The Chimney Rocks are a group of 32 rock formations located on Cumberland Mountain near Duff, Tennessee. Said to range in height from 100 to 250 feet high, the view from atop the Chimney Rocks begins above the treetops. Although the Chimney Rocks are now owned by the State of Tennessee as part of the Cumberland Trail State Park, access is a bit problematic for hikers as this section of the Cumberland Trail was one of the first constructed and no longer maintained. Instead of bushwacking several miles, there is a less strenuous method to reach the rocks according to the Cumberland Trail Conference website:
The Mount Cloud (now McCloud Mountain) property provides access to the CT (Cumberland Trail) only with restaurant or lodging reservations; this is not general public access.
We chose to make lunch reservations in early October 2018 at the McCloud Mountain Restaurant. After lunch, we drove to the parking area for what the developer of the gated community calls the Skywalk. It is an ADA-compliant boardwalk atop the chimneys that provides a spectacular view toward Pine Mountain to the northwest.
Cumberland Mountain is a 97-mile ridge that spans most of the distance from Norton, Virginia southwest to Caryville, Tennessee. Geologically, the mountain is part of the Powell Valley Anticline and has a cliff-lined southeastern face. At Chimney Rocks, the southeastern face of the mountain looms 1300 feet over the valley below.
Views from the Restaurant
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Powell Valley
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View northeast to Cumberland Mountain and TN-63
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View southwest to Cross Mountain (3534' 19 miles)
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Brushfire in front of House Mountain (2064' 27.5 miles)
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Clinch Mountain (2300' 25.5 miles), Signal Point (2300'), and Kitts Point (2020')
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Norris Lake
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Views from the Skywalk
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Gravel parking lot
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Beginning of the Skywalk
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Standing above the tree tops
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One of the viewing platforms on the Chimney Rocks
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View southwest
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Chimney Rocks from one of the overlooks
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Several chimney outcrops to the northeast
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View down between the chimneys
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View from another overlook
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Thin capstones have protected these outcrops for eons
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Another view to the northeast
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View northwest from the end of the Skywalk
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Rank upon rank of ridges
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View to the southwest from the end of the Skywalk
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Looking back up the boardwalk
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One of the overlooks
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View from the parking lot
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The price of admission is the meal that you eat at the restaurant but is likely to be $25 to $50 per person.
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