Where We Be
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Smoky Mountains National Park, TN |
Did you know that this is America's most visited
national park? And that entry is free? (Maybe
these two factoids are related!)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles
the border between Tennessee and North
Carolina and encompasses some 800 square
miles of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
Yes, the Appalachian Trail runs right through it.
We walked a stretch of it just to say we did. We
also hiked half a mile up a paved trail to the
park's highest point, Clingman's Dome, which
isn't very high at 6,643 ft (2,024 m), but still, the
views are good from the observation tower.
Recent rain meant lots of “smoke” (mist) rising,
just what you'd expect of a park with this name.
We drove Newfound Gap Road for 13 twisty
miles, stopping at plenty of pulloffs to enjoy the
autumn foliage. Once again we felt lucky with
our timing. We even got stuck in a bear traffic
jam on the way back down (more on that below).
national park? And that entry is free? (Maybe
these two factoids are related!)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles
the border between Tennessee and North
Carolina and encompasses some 800 square
miles of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
Yes, the Appalachian Trail runs right through it.
We walked a stretch of it just to say we did. We
also hiked half a mile up a paved trail to the
park's highest point, Clingman's Dome, which
isn't very high at 6,643 ft (2,024 m), but still, the
views are good from the observation tower.
Recent rain meant lots of “smoke” (mist) rising,
just what you'd expect of a park with this name.
We drove Newfound Gap Road for 13 twisty
miles, stopping at plenty of pulloffs to enjoy the
autumn foliage. Once again we felt lucky with
our timing. We even got stuck in a bear traffic
jam on the way back down (more on that below).
| You'd think we planned carefully to time our drive to coincide with the lovely fall colors, but the truth is we were just lucky |
| Returning back the way we came, the colors turned more vibrant again as we moved lower in elevation |
| The road follows along a delightful stream, and we paused more than once to enjoy the sound of rushing water |
| We hiked the first half mile of Chimney Tops Trail just to enjoy the water views |
| When you get a day like this you give thanks and enjoy every minute of it |
| As we headed towards the park exit we got stuck in a bear traffic jam! For the longest time we didn't know what was going on -- only that we barely moved for 40 minutes. It would have been frustrating except the foliage was so brilliant we took pictures like this one right from the car window. |
| This forest draped in yellow and bathed in afternoon sunlight was just across the road from the bears. What a pretty sight! |
| It’s certainly the prettiest traffic jam we've ever been stuck in |
| View from the top. Muted colors still hold fast to some of the hillsides. |
| At the top of Clingman's Dome is an unusual observation tower, but without it the views would be mostly obscured by trees |
| We hiked up a paved trail for half a mile to Clingman's Dome, enjoying panoramic views along the way |
| The Smoky Mountains divide Tennessee and North Carolina, and the Appalachian Trail essentially follows the dividing line |
| We continued on a side road for 7 more miles to Clingman's Dome. Here the "smoke" was even thicker and the distant mountains took on a bluish cast. |
| After 13 miles we reached the top of Newfound Gap Road. From here we could see "smoke" rising out of the forest -- mist from the recent rains. |
| Nevertheless, spots of color remained |
| As we climbed higher up Newfound Gap Road, the trees turned bare and you could feel winter approaching |
| The colors were vibrant at lower elevations |
| This was our first time visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I'd say we picked a good time to come. |
| We finally came to the cause of all the commotion: a mama black bear with two cubs ambling through the forest. The picture's blurry but at least we got to see some bear after the long wait. |
| The Smoky Mountains have hundreds of square miles of deciduous forest -- and that means lots of happy leaf peepers each autumn |
| "No other area of equal size in a temperate climate can match the park's amazing diversity of plants and animals. Over 17,000 species have been documented in the park." -- National Park Service website |
| Only 1,972 more miles to Mt. Katahdin in Maine! |
