You'll find a junction with the Cove Mountain Trail, which runs along the park boundary to the right (east) and leads 8.6 miles to the park headquarters and the Sugarlands Visitor Center.
Turn left and follow the jeep road. A gentle climb takes you to the grassy top of Cove Mountain (4,077 feet) and the fire tower.
The Cove Mountain fire tower has been converted to an air quality monitoring station.
These monitoring stations measure regional ground level ozone, hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen, industrial pollutants that harm people, contribute to acid rain, and damage ecological communities.
The tower is not longer available to hikers because its third stairway has been converted to an air quality monitoring station.
Clingman's Dome and Look Rock also have monitoring stations.
The Cove Mountain fire tower is one of the last four remaining in the park. The other three are atop Mount Cammerer, Mount Sterling, and the Shuckstack on the North Carolina side of the park.
The view from Cove Mountain.