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Gatlinburg/Smokies trip report, with photos and captions

Gatlinburg/Smokies trip report, with photos and captions

Old Sep 27th, 2015, 02:00 PM
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Gatlinburg/Smokies trip report, with photos and captions

Hello! I just finished up a trip report - 70 photos, with captions - from a four day solo trip to Gatlinburg and Smoky Mountains National Park in early August. I was there primarily to do short hikes of 2-4 hours each ... and to see a few sights within the town, as well.

If you would like to peek over my shoulder from my time there, please go to ...

https://picasaweb.google.com/1003399...urgAugust2015#

If you find any errors in my labeling places or plants, please, do correct me and I will make changes. If you have any questions for me, fire away and I will do my best to answer them. On such trips, I tend to stay in relatively inexpensive motels - which is what I did for these four days - and I eat very simply when alone (think Subway sandwiches), so I am afraid I won't be of much help with questions about lodging or restaurants.

The Smokies are such a beautiful place. This was my fifth time there and it was just as delightful as the other times.

Happy and safe travels!

Mike
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Old Sep 27th, 2015, 04:43 PM
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Pretty! We just back from a week in the Smokies. We stayed in a cabin in Cosby--20 miles east of Gatlinburg. Love it there.
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Old Sep 27th, 2015, 05:01 PM
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Beautiful photos!
On your next trip, consider using Cherokee at the southern entrance of one of the quieter towns as a base. Many of us avoid Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge at all costs. So much beautiful countryside to the south and east of the NP.

Thanks for sharing your photos.
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Old Sep 27th, 2015, 05:09 PM
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Thanks for the suggestion, starrs. My wife and I actually have spent some time in Cherokee years back, as her father grew up in Clyde, a tiny NC town not far from Cherokee. It is indeed a beautiful part of the country. In fact, if we do follow up on my dream to spend a week or two in October in the Smokies, it will most certainly be in a cabin on the NC side around that area. For my solo trip in August, I was actually in TN to also my daughter in Nashville and some friends in Knoxville, so I wanted to stay on the TN side. ... But I completely agree with your advice to avoid Gatlinburg if possible - and Pigeon Forge just makes me shake my head when I have to drive through there.
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Old Sep 27th, 2015, 05:53 PM
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I had to look up Clyde. Great location.
Glad you know about the NC side. IMO it's the prettiest area. I love the eastern TN/ western NC/ north GA corner of the world.

If you do the Smokies in October, go to the higher elevations earlier on and the lower elevations later in the month. Have you seen the elk they've reintroduced to the Cataloochee valley? The synchronized lightning bugs (fireflies) not far from the Sugarland Visitor Center? More reasons to return!
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Old Sep 27th, 2015, 06:05 PM
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I have not seen the elk that you mention from the southeastern corner of the park - I'd like to, though. We frequent Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado often and see them in large numbers there. They roam all over the town of Estes Park - it's pretty cool. Are their numbers slowly growing within GSMNP and spreading to other locations nearby? ... Hmmm, synchronized lightning bugs?! Now you have me really curious. If you have a link to an article that explains what that's all about, I'd love to see something on it. We have an abundance of fireflies up here in the Midwest. Are they common in TN and NC?
... Ha, yes, always reasons to return!
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Old Sep 27th, 2015, 06:22 PM
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The fireflies -
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/fireflies.htm

Ah, you're right. After elk in Colorado, the ones in NC aren't that special.
It's special that they've been reintroduced though.
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/elk.htm

I just saw them in Wyoming/Montana last week and that was very cool too.
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 02:40 AM
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Lovely pictures. Thanks for the report.
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 12:52 PM
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Thank you for the link about the GSMNP fireflies, starrs! Just read it - very interesting!
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 05:00 PM
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I don't like Gatlinburg myself, but from a hiking perspective, I do like the TN side. On this trip, we did two hikes out of Greenbriar (Porter's Creek and Brushy Mountain) one from Newfound Gap (Charlie's Bunion/The Jump Off) and another from Roaring Fork (Bullhead). The latter two meant navigating through Gatlinburg, but for us it was worth it. Staying in Cosby was a good compromise and our cabin (Three Little Birds) was great.
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 05:48 PM
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Thank you, Indyhiker, for the suggestions. I just went to the VRBO site for the cabin you stayed at (Three Little Birds) and it looks great - and also a pretty reasonable price for the square footage and amenities provided. I have bookmarked it for a possible stay there when my family is with. Looks fantastic. I don't know much about the hiking possibilities from that portion of the Smokies. Is it comparable to the hikes available from the main entrance to GSMNP, just south of Gatlinburg?
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Old Oct 6th, 2015, 05:05 PM
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Sorry for not responding sooner; I just saw your post. The closest section of the park to the cabin is Greenbriar. It is a lovely section of the park. My favorite in fact. It's lush and rather peaceful. There's a sizeable creek that runs through it. There is an amazing waterfall hike called Ramsay Cascades. Porter Creek trail runs through deep woods along the creek. A hike up Brushy Mountain provides great vistas (it's a long but doable hike). Albright Grove is another good one. There are other hikes as well, but those are the ones I've done. But for the Cascades trail, the trails in Greenbriar are not crowded at all. But that said, the other areas of the park aren't THAT far away. We didn't mind having a bit of a drive to get to them.

Check out hikinginthesmokies.com and search by location for details on Greenbriar's hikes.

I'd mention that Carver's Apple Orchard is nearby and a lot of fun. The road where many of the artist shops and galleries are is an easy drive from Cosby too.

It's a bit of a trade off to stay in Cosby, but we really liked the cabin and not having to deal with Gatlinburg every day. The cabin is a great value and is a truly lovely property. I just loved it.
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Old Oct 6th, 2015, 05:14 PM
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Just a couple things to add about the cabin. There's a full bath on the main level across the hall from the queen bedroom. The master bath is sizeable although the shower itself is small. Good water pressure and lots of hot water. There's a hammock on the screened in porch. There are four tvs and an Xbox. The owners have covered just about anything you'd want and keep the property super clean. Patty the owner was very responsive. I really want to stay there again. Like now!!!
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 03:39 PM
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Thank you, Indyhiker, for those cabin details and suggestions for nearby hikes. It sure sounds like a wonderful combination of enjoying GSMNP and its beauty but without the hoopla of Gatlinburg ... next time!
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 05:36 PM
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You're welcome!
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Old Oct 18th, 2017, 05:05 AM
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Wow, those are great pictures! I appreciate the explanations you took the time to write for each one. My husband and I have been four times together over the years. Though we have driven in the mountains and hiked some, we have not done an extensive hike yet. Your photos make me look forward to doing that someday soon, as our kids are all big enough to handle it now.

We have not done a fall trip yet either. Maybe one day, as our kids here get a week of fall break, but that's a little bit early for full color in the first week of October. We live in Middle TN though, so we are fortunate to enjoy the fall splendor on a drive in the hills locally. The color is delayed this year, as it hasn't been cool enough. Usually mid October is the peak.

I will definitely link this report to others who are inquiring about the Smoky Mountains in the future, as it gives a varied taste of the area. One thing is missing though… pictures of bluegrass musicians and cloggers on the Gatlinburg strip or down Ole Smoky Moonshine Holler. That is one of my favorite parts! I'm a bluegrass fan though. If you've missed out on that in the past, maybe you'll catch it one day.
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Old Oct 18th, 2017, 05:46 AM
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Wonderful pictures and I remember that ski lift from "back in the 1950's and 1957 to be exact. The town has changed a great deal since that time but fortunately the wonderful countryside and mountains have not.
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Old Oct 20th, 2017, 02:15 PM
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Thank you, Erd5clan and Dukey1 for your kind words. ... Hiking in GSMNP is awesome - hope you get out there soon and do some hiking. I really do enjoy bluegrass music for a change of pace but somehow on that trip, it never occurred to me, so I appreciate the suggestion for next time. I have a daughter living in Nashville and we visit often, so I know I'll be back to the Gatlinburg area multiple times over the years.
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