Woolly Tops Mountain

Woolly Tops Mountain is a large massif oriented in an east–west direction, which reaches a maximum elevation of 5,482 feet (1,671 m).^[1] It is located approximately 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) north of 5,907-foot (1,800 m) Laurel Top on the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. Although not served by an official trail, the mountain can be accessed via the Appalachian Trail from Laurel Top via a ridge between the two mountains.^[2] It rises approximately 3,500 feet (1,100 m) along its northern base from the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River, also known as Greenbrier Creek.

On August 12, 1944, a Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, crashed into Woolly Tops Mountain.^[3] The wreckage was not discovered until January 19, 1947, by a group of hikers from the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club.^[4] The remains of the three occupants were reportedly never found.^[3]