Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Nov 18-26

Yes, I full week in the park!! I didn't actually stay in the park, so it was more like a full week in Pigeon Forge with the opportunity to visit the park every day. Unfortunately, it was rainy a few of the days so I stayed at the cabin one day and went to the aquarium another day. Other than that, I did visit the park every day. Jenn joined me on the day after Thanksgiving and we explored the Cades Cove section of the park.

Here is the cabin I rented for the week. It was just a 10-minute drive from Pigeon Forge and about a 30-minute drive from the park. It was a scary drive up a steep road and my car couldn't even make it up the driveway. Well, it would have made it up the driveway if they had sweep for me, but there was a thick blanket of wet leaves and halfway up the tires lost traction. The cabin itself was terribly dusty and it leaked on the few days we had rain. I could go on and on about my other complaints, but I won't. I'll leave it to say, never again will I rent a cabin from "Luxury cabins of the Smokeys" and never again will I stay in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. The towns themselves were ridiculously crowded with cheap, trashy tourist attractions and packed to the gills with tourists. Next time I go to the Smokeys, I'll make my approach from the east side.

Yeah!! Made it to the park. The weather was damp and chilly the whole time, but not really so unbearable. I found the sign on my first morning in the park and did a very easy, flat hike close to the entranceway. Then I went to the visitor's center for my passport stamp. Lesson learned... test the stamps out because there is more than one and on this first day, I stamped my book with the Appalachian Trail stamp. It is true that the Appalachian Trail cuts through the national park, but I certainly wasn't on it!! Oh well, I know where I was, and my passport book has been stamped.

Day two I did get a little more adventurous and embarked on a hike to Rainbow Falls. I don't know if I actually saw the falls or not since this was the most water I came across. Another lesson learned, if you want to see waterfalls, you should visit the park in the spring when the snow melt provides plenty of water for the waterfalls. Even though it was drizzly during my visit, the park rangers said the park was very dry. They even had burn banes in place so none of the campers could have campfires. 

I was so proud of myself... look at me, hiking less than a year after my knee replacement!  I actually worked up a sweat and had to ditch the beanie.

An yet another lesson learned, if you want to see fall colors, Thanksgiving is too late. This is the view from the cabin porch. It was beautiful to see the leaves on the ground, but the trees were bare, and everything was brown. Next time I go north for fall colors, I'll go in October. I think I caught the last few still hanging on.

On Thanksgiving Day, I set out super early, leaving the cabin as soon as the sun came up, to be sure I would be able to get a parking spot at the trail head of one of the most popular waterfall hikes in the park, Laurel Falls. This hike was rated easy. I double checked after the Rainbow Falls (because that one was NOT easy, and I wanted to know what I was getting myself into). And yes, this hike had a good bit of elevation change but the trail was actually asphalt most of the way. It was crumpling in places, and it was still quite a hike, but I wasn't climbing over boulders like the Rainbow Falls. I think it was about a mile and a half and the hike came to an end at the waterfall. It wasn't raging of course, because the park was dry, but it was definitely a waterfall and definitely beautiful. I was very happy I set off early too, because there were already three other families up there by the time I arrived. Then on my way back to the car, I must have crossed at least 50 families!! The area to view the waterfall wasn't that big and I can image the traffic jam up there to get a picture. 

The day after Thanksgiving, Jenn arrived. We took a drive into the park to get our stamp (and the obligatory selfie with the park sign) but didn't actually have enough time to do much exploring. 

The following day we went to Cades Cove and did a beautiful hike. This one was probably about five miles round trip. Thankfully it was not straight up then straight down on the return to the car. It was up and down and twisty and just beautiful the entire way. Like before, we set out super early hoping to beat the crowds and we did. I just can't believe how many people spend their Thanksgiving holiday at the national park!! 

Cades Cove, early morning on our way to the trail head. Seeing the mist in the valleys was beautiful and this entire section of the park was a treat to visit.   

This is on the trail. For the most part, it was wide and smooth, with a slight elevation change. This is the perfect trail for me. I loved being in the forest like that. It followed the stream then entire way, so you even had the sound of running water to comfort you. Heaven :) 

There were four places on the trail that you had to cross a stream using these cool log bridges It was just one huge log and a handrail. So cool!!

Selfie at the waterfall. It felt good to arrive at our destination and have a rest.

Tada... the waterfall. I can't remember the name of this actual waterfall, maybe it was "Cades". Well, it was the only waterfall hike in Cades Cove, so that's what I'll call it.

Jenn, striking the "I love nature" pose.

So happy to be spending time with my daughter and loving the environment. Can't wait for our next national park adventure!!