If you’re looking for a hike that will take you to a great mountain view, then climbing Mount Cammerer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park won’t leave you disappointed. From the parking lot to the 4,928 ft. elevation summit it is a strenuous trek, and with good history and great views at the top, the pay off is well worth every inch of the rocky climb.
Starting from the parking lot next to Cosby Campground the climb begins. The Low Gap Trail takes hikers halfway up the mountain on a trail that is steep, but not too dangerous. With a wide trail and plenty of rocks for extra traction the ascension takes time, but there are not too many surprises on the first half of the journey.
Cosby Creek crosses the trail at a couple of points, making for good photo ops by the water flowing over the mossy green rocks. Bears, chipmunks, snakes and squirrels are commonly seen in the area. My group spotted a chipmunk, heard woodpeckers and owls and one saw a black snake when we 
climbed the mountain on April 10.
Hikers will face an unrelentingly steep and somewhat rocky climb on the Low Gap Trail for about three miles to reach the Appalachian Trail, which at this point in the year welcomes hikers with a bed of beautiful white wildflowers as the steep trail gives way to slightly flatter ground.
Once hikers reach the Appalachian Trail the steepest part is over, but the incline is still intense with step-ups of varying heights and some surprise rocky patches. Beautiful greenery lines the trail and those same white flowers make appearances a couple more times.
Mountain laurel is very common in the area and lines the trail in many places along the way. As hikers climb the next leg of the journey there are some level spots and even some downhill, but the majority is still an uphill trek.
To reach the summit of the mountain you’ll take the Mount Cammerer Connector Trail, which is a little more than half a mile to reach the top after a steep journey. The final stretch of the rugged ridge will test you with an array of rocky passages that will require some rock scrambling. Along the trail to the summit you will find heath, mountain laurel and maybe even see some horses with riders as there is a hitching post just before you reach the top.
An old fire tower sits atop the summit, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939 in a squat western style. You don’t have to climb up to the tower to enjoy the view of the Pigeon River 
Gorge, but views from the deck are magnificent. The tower is built of stone, wood and glass and was recently refurbished, but going inside is still a test of will since some of the wood has fallen out.
Arno Cammerer was a well-liked director of the National Park Service in the 1930s. After his death, the previously named “White Rocks” mountain was given the name of Cammerer in commemoration of the work he did in promoting the park and gaining funding.
The journey up to this summit in the Smokies is a toilsome trek, but as green takes over the bare branches of trees and the spring buds blossom you will may find the journey as relaxing as the babbling brook that follows you up the mountain.
