Andrews Bald
A 3.6-mile round trip down the Forney Ridge Trail from the Clingmans Dome lot to a grassy, view-soaked mountaintop meadow, the highest bald in the Smokies.
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- Length
- 3.6 mi
- Elevation gain
- 900 ft
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route
- out-and-back
Trail conditions
No recent condition reports. Hiked it lately?
Report current conditions →Elevation
2.6 mi · 435 ft of climbing · high 6,638 ft · low 5,718 ft
Find the trailhead
Parking
Start from the large Clingmans Dome lot at the end of Clingmans Dome Road; the road is closed in winter.
Clingmans Dome Road typically closes December through March.
Directions to parkingWeather at the trailhead
57°FOvercast now
Sunrise 6:17 AM · Sunset 8:49 PM
- TodayFog65° / 56°F16% precip
- SatFog66° / 55°F13% precip
- SunRain63° / 52°F80% precip
Forecast from Open-Meteo. Mountain conditions change fast; check again before you go.
Andrews Bald is the highest grassy bald in the park, an open mountaintop meadow surrounded by spruce-fir forest with sweeping views toward Fontana Lake and the southern mountains. The Forney Ridge Trail leaves the Clingmans Dome parking area and drops through a high-elevation forest of moss, fern, and weathered spruce, with a rocky, root-laced tread that earns the moderate rating on the climb back out. In June the bald blazes with flame azalea and rhododendron; late summer brings blueberries. Pack a layer, since it is cool and often cloudy at 5,800 feet. A parking tag is required park-wide.