Great Smoky Mountains National Park

America’s National Parks are a real treasure. There are so many amazing natural wonders to experience and while some of them are in remote parts of the country, some are within a relatively short drive of a large portion of the population. A prime example of the latter is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the nation’s most visited National Park and the reason is mainly due to its location, as mentioned above. But even though it is close to lots of people, it wouldn’t be that popular if it didn’t have something to offer. And this park does have much going for it. The mountains, streams, waterfalls, hiking trails, and other features make this National Park one that is almost certain to please.

This National Park is partly in Tennessee and partly in North Carolina. The highest point in Tennessee, Clingmans Dome, is one of the highlights of the park. What many like is that they can hike to the top with relative ease. It’s paved all the way and there is an observation tower, perfect for those who want an amazing view, and who doesn’t want that? If you want to climb to the top, just make sure to check first and make sure the roadway leading here is open. It is often closed for different reasons.

The Appalachian Trail runs through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and I always make it a point to check out the trail whenever I visit the park. It’s cool to catch people who are actually hiking the trail and stop and chat with them about their experience. The signs for the trail are, not surprisingly, popular for picture taking, too.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a cool park to take hikes and if you plan to do so, I recommend grabbing a trail map before you set forth on your excursion. Also, be sure to take the necessary precautions. These mountains have a thriving black bear population. You don’t want to be caught off guard.

There is much to see and do in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and once you pay a visit, you will understand why so many tourists like it the way they do. It’s within a day’s drive of millions of people and if you haven’t yet visited, I recommend you do. It offers free admission and other than the tendency to get crowded during the peak season- which can make it lose its natural appeal- Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a destination that beckons your presence.

Visited the newly built Great Smoky Mts. NP Oconoluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee, NC and it is beautiful. It is also the entrance to the Mountain Farm Museum. The people, especially Ms. Robinson and Mike Smith, are outstanding and great to talk to. The Mountain Farm Museum, used to film in part the Disney "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" TV show and film, still has many of the buildings used in the shoot. Get there in the morning to see elk and turkey roaming on the Museum grounds as well as the valley grounds leading up to the park from the Cherokee Reservation. The Blue Ridge Parkway also begins right before the entrance and the center has an interactive road condition map of the Parkway, to see whether or not its open. I was there last week, the end of February and it was closed due to ice and snow. You are at high elevations here. Seeing the "smoke" , i.e. low lying clouds fill the valley in the morning is gorgeous. And this is even BEFORE you drive through the rest of the park into the green hills and "hollers" of Tennessee. Black bear and wolves also inhabit the Park. It's the most visited NP in the system and there's good reasons why!

We drove out to Cades Cove while it was raining. So gorgeous! We did see a bear, lots of deer, and lots of turkeys! The buildings were open even though the walkways to them were a bit slippery.
I highly recommend getting the $1 booklet and map at the visitor’s center before driving out to Cades Cove. It gives history of the buildings and other information.
I want to go back and be able to do some hiking to the waterfalls.

Walked to Clingman's Dome around 10 am on a Friday morning and it was chilly!
So chilly we bought sweatshirts at the little sales counter they had along the way. (They weren't letting anyone in the shop due to COVID, but had a great little setup for safe sales). The sweatshirt was priced reasonable at $30, so we were grateful! It's definitely different air at 6000+ feet, so be ready for cooler air. It's only a half mile to the top, so we weren't expecting any difficulty, but it was a little tough. The incline is decent and the air is thin. Be prepared to take a couple rests, if needed. It was super cloudy when we reached the viewing platform, but even though we couldn't see much of a view, it was an awesome experience! We took the side trails back down, which crosses part of the Appalachian Trail. It was so neat! The trails are well marked and lead you right back down to the parking lot. I would definitely recommend doing the trails if you're comfortable hiking a little.

You really can’t go wrong in the area. There are things for all types of activities. Want to drive thru and see the scenery, you can do that. Want to jump 8n a river, yep, that too. Adventurous and want to do hikes? Check. Just want a place to sit, relax, and maybe have a picnic, most definitely.

We drove Cades Cove (think this is a must) - visitor center parking is a nightmare, COVID restrictions are in effect at the center, limited capacity inside)
Drove the main road between Gatlinburg to Cherokee (lots of small construction projects happening, very minor delays, if any)
Drove Tremont, visitor center there is closed, ranger said they rarely open due to restrictions.
Drove Rich Mountain Road, dirt and gravel road. Passenger tires are fine, unless it rains. (And by rain, lots of rain) Then cars, SUVs, and trucks with passenger tires are restricted.

Hiked a few areas, Abrams is closed, did Spruce Flats Falls, of course up to Clingmans Dome, and two small hikes to falls that were pretty much a few minute walk.

As for wildlife, one baby black bear. It was seen on Rich Mountain Road. Did come across a copperhead snake on the Spruce Flats Falls trail

Drive carefully. Saw two accidents, one I can only assume the truck went around a right curve too fast to not realize there was a slower car trying to turn right into a turn off, the second was a Jeep (rental one) over corrected and hit the passenger side into the rock wall. Looked worse than it was. Lots of dirt and dust was kicked up. And don’t road rage. If you are 6th in line, flashing your lights and horn and swerving around its t going to make the lead car go any faster…(and all were already going over the speed limit)

We walked the 1.6 mile paved path up to Laurel Falls - waterfall. It was a great morning and the waterfall was spectacular.

Strongly recommend going early in the morning (we arrived at 7:30 am) - it can get busy quick!

On the plus side, there is no admission fee.

There was some wildlife and some lovely views. However, much of the park was closed including Clingman’s Dome for construction and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail due to wild fires. Much of Foothills Parkway was also closed.

There was poor signage and no posting of closures. For instance, at other national parks, there will be digital signs that XYZ is closed at major intersections or signs that this major attraction is this way or that way. Here, you drive 20-40 miles only find out about a closure once you arrive. Here, you have to know that you need to go towards Townsend to get to ABC attraction rather than simply having a sign that says for instance “Clingmans Dome” and a directional arrow.

Plan to use your cell to find more information. Ha! No cell reception or internet in much of the park.

The park map provided is fairly unhelpful and pointless. There is no detailed trail information or attraction information. In various sections you have to pay an additional $1 to buy a detailed map related only to that section (such as Cades Cove) but don’t worry, they were all out of those anyway.

Historic buildings in Cades Cove had no historical information. I guess that’s all included on that $1 map they had none of.

Also, for some unknown reason, some people feel the need to honk their horns before entering and when leaving tunnels. It was kind of annoying.

March is apparently still winter according to Tennessee so everything closed for winter was still closed.

Cataloochee was a crazy drive – much of it on a tiny dirt mountain road that can fit 2 cars in some spots, only if one is against the mountain and the other is on the very edge of a steep drop off with no shoulder or guard rail. It was mostly hope no one was coming from the opposite direction. Lots of bear warnings.

Overall, there was nothing here that I saw or that was open that would ever make me want to go here again.

Compared to other mountainous national parks, it was a disappointment overall. Still, I'm glad I went once.

CADES COVE CAMPGROUND

Only 1 terrible, tiny restroom open with only 3 stalls (1 of which did not close) in the women’s room. No parking in front of the restroom either. The restrooms in the Cades Cove Loop (next to the historic village Visitors’ Center) were much better.

The site itself was nice and quiet though no wifi except by the auditorium.

The Smokies are rolling tree covered mountains, not the jagged snowy peaks of the West Coast mountains. But their beauty is still stunning & I suspect even more so in the fall when the leaves change. Parking can be very tight at peak times as can the lines to Cades Cove if the bears are out. Multiple access points to enter the park from Tennessee or North Carolina & it’s free! Thus making this the most visited National Park in the US.

Tip: Note that bathrooms are not available at every trail like most National Parks so plan accordingly!

An incredibly beautiful and diverse national park. First time visiting in the winter, and expected a few issues - but really had none. A couple of the roads were closed (seasonally) but we were able to access New Found Gap and a couple of other areas. Cades Cove was lightly attended by others mid-week making our visit much better. Even in mid-December, saw a number of bears and lots of deer & elk. Be mindful of weather forecasts and of the chance for snow and you'll have a great time.

We visited between Christmas and New Year's during I think an unseasonably warm time. We were with a group with varying interests and activity levels so one day was spent hiking/driving and a second day was spent driving, stopping at the overlooks and exploring the visitor center. We hiked the Laurel Falls trail - moderately strenuous, paved but pavement is uneven. It was crowded and there were some foolish people well off the trail out on the rocks. We caught a glimpse of a bear which was exciting. Parking lots for the trails fill early so get an early start if you want a parking spot. Views everywhere are lovely!