We started the drive after a day of work we headed out of Southwest Florida around 7:30 to make our way to Tennessee and the Smokey Mountains. Some naps at Georgia rest areas got us the Smokey Mountain welcome center around 11:30 the next day which is a nice way to travel as it makes shorter trips feel longer. The welcome center has a nice trail along the river that takes you to the park entrance sign for a nice three mile round trip. It was all level ground which made for a nice walk after being in the car for so long without being too taxing of a hike. We got to see an elk laying in the woods along the trail foraging and it was still there on our return trip although it had walked a bit further away. A great way to start a trip to the mountains. That hike took long enough for us to be able to check in so we started along the road through the Smokey Mountains where we got to enjoy seeing how mountains affect the weather as it was perfect weather on the East side of the mountains where we had started and the West side had retained the rain from earlier and they lived up to their name of the Smokey mountains with a heavy fog covering a lot of the peaks further away which made for some great sights.
We setup our ten in the Elkmont camping area which is a nice camping setup with a lot of spots for people to camp, but well enough spread out that you don't feel that on top of people and there is a river running between several of the sites. Be forewarned that the bathrooms don't have showers so you'll be bathing with a wash towel unless you want to take a dip in the river to bathe. I'd recommend bringing food if you want to cook at the campsite. We made the mistake of trying to shop in town, but Pigeon Forge had a Food City Express which didn't provide much in the way of meat, so we settled for picking up some hot dogs and visiting Wendy's for dinner. The weather at the campsite was phenomenal and while my girlfriend took an early night after traveling and hiking I stayed up and enjoyed a local beer, Hippies and Cowboys by Tennessee Brewing Comapny, and read a book. The sun was up until 8:30 and made it an easy way to spend the night before heading to bed.
The next day we made our way to Cade's Cove after a simple cooktop breakfast of eggs and hash browns. The line moves slow when there is something worth seeing, but it's often worth it. Early on the horse riders were out which drew a lot of attention for some reason. After that the next slowdown was because of an adolescent bear near the path so a lot of people got out to take pictures and slowed down while the Rangers tried to keep them moving. We cut the path a little short taking Hale's Pass, I believe it was. It took us right through some meadows which was nice to watch. On the other side of the Pass, which cut off two miles from the loop we stopped at an old farmstead and walked through the barn to the crick, then crossed the road and into the old house. I'm average height now, but the house was built low for the the height of people back then and made me feel like a giant nearly having to stoop to walk in. The highlight of the drive was up ahead as we spotted a Mama bear with her three cubs. They were a ways into the field so we couldn't get a close view, but it was still an awesome thing to see.
The next stop on our way back down the road was Laurel Falls. It's a pretty hike and not too rough to hike on since it's got a paved path, although there are a good amount of areas where it is eroding away and can be a little tricky, but it's generally a good hike to start with as it's not very treacherous, plus there is a waterfall at the end of the paved pathway. The nice think about reaching the waterfall is that it's naturally AC and can help cool you down. It's a really nice waterfall and there are some great views into valleys and mountains across the way as you go. We didn't this time, but you can continue on the path that is much more wild and difficult to hike that takes you higher up the mountains and provides even more splendid views, but is a lot more difficult of a hike.
We took a trip into Gatlinburg and stopped at Smokey Mountain Brewing for a drink and food where we got a really nice pizza and some nice spinach and artichoke dip with fresh made tortilla chips so it's definitely a stop I'd recommend. After that we headed to Ripley's Aquarium which is probably a nicer aquarium than you might expect from having the Ripley's name, which a lot of stuff along the main road does. There are several smaller exhibits, but the focal point is one tank that you can look into, but more importantly has a tunnel underneath it with a moving pathway. You get amazing views of sharks, fish, the sea turtle, and the very large sawfish they have. It's an amazing experience to go through the tank and one well worth doing, especially if you want to combine it with any two other Ripley's experiences which we didn't this time.
If you've never been there the main strip of Gatlinburg is like a tourist trap city on cocaine, it's amazing. There are three different moonshine distilleries, two cideries, and at least five wineries on the road. Five dollars gets you samples at everyone of the distilleries and you get a coupon for five dollars off if you buy anything, prices are pretty similar for the cideries and wineries, but they'll also have free limited tastings as well. These are great at all the locations because the people doing them aren't bartenders, they're showmen. They're definitely trying to sell you, but they make sure you laugh and have a fun time while doing it and then hope you'll spend a bunch of money to buy their product and it is worth it. The wineries are funny since none of the grapes for the wine are grown in the area they're imported in, but the wines all tend to be sweeter wines and the fruits that they're mixed with are the local produce that give them the flavor. If you're looking for Merlots and Cabernet's you're going to be disappointed, but if you like sweet, fruit forward wines you'll be in heaven. The cideries are both really good and Tennessee Cider Company is my girlfriends favorite stop in Gatlinburg. Not only are their ciders good, but they also make slushees that you can take with you as you walk down the sidewalk. You can also take a package of the slushee mix home with you which is also really good. There are also a ton of other experiences to have including a ton of miniature golf courses, one of which we tried out which was a lot of fun, arcades, motion simulators, and one place bought the old Earthquake ride from Universal Studios, which was decent at Universal, but I haven't tried at Gatlinburg.
After some walking along the road and visiting Tennessee Stud Cidery and Ole Smokey Distillery, both good experiences thanks to the servers Kristen and Blaze respectively, we made our way back to the campsite for another night of relaxing with drinks and a book while my girlfriend enjoyed napping in her hammock. We were chatting at the picnic table after a dinner of hot dogs when we were startled by the crack of a tree breaking. Across the road from the campsite a large tree fell and took out the powerline to the campsite with a bright spark as it severed the power line.. Everybody got up from their campsites and wandered to the noise where thankfully it was just across the road and not on a campsite or on anybody's car. Considering the distance away from any real part of town the response was pretty quick to the incident with two cops showing up as well as some other authorities to make sure nothing further was going to result from the down power lines, but obviously hearing a tree fall over in such close proximity does not make it easy to go to sleep afterword. When we woke up in the morning power had been restored to the restrooms and the road had already been cleared.
We had a hefty breakfast in Gatlinburg at Crockett's Breakfast Camp which would have been more suited as a meal after a hike, but it was good food and plentiful. We concluded our trip through the Smokey Mountains to head home with a stop at the Newfound Gap where the Tennessee and North Carolina border is and got some great pictures. We didn't hike it this trip, but you have access to the Appalachian trail which is a more strenuous hike with no pavement and just a path through the wilderness. It provides some amazing views and is worth the effort. On our way back out we got to see a family of elk at the welcome center to send us on our way. The Smokey Mountains are a great place to visit and one of my favorite destinations. There are just so many trails to try out and each season has something different to offer at the park. You can be fully engulfed by nature and then fifteen minutes away you can have all the luxuries of a city when you want them.
