High along the Tennessee–North Carolina border, Charlie’s Bunion is one of the Great Smoky Mountains’ most recognizable overlooks. Reached from Newfound Gap by way of the Appalachian Trail, the rocky outcrop looks across a succession of ridges and valleys that seem to disappear into the characteristic blue haze of the Smokies.
The formation itself was exposed following wildfire and erosion in the early twentieth century. Its unusual name is associated with Charlie Conner, an early Appalachian Trail supervisor.
Today, the journey from Newfound Gap to Charlie’s Bunion follows roughly four miles of the Appalachian Trail each way, passing through hardwood and high-elevation spruce-fir forest before reaching the exposed rock and its sweeping mountain views.
The photographs collected here span nearly three decades, from 1939 to 1968. Together, they preserve different perspectives of the same rugged landscape during the early decades of Great Smoky Mountains National Park—from hikers gathered on the outcrop to aerial views of the surrounding Sawteeth and distant views from neighboring high-country landmarks.
Established in the 1930s, Great Smoky Mountains National Park protects more than half a million acres along the Tennessee–North Carolina border. Its mountains form part of the ancient Appalachian range and preserve an extraordinary combination of natural and cultural history, including more than 800 miles of trails, historic communities and landscapes shaped by generations of people who called the Southern Appalachians home.
