Need suggestions for Great Smoky Mountain trip!
June 15, 2024 2:56 PM Subscribe
We're going to be visiting friends in Ringgold, GA from June 27 thru July 6 this summer. Would love to spend two or three days in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Our Goals would be to see some country we've never seen before and perhaps cool off. We're not too interested in the Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg scene. So been thinking of spending a couple nights in Townsend TN with forays into the park like going to Clingmans Dome.
How does this sound to you?
What other places in the Park would you add or substitute?
Anything we're missing or not thinking of?
I wouldn't mind some good lake swimming but not sure about the others!
Thanks!
How does this sound to you?
What other places in the Park would you add or substitute?
Anything we're missing or not thinking of?
I wouldn't mind some good lake swimming but not sure about the others!
Thanks!
If you want to see Clingman's Dome get to the park very very early ( or way late in the day ). Parking is limited. You'll know it's too late if you encounter traffic a mile or so before the parking area.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 4:24 PM on June 15 [2 favorites]
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 4:24 PM on June 15 [2 favorites]
Townsand will be quite a ways away from the Asheville area, which is where the pisgah Eaton is. Closer to you might be the mount Leconte hike, which is pretty spectacular even though you will probably not be able to get reservations to stay at the hut at the top. The Blue Ridge Parkway is lovely, but gets very congested during the summers, especially on the weekend. There are actually many shorter hikes to see waterfalls not on the parkway and these can be a great alternative. If it’s cloudy, and therefore the view from the top of a mountain would be disappointing. Max Patch is a short easy hike with amazing views not too far away. Lake Santeetlah is pretty close and very pretty although it doesn’t have a traditional beach front
posted by genmonster at 6:34 PM on June 15
posted by genmonster at 6:34 PM on June 15
Cades Cove is a beautiful drive (usually see wildlife) and is not too far from Townsend. Also recommend going tubing on the river in Townsend.
posted by serendipityrules at 8:33 PM on June 15
posted by serendipityrules at 8:33 PM on June 15
You are going at peak season, and the roads get crowded - get to any trailheads as early as you can and enjoy the cooler morning temps.
Mount LeConte (via Alum Cave) is an excellent all-day hike that will tire you out - you need to be in decent shape for it, but it's worth the effort. Cades Cove is a nice drive and good way to see a bear (get there early) but it's very popular so again, get there when the gates open.
From Clingmans Dome, hike to Andrews Bald.
Lake Santeetlah is beautiful, and there is a sandy beach where you can swim - not huge, but it's there. It pairs well with Joyce Kilmer - wonderful old growth forest - the trees are some of the biggest I've seen on the east coast.
Since you're coming from the south, you might consider rafting/kayaking down the Nantahala River.
posted by coffeecat at 9:22 PM on June 15 [1 favorite]
Mount LeConte (via Alum Cave) is an excellent all-day hike that will tire you out - you need to be in decent shape for it, but it's worth the effort. Cades Cove is a nice drive and good way to see a bear (get there early) but it's very popular so again, get there when the gates open.
From Clingmans Dome, hike to Andrews Bald.
Lake Santeetlah is beautiful, and there is a sandy beach where you can swim - not huge, but it's there. It pairs well with Joyce Kilmer - wonderful old growth forest - the trees are some of the biggest I've seen on the east coast.
Since you're coming from the south, you might consider rafting/kayaking down the Nantahala River.
posted by coffeecat at 9:22 PM on June 15 [1 favorite]
I was recently in this area and I decided to stay in Bryson City instead of north of the park and I had a good time. I went hiking on some of the southern trails and also stopped by the Museum of the Cherokee People (although it's partially closed due to renovation). It's actually a bit closer to Clingmans dome, and I really enjoyed the drive along the Nantahala to Chattanooga, which is the way you would be coming.
posted by JZig at 10:56 PM on June 15 [2 favorites]
posted by JZig at 10:56 PM on June 15 [2 favorites]
You can make a day trip out of Cherokee. I've been going since I was a kid (I have family there) and it's a mix of touristy stuff, outdoorsy stuff and history.
The Museum is relatively new and well done, there's a model village where you can learn about Cherokee culture and crafts, and Unto These Hills is a summer classic.
It's a pageant about Cherokee history, in an outdoor amphitheater. They tinker with the script every generation or so, it's been going since forever (my dad had a bit part in the show during the early 1940s).
There are also plenty of whitewater rafting outfits, usually excursions were about half a day and you could choose which route suited your level of interest and skill.
posted by champers at 3:07 AM on June 16
The Museum is relatively new and well done, there's a model village where you can learn about Cherokee culture and crafts, and Unto These Hills is a summer classic.
It's a pageant about Cherokee history, in an outdoor amphitheater. They tinker with the script every generation or so, it's been going since forever (my dad had a bit part in the show during the early 1940s).
There are also plenty of whitewater rafting outfits, usually excursions were about half a day and you could choose which route suited your level of interest and skill.
posted by champers at 3:07 AM on June 16
From Ringgold, I highly recommend the drive along the Ocoee River, with stops along it to take in a hike, wade, or swim. It is an amazingly beautiful area.
posted by griffey at 1:34 PM on June 16
posted by griffey at 1:34 PM on June 16
Other people aren't wrong about the crowds for the more popular destinations. It's a beautiful park and there is beauty to be found in slightly lesser destinations.
posted by indexy at 5:51 PM on June 16
posted by indexy at 5:51 PM on June 16
Yeah, envision two sides of the Smokies, with the mountains in between, and basically one long, two-lane, slow, windy road, 441, between. The Tennessee side, with Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, is busier and has a lot of tourism development. Those forays into the Park usually mean taking that one road, 441, along with a bazillion other people. Clingman's Dome is a car destination. You drive that winding road with a ton of other cars and then you get to a parking lot and walk the final bit to a lookout. It's ... fine? There are views for sure. But I don't think that's the best way to enjoy the Smokies, unless you have a specific reason for wanting to go there. I'd say to skip the northwest/Tennessee side and go to the NC side, and don't even bother with 441, which will be super jammed during the holiday weekend. You don't even need to go into the actual official Park (which is to say, Great Smoky Mountains National Park) or on 441 in order to enjoy the mountains and the Smokies.
The North Carolina side, around Bryson City, markets itself as the "quiet side" of the Smokies, though there are still plenty of tourists and hotels. There's also an outdoor recreation scene, which means Bryson City is a bit more interesting than you'd expect from a rural tourist town. You can go whitewater rafting, tube on or hike along Deep Creek, and look at pretty mountain views all from there.
From Ringgold, drive up to Ocoee, TN and then drive east on Hwy 74. You'll drive along the Ocoee River and, eventually, the Nantahala River. Nantahala Outdoor Center is a real oasis and worth a stop. You can use it as your base, or consider Bryson City, just a bit further east.
Cherokee also has a lot of tourism-oriented development and might not be worth a ton of time, though, the last time I went, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian was pretty neat.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:22 PM on June 17
The North Carolina side, around Bryson City, markets itself as the "quiet side" of the Smokies, though there are still plenty of tourists and hotels. There's also an outdoor recreation scene, which means Bryson City is a bit more interesting than you'd expect from a rural tourist town. You can go whitewater rafting, tube on or hike along Deep Creek, and look at pretty mountain views all from there.
From Ringgold, drive up to Ocoee, TN and then drive east on Hwy 74. You'll drive along the Ocoee River and, eventually, the Nantahala River. Nantahala Outdoor Center is a real oasis and worth a stop. You can use it as your base, or consider Bryson City, just a bit further east.
Cherokee also has a lot of tourism-oriented development and might not be worth a ton of time, though, the last time I went, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian was pretty neat.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:22 PM on June 17
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posted by kiblinger at 3:35 PM on June 15 [1 favorite]