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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Observation Towers

Metadata Updated: November 13, 2025

Within the compass of this heading is included a wide range of structures, the common denominator of all being the provision of means for negotiating a view. Lookouts may eventuate from the practical requirement of forest fire detection, or from determination on the part of designing technician or willful band of park users, hyper-view conscious, for something bigger and better and more distant in views than Nature unaided could achieve. Between the grimly functional lookout of the ranger and the utmost in aesthetic structural elevation contrived by the view-for-view's-sakers is greater distance than any park vista will ever provide. When it has been essayed to superimpose the too conscious aspirations of the aesthetic, on the structurally sufficient skeleton of the fire detection tower, the literally "crowning" error in park development has been committed. Probably a frank rendering of either extreme, free of gesture toward the other, is better than any hybrid produced by crossing the two irreconcilables. Examination of existing timber-framed trestle-type lookout towers for aesthetic values will prove disheartening. In general, the oil derrick as their inspirational source is painfully undisguised. This conclusion cannot be held in disparagement of the designers, if it be honestly admitted that they have valiantly sought to solve the unsolvable.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. License: us-pd

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date September 12, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 13, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from DOI NPS DCAT-US

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date September 12, 2025
Metadata Updated Date November 13, 2025
Publisher National Park Service
Maintainer
Identifier http://datainventory.doi.gov/id/dataset/nps-datastore-2223235
Data First Published 2025-03-19T00:00:00Z
Data Last Modified 2025-03-19T00:00:00Z
Category geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 010:24
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Metadata Catalog ID https://ddi.doi.gov/nps-data.json
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id 82c351cc-58de-4042-a77e-58876698cbe6
Harvest Source Id d917c1a9-26b7-43ea-b8c5-c77ec750a850
Harvest Source Title DOI NPS DCAT-US
Homepage URL https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2223235
License http://www.usa.gov/publicdomain/label/1.0/
Metadata Type geospatial
Program Code 010:119, 010:118
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash a1f98067abadf4c1d673ea92f959e1ce65a90a80c497b069e91036d5ee4a79b2
Source Schema Version 1.1

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