82° | 1,595.73 m | 5.6 mi |
| Brier Knob | E 85° | 1,591.05 m | 1.5 mi |
| High Rocks | SE 135° | 1,577.95 m | 6.8 mi |
| Welch Bald | SE 142° | 1,577.95 m | 7.1 mi |
| Devils Race Patch | SSE 165° | 1,564.85 m | 0.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:39 | 19:13 | 19:47 |
| June solstice | 06:20 | 20:17 | 20:54 |
| September equinox | 07:23 | 19:00 | 19:33 |
| December solstice | 07:41 | 16:47 | 17:26 |
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 | 36 | 40 | 47 | 56 | 62 | 69 | 72 | 71 | 66 | 56 | 46 | 40 |
| Precip in | 5.6 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 5.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Townsend 5S, 5 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/356840227
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