">
Kuwohi Restored: Clingmans Dome Returns to Its Indigenous Name
The Appalachian Trail’s high point, located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has officially been restored to its traditional name Kuwohi (pronounced koo-WHOA-hee), the Cherokee word for “mulberry place.” Formerly known as Clingmans Dome, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names approved the name change this week following a request from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).
Kuwohi, a sacred site for the Cherokee people, stands at 6,643 feet and is the tallest point in Tennessee, the Smokies, and along the AT. According to EBCI, the summit also served as an asylum for the Cherokee during the Trail of Tears’ forced relocation to Oklahoma. This change reflects a broader effort to restore Indigenous names and honor cultural connections to the land.
Photo: Scott Morrison
The destination was named in 1859 after Confederate General Thomas Clingman, a lawyer, U.S. Representative and Senator from North Carolina, and Confederate Brigadier General.
Kuwohi is home to a panoramic observation tower at its summit, which the National Park Service reports as one of the park’s most popular sites with more than 650,000 visitors per year. Indigenous leaders have been working to restore the summit’s traditional name since 2022.
“The Great Smoky National Park team was proud to support this effort to officially restore the mountain and to recognize its importance to the Cherokee People,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash in a NPS press release. “The Cherokee People have had strong connections to Kuwohi and the surrounding area, long before the land became a national park. The National Park Service looks forward to continuing to work with the Cherokee People to share their story and preserve this landscape together.”
For AT thru-hikers, the name change offers a new layer of history to explore, particularly while hiking through these sacred Native lands. Trail signs, websites, and other references will be updated by the NPS to reflect the original Cherokee name.
Featured image courtesy of Derek Witteman
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!
To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.
Comments 5
What wonderful news to wake up to. Now, like Denali and Tukuhnikivatz. Thrilled with the original names. Hopefully, more to come.
Thank you for spreading the news about this, Ariella🙏🏻
I can see Kuwohi from where I live, and it will be enjoyable to transition from using a name that references a “lawyer, U.S. Representative and Senator from North Carolina, and Confederate Brigadier General” (no judgement of the man), to a beautiful, naturally occurring element of our experience.
I just hiked the AT in 2024, and was disappointed that I could not obtain a Clingman’s Dome decal for my trekking pole and bear canister. I’m guessing the park store manager saw the writing on the wall.
Seeing so many things re-named in the same of Social Justice makes me sad somehow. Give the park lands back to the Cherokee and allow them to benefit directly from all the new fees imposed since Covid for using the trail for try justice. The National Park portion of the trail is the worst maintained and has the most “non-friendly to hikers” rules for thru hikers anyway.
I think it would be a great project to add the Native names to AT peak signs.
You’re a forest-maid wearing your green sleep bag ; )