Chimney Tops
A short, brutally steep 3.3-mile round trip to a new viewing platform looking out at the twin rock pinnacles of the Chimney Tops.
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- Length
- 3.3 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,400 ft
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route
- out-and-back
Trail conditions
Caution ·
The final rock pinnacles have been closed since the 2016 wildfire; the trail now ends at a viewing platform about a quarter mile below the summit.
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Report current conditions →Elevation
1.6 mi · 1,301 ft of climbing · high 4,689 ft · low 3,395 ft
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Weather at the trailhead
69°FOvercast now
Sunrise 6:17 AM · Sunset 8:50 PM
- TodayOvercast78° / 65°F25% precip
- SatFog78° / 63°F21% precip
- SunRain showers76° / 62°F82% precip
Forecast from Open-Meteo. Mountain conditions change fast; check again before you go.
The Chimney Tops are two bare rock pinnacles that rise dramatically above the surrounding forest, one of the most recognizable summits in the Smokies. The trail packs about 1,400 feet of climbing into a little over a mile and a half, with rebuilt stone steps on the steepest pitches; it is short but genuinely strenuous. The 2016 Chimney Tops 2 fire started near here and badly damaged the upper trail, so the final scramble to the pinnacles is now closed for safety and the route ends at a new viewing platform with a head-on look at the chimneys. Even from the platform the view down the Sugarlands valley is superb. A parking tag is required park-wide.