The world knows Rocky Top from the song, but few people beyond Cocke county know the spectacular site in the Cherokee National Forest between Bridgeport and Del Rio. Rocky Top was well known to locals for many years before Boudleaux and Felice Bryant wrote the Tennessee state song in a Gatlinburg motel room. Felice is said to have claimed that the song was not written about any particular peak, but the Cocke County location fits it to a 'T'. It's the only original Rocky Top lying entirely "high in the Tennessee hills". True to the song, moonshining was common and economically important for the local mountaineers, and local history and legends mention strangers who never returned alive from the area
On Rocky Top Road in Cocke County, the Forest Service has opened up scenic overlooks along the cliffhanger mile from Rocky Top Gap to Rocky Top Ridge. A footpath lies above the same stretch and offers even more spectacular views. CAUTION: The approach roads to the north and south are rocky and narrow. Visitors are advised to use high-clearance 4WD vehicles. Regardless, some folks have driven up in street vehicles, but it's rough going. |
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