We planned a Spring excursion to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We were mad at ourselves that it took so long to check out this relatively close ( 8 hour drive) beauty ! https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
Lodging- there are lots of lodging options - we chose a place in Gatlinburg which offered easy drives to all the places on our itinerary. The cabin was perfect for 2 people/ very cutely decorated and had a back deck with woods that made us still feel secluded in a rather crowded cabin resort village. We did not specifically look for a place with a hot tub but we were happy to have it to soak sore muscles after longish hikes! Highly recommend:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/38669991?source_impression_id=p3_1651503142_NTZsNsFxWhWIYVAM
Foothills Parkway
On our arrival day - we had a little bit of sunshine left and took a scenic drive along the Foothills Parkway. https://foothillsparkwaytn.com/details/
The Parkway travels through the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains. It's a beautiful drive with many pull-outs to stop and enjoy the view.
FRIDAY
CADES COVE
We started our first day with the most visited place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP)- Cades Cove Loop Road. We were thinking an early morning start on a week day would minimize the crowds we read about. We were very glad for the early start - as traffic and people at pull outs were minimal and we could really enjoy our time here. It was a beautiful warm sunny day- perfect for our drive and our stops along the way!
Cades Cove is a valley in the Tennessee portion of the Great Smoky Mountains with beautiful mountain views, remnants of its earliest settlers ( including cabins, a Grist Mill and 3 churches) and stretches of wide open spaces to spy wildlife.
The Cades Cove Loop Road is an 11 mile one-way loop scenic drive. We stopped and got the National Park Service's Tour book- which brought life to the places we were seeing - highly suggest this for anyone visiting here.
John Oliver Cabin
A pretty half mile walk leads to the John Oliver cabin - built in the early 1820's. We saw deer and a gloriously ornery turkey to and from the cabin.
Primitive Baptist Church
This church as built in 1887.
Methodist Church - built in 1902
This church was built by J.D. McCampbell for $115 in 115 days. The church has 2 doors because it borrowed plans from another church that segregated entrances for men and women - even though that was not the practice of this congregation.
Missionary Baptist Church
This congregation was formed by members who were expelled from the Primitive Baptist Church because they favored missionary work. The building was built in 1915. We loved the use of light in this church compared to the other churches.
Cable Mill Area
The Cable Mill area was so interesting. We saw the Cable Mill ( built in the early 1870s and the Millrace and Dam that were critical to the settlers ability to source cornmeal necessary to survive winter. They had staff demonstrating the process. We got to see the gristmill in action and the cornmeal production- though a "slow-go" -was active ( You can buy cornmeal produced by the cable mill in the gift shop!)
The area also has blacksmith and a sorghum molasses making demonstrations seasonally.
Bear Season
We saw Mamas and cubs ( always from a safe distance) all three days we were out and about in GSMNP!
Afternoon Hike to Avent Cabin
We decided to go on a " Secret" hike to Avent Cabin. The hike starts at Jake's Creek trailhead which was a really pretty trail. It first passes remnants of a development of cottages- many with just chimneys still standing. As you ascend ~ 1 mile there are hidden steps that lead to a log bridge and shortly thereafter the cabin.....HOWEVER... our trusted directions were off~ .25 miles of where to locate the "steps" to the bridge. We decided we would bushwhack down to the creek and head from the creek towards where the bridge should be. It made sense when we first came up with the plan but we did not factor in the thick stands of rhododendron that would block our progress. We went up and down and all the way around from the trail to the creek 2 xs and were just about to give up on the cabin. We decided to explore up a little further - before admitting defeat. YAY- had we gone a little further 1st go around we would have found the proper hidden steps much sooner( but missed out on an adventure/ a bear scare/ and lots of beautiful scenery). We found the steps and the log bridge and the cabin / grounds / creek were glorious. We did manage to turn a 2.7 mile hike into a 7 mile hike!
The cabin was the summer studio of artist Mayna Treanor Avent from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Naive Hikers Thinking they are in for an Easy 2.7 mile hike....
Bushwhack Fail #1
Bushwhack Fail #2
The "Real Deal" Hidden Steps
A short hike to the log bridge....
The bridge is a short nice walk on a path from the trail...but is completely hidden from the trail! It crosses the creek and was so fun!
A quick stroll up the hill takes us to the cabin...at last!
The cabin was open so we could go in and explore...what a serene setting with the wild iris and the sound of the running creek.
Wildflowers
We chose to explore GSMNP this time of year in hopes of seeing running waterfalls and wildflowers. The wildflowers were amazing...the trillium and wild iris are my favorites!
Clingmans Dome Observation Tower
We finished our first day with a hike to the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower to catch the sunset. Clingmans Dome Road is a beautiful (~ 7 mile) drive. The parking lot for the observation tower takes you to a 1/2 mile paved trail. Although only 1/2 mile- the elevation gain of 331 feet at a grade of 13% make for more than a little bit of work to get to the top. There are benches along the way - but both Rusty and I agreed we should stop yes- but sitting down would require getting back up - that seemed like a foolish move! We ( slowly) made our way to the top and, as advertised, the views and the sunset were totally worth the huff and puff to get there.
Saturday
Saturday - would be the busiest in terms of fellow travelers so we picked that morning to sleep in, enjoy the privacy of our cabin and take a soak in the hot tub BEFORE we hit the trail! This is very contrary to our usual " hit the trail at sunrise" - but we both took a beating with all the hiking the day before and it was so nice and relaxing! Will have to factor that down time in on our next adventure!
Mouse Creek Falls
We packed a picnic lunch and headed to a less noted trail " Mouse Creek Falls via Big Creek Trail". This is a 4 mile out and back Trail. The trail follows an old railroad route of the early 1900s - made in to trails by the Civilian Conservation Corps - so the easy grade was refreshing after the Clingmans Dome adventure! The picnic spots and park for Big Creek were really well done- we would be regulars if we lived close!
The path was beautiful and because the leaves have not all popped out yet we had fantastic views of the creek along the way.
We made our way to the Falls on a trail we had pretty much to ourselves - which was a miracle considering the crowds we saw in Gatlinburg.
Midnight Hole
This was our favorite part of the hike! At ~1.5 miles up the trail is a deep, emerald green swimming hole below a small ( ~ 6ft) waterfall. This is not marked and we were glad we had the info before we took the hike. We decided to hit the swimming hole on the way back from the falls. The water spot was secluded and the water was cold...very, very cold! So much fun - highlight of the hike!
Sunday
The Early Bird Catches the Serenity Sunday Mornings at GSMNP!
Grotto Falls
We started Sunday with a sunrise hike to Grotto Falls ( via Trillilum Gap.. ~3 miles out and back hike). We were so glad we had such an early start- again we had the trail pretty much to ourselves hiking to the Falls. The trail is beautifully maintained and the falls are a 25 foot waterfall you can actually walk behind. We loved it!
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
The Roaring Fork Motor Trail is a 6 mile 1 way Road that packs a lot into 6 miles! Streams, trailheads ,forests, historic buildings and a grist mill!
STREAMS
Historic Buildings
There are several homesteads along the route. Our favorite was the Alfred Reagan Place because they used " All three colors that Sears and Roebuck had" to paint their house. The house pics will be easy to spot for sure!
The Mill
Alfred Reagan ( of the fancy colored house fame mentioned above) was a carpenter, a store owner , and he built a mill that was constructed in such a way it did not shut down for lack of water as many others of the day did.
Red Oak Bistro
We capped off our trip with dinner at the Red Oak Bistro. The food was really good - we ordered several small plates paired with some nice wine. Rusty loved the sausage/ beets/ potato salad combo and I loved the smoked oysters with lemon zest flatbread. The owners were lovely - and we highly recommend for a nice wine (d) down!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park was a great trip that left us wanting more and "seconds" - we will be back!
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