Andrews Bald

Access Andrews Bald by hiking 3.6-miles (5.8-km) roundtrip from the trailhead near Clingmans Dome.

Smokies Life Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

Point of Interest on the Forney Ridge Trail

Amenities

1 listed

Scenic View/Photo Spot

Andrews Bald is named for the cattle herder Andrew Thompson, who brought livestock to the grassy bald in the 1840s. Research suggests grassy balds like Gregory Bald or Andrews Bald were once kept clear of vegetation by the grazing of megafauna—early big animals like mastodons or wooly mammoth and later bison, elk, and deer.

Depending on the time of year, hikers can find patches of blackberries and raspberries, Fraser firs, and bluets, a small blue wildflower sometimes called innocence or Quaker ladies.

How to Get There

• Hike 1.8 miles along the Forney Ridge Trail.
• Park at Clingmans Dome.

Similar Points of Interest

• Gregory Bald