Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on a cold winter day.

One thing is certain about this park…you can expect it to be crowded year round. The park sees over 9 million annual visitors, twice the number of any other national park! Most of the millions see the park from the mountain-skimming scenic highway that on a typical weekend day during the summer, draws 60,000 people, bumper to bumper.

The scenic highway divides the park east to west from Cherokee, North Carolina and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Both of which are worth spending at least half a day exploring. (Gatlinburg is a tourist hotspot, one that I found to be rather gimmicky. The “Margarita-ville resort seemed particularly out of place. Cherokee on the other hand is rather quiet and has a large Cherokee Museum, a lot of small shops and restaurants. Here, the huge Harrah’s Casino seemed a bit out of place.)

I made a few friends at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center outside of Cherokee, North Carolina.

I stayed the night at the Pioneer Cottages and Hotel in Cherokee and planned to drive through the park to Gatlinburg early the following day. Plans changed as soon as I pulled into the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and saw the large flashing sign, “Scenic Highway Closed due to Snow & Ice”.

The visitor center hadn’t opened yet so I took the opportunity to take a quick look around the Mingus Gristmill, built in 1886 to process corn into cornmeal which was a staple for the people of Appalachia.

Mingus Mill built in 1886 to process corn into cornmeal.

I arrived at the visitor center just as the doors opened. Bought a magnet to add to the collection. Then found a ranger to ask when the road might open up. He was unsure and advised I take the Highway 19 around to the north side of the park to Gatlinburg. I decided to take the riskier but more scenic option, the Blue Ridge Pkwy (Highway 441) to the Pisgah National Forest.

It wasn’t as scenic as a drive through the park would have been but there was one notable stop, Soco Falls located just off the road.

Picturesque Soco Falls, North Carolina.

By the time I had made it to Gatlinburg it was mid-morning so I grabbed lunch and checked the parks road conditions. The park had reopened the main scenic highway!

Back in business, time to see the Great Smoky Mountains.

I didn’t bother stopping at the Sugarland’s Visitor Center, since it was already getting late in the day and I had already found out why the Great Smoky Mountains were smokey…..

WHY?… The wide variety of brush and trees forms a close-packed array of air breathing leaves. The water and hydrocarbons released by the leaves produce the filmy “smoke” that gives the mountains their name.

What a view!

Unfortunately, the road to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in Tennessee was closed due to heavy snowfall. During the summer however, the lookout provides panoramic views of the parks and shouldn’t be missed!

The view from Newfound Gap is still a site to be seen, but be warned it will likely be very busy. The gap is the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. It is also a intersection of the famous Appalachian Trail, stretching over 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine.

The famous Appalachian Trail at Newfound Gap.

Along the scenic route through the park there are a number of stops to stretch your legs. Including, the Cove Hardwood Nature Trail, the Chimney Tops Overlooks, the Alum Cave Bluffs. There are also many “quiet paths” that are usually less than half a mile long. They are rarely walked and can provide a pleasant opportunity to see how life would have been for the mountain people who settled the area in the late 1700’s.

There are 10 camping areas throughout the park. Finding availability during holiday weekends can be tough but you should always be able to find something outside the park in Gatlinburg or Cherokee.

Overall…

The weather may have thrown off the initial plan but I still truly enjoyed my visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Much like Yosemite or Glacier, the Smokies never felt crowded even with the high volume of visitors. They seemed to have plenty of space available for parking at all of the scenic outlooks.

I would expect there to be more congestion during the fall when the leaves change. But despite the crowds I still believe that’s the time to visit. At least if you are after beautiful sceneries.