Cherokee, NC to Gatlinburg, TN
Today was the most beautiful and the most active day of the whole trip. We spent almost the entire day in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, starting the day in North Carolina, driving up the mountains, hiking to the very top of of its tallest peak, driving down the mountains, ending the day in Tennessee, and seeing as much as we could along the way!
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| Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
Our first stop inside the National Park was Oconaluftee Visitor Center. They had some really interesting exhibits inside as well as a recreation of an historic mountain farm outside. The kids loved the farm, especially the pigs and chickens.
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| Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
Next we drove to Mingo Falls (which is actually just outside the National Park) and climbed the impressive set of stairs to get a good look at it. It is a beautiful waterfall.
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| Stairs at Mingo Falls in Cherokee |
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| Mingo Falls in Cherokee |
Our lunch was in Cherokee at a cute little place called Sassy Sunflowers. It was a fresh break from fast food.
Feeling refreshed, it was time to climb to the tallest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains: Clingman's Dome.
Getting there was a beautiful and exhilarating drive. We often stopped at the scenic overlooks. I have more pictures of mountains than I can get through but it is such a task to try to accurately capture the grandeur and awe-inspiring beauty of it all.
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| Scenic Overlook in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
Clingman's Dome was the most crowed of all the spots we have visited on our trip so far, even though we hoped our timing would avoid the biggest crowds.
We like to be at least a half-step ahead of the crowd so we eat all our meals a bit earlier than most. This strategy usually works, getting us in and out of restaurants quickly with the masses starting to file in as we are leaving, and also giving us a sightseeing window when many are away having their lunch. I wouldn't say our strategy didn't work here -- we saw a lot of traffic heading the other direction as we drove up -- I would just say that Clingman's Dome draws a lot of visitors to a small area.
It was a diverse crowd and there was something uplifting in realizing that people from all over the world were traveling to this spot to experience this place.
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| View From Parking Area at Clingman's Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
The half-mile hike to the top of the mountain from the parking area was paved and easy but steep and tiring and crowded. The kids most certainly were not enjoying this part -- I don't blame them, I wasn't enjoying it either but I knew there would be a pay-off to make it worth it.
Finally, we were at the very top of the Great Smoky Mountains: elevation 6,643ft. We climbed another 43ft up to the top of the observation tower. This part tested my fear of heights but I passed and enjoyed the views from the top and the feeling of accomplishment in getting there.
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| View From Observation Tower Atop Clingman's Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
The hike back down to the parking lot was much easier, but no less crowded. Both the parking and the bathrooms at Clingman's Dome were lacking for the number of people on hand. I really can't imagine what it would be like at a peak time with twice as many people as what we experienced. I was glad we did it, when we did.
We started the drive down the mountain, again stopping at many scenic outlooks, including a stop at the Newfound Gap and the Rockefeller Memorial for a snack break. I could inundate this post with mountain pictures but, instead, I'll add just a few more.
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| Scenic Overlook in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
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| Scenic Overlook in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
We were very lucky as to the weather and only experienced a short downpour for a few minutes during our drive down. I would guess those few minutes were not among my husband's favorites, though.
Our next stop was Sugarland Visitor Center where we took a look through the exhibits before watching the 20 minute film about the Great Smoky Mountains and the creation of the national park.
We then embarked on one last hike through the trails behind the Visitor Center to Cataract Falls. It was small in comparison Mingo Falls earlier in the day but charming and lovely in its own right.
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| Cararact Falls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
We ended our day in Gatlinburg with dinner at Calhoun's, a walk down the strip, a stop in Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen for a few treats, and some time in the hotel pool for the kids. It was a full day and we were all exhausted and sore as we crawled into bed but it was a good feeling.