Shuckstack Lookout

Overlooking the Fontana Dam, this is the first lookout on the AT that is somewhat remote as the nearest access is from the Twentymile truck trail 2.5 miles away. Welcome to the Smokies. This landmark tower is the prime vantage point for the southern half of the Smokey Mountains. You have to earn this view, the climb out of Fontana Dam will be 2,300 feet if going northbound.

Status: Standing Lookout
Elevation: 4,020 feet,
Prominence: 300 feet
State: North Carolina
County: Swain
AT Access: 0.1 mile detour with 40 feet of gain
Mile Marker: 171

In 1934, this tower and a ground cabin was built by Public Works Administration. The lookout was manned by the National Park Service until decommissioned in the late 1960s. It is a steel structure with a 7x7 foot metal cab atop a 60-foot tall steel structure.

In 1987, following the annual assessment of backcountry structures, the ground cabin was
removed. Only the chimney and the cistern remain as relics of the cabin. It was constructed with chestnut logs, a composition shingle roof, and a 1,000-gallon cistern with hand pump sink and pit toilet.

In 2014, the tower got a partial rehab with the stairs replaced and holes in the roof were patched.