Mount Sequoyah
Encyclopedia
Mount Sequoyah is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains
, located in
the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 6,003 feet (1,830
meters) above sea level.http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7778 While
the Appalachian Trail
crosses its summit, Sequoyah is an 11.5 miles (18.5 km) hike from
the nearest parking lot, making it one of the most remote places in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
.
The Tennessee
-North Carolina
border traverses Mount Sequoyah, with Sevier County
to the north and Swain County to the south. The mountain consists of four small peaks, with the eastern-most being the true (highest) summit. Sequoyah rises approximately 1500 feet (457.2 m) above its southern base along Left Fork Creek http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.66007&lon=83.2641&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG and approximately 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) above its northern base along the Little Pigeon River
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.70243&lon=-83.33314&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG. Part of the headwaters of the Little Pigeon accumulate along Sequoyah's northern slope.http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.68334&lon=83.29967&size=m&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG
Mount Sequoyah is named after the inventor
of the Cherokee alphabet. While it's doubtful that Sequoyah ever visited the mountain, numerous Cherokee
villages dotted the base of the southeastern Smokies when European settlers arrived in the early 18th century. Arnold Guyot crossed Mount Sequoyah on his survey of the Smokies crest in the late 1850s. Guyot referred to the mountain as "The Three Brothers", and measured its elevation at 5945 feet (1,812 m). The mountain rarely saw a human presence until a segment of the Appalachian Trail was constructed across its summit in 1935.
The summit of Mount Sequoyah is among the most distant summits traversed by a trail in the Great Smokies. Following the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap
, Mount Sequoyah is 13.1 miles (21.1 km) to the east. From the Cosby
Campground, Sequoyah can be reached by following the Snake Den Ridge Trail
5.3 miles (8.5 km) to its junction with the Appalachian Trail, and then following the latter 3.7 miles (6 km) to Tricorner Knob
, crossing Old Black
and Mount Guyot
along the way. From Tricorner, Mount Sequoyah is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the southwest, just beyond Mount Chapman
. The Hughes Ridge Trail, which connects the Appalachian Trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail
, terminates just over two miles (3 km) southwest of Sequoyah.
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
, located in
the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 6,003 feet (1,830
meters) above sea level.http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7778 While
the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
crosses its summit, Sequoyah is an 11.5 miles (18.5 km) hike from
the nearest parking lot, making it one of the most remote places in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
.
The Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
-North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
border traverses Mount Sequoyah, with Sevier County
Sevier County, Tennessee
Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
to the north and Swain County to the south. The mountain consists of four small peaks, with the eastern-most being the true (highest) summit. Sequoyah rises approximately 1500 feet (457.2 m) above its southern base along Left Fork Creek http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.66007&lon=83.2641&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG and approximately 3500 feet (1,066.8 m) above its northern base along the Little Pigeon River
Little Pigeon River (Tennessee)
The Little Pigeon River is a river located entirely within Sevier County, Tennessee.It rises from a series of streams which flow together on the dividing ridge between the states of Tennessee and North Carolina inside the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The river is subdivided...
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.70243&lon=-83.33314&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG. Part of the headwaters of the Little Pigeon accumulate along Sequoyah's northern slope.http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=35.68334&lon=83.29967&size=m&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG
Mount Sequoyah is named after the inventor
Sequoyah
Sequoyah , named in English George Gist or George Guess, was a Cherokee silversmith. In 1821 he completed his independent creation of a Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible...
of the Cherokee alphabet. While it's doubtful that Sequoyah ever visited the mountain, numerous Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
villages dotted the base of the southeastern Smokies when European settlers arrived in the early 18th century. Arnold Guyot crossed Mount Sequoyah on his survey of the Smokies crest in the late 1850s. Guyot referred to the mountain as "The Three Brothers", and measured its elevation at 5945 feet (1,812 m). The mountain rarely saw a human presence until a segment of the Appalachian Trail was constructed across its summit in 1935.
The summit of Mount Sequoyah is among the most distant summits traversed by a trail in the Great Smokies. Following the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap
Newfound Gap
Newfound Gap is a mountain pass located near the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States of America. Situated along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, the state line crosses the gap, as does U.S...
, Mount Sequoyah is 13.1 miles (21.1 km) to the east. From the Cosby
Cosby, Tennessee
Cosby is an unincorporated community in Cocke County, Tennessee, United States. Although it is not a census-designated place, the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for the ZIP Code that serves Cosby had a population of 5,201 as of the 2000 U.S. Census...
Campground, Sequoyah can be reached by following the Snake Den Ridge Trail
Snake Den Ridge Trail
The Snake Den Ridge Trail is an American hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Cocke County, Tennessee. Winding its way up the backbone-like crest of Snake Den Ridge, the trail connects the Cosby Campground to the Appalachian Trail and provides the quickest access to the high...
5.3 miles (8.5 km) to its junction with the Appalachian Trail, and then following the latter 3.7 miles (6 km) to Tricorner Knob
Tricorner Knob
Tricorner Knob is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 6,120 feet , with 160 feet of clean prominence. The Appalachian Trail and Balsam Mountain Trail intersect near the mountain's summit, making Tricorner Knob the great...
, crossing Old Black
Old Black (Great Smoky Mountains)
Old Black is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. While often overshadowed by Mount Guyot, its higher neighbor to the south, Old Black is the 4th-highest mountain in...
and Mount Guyot
Mount Guyot (Great Smoky Mountains)
Mount Guyot is a mountain in the eastern Great Smoky Mountains, located inthe southeastern United States. At above sea level, Guyot is the fourth-highestsummit in the eastern U.S., and the second-highest in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park...
along the way. From Tricorner, Mount Sequoyah is 2.5 miles (4 km) to the southwest, just beyond Mount Chapman
Mount Chapman
Mount Chapman is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 6,417 feet above sea level. While the mountain is located deep within the Great Smokies, the Appalachian Trail crosses its eastern slope, coming to within of the summit...
. The Hughes Ridge Trail, which connects the Appalachian Trail and the Benton MacKaye Trail
Benton MacKaye Trail
The Benton MacKaye Trail or BMT is a footpath nearly in length in the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States and is blazed by a white diamond, 5" across by 7" tall...
, terminates just over two miles (3 km) southwest of Sequoyah.
External links
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trail Map - .pdf format
- Mount Sequoyah - Peakbagger.com
- The Southern Sixers - SummitPost.org
- South Beyond 6000 in the Smokies - Challenge sponsored by the Carolina Hiking Club and the Tennessee Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club