We had a lovely anniversary weekend at our cozy cabin in the Georgia mountains, but it was time to head north to the Great Smoky Mountains. We were super excited to camp for the next 4 days in the national park, and had a jam packed itinerary. It included hiking to waterfalls, driving through Cades Cove, and visiting Clingmans Dome.
Getting to the Smoky Mountains from northern Georgia is not for those with weak stomachs (me!). There isn’t a straight interstate zipping you right to the entrance. Instead we wound our way through the back roads going over mountains and around sharp curves. The ginger chews did little to help anything, and I was more than thankful when arrived in Cherokee, NC and stopped for a lunch break. We grabbed some sandwiches from a cute little shop called Front Porch Cakery & Deli and relaxed on the banks of the Oconaluftee River. Once all the wooziness wore off, we hopped back in the car and ventured the last few miles to the Great Smoky Mountains entrance. (BTW, the roads in the Smoky Mountains are much easier to handle than the roads that Google Maps had us take on the way up!)
The first stop was the visitor center. Well, actually, we stopped to take a picture of the sign at the entrance. And then we stopped again to look at an Elk. But out first real stop was the visitor center. The visitor center at the North Carolina entrance has some cool old buildings to explore and a museum inside. Unfortunately because of COVID-19, the museum was closed. The rangers still gave us a lot of good information about the area though. The most important piece of information was that we needed to go to Clingmans Dome ASAP. We were informed that the views today were crystal clear from the 6,643 ft peak, the highest in the park. So we ditched our plans of taking a leisurely drive through the park and setting up the tent early. Instead, we headed straight for Clingmans Dome.
Being Tuesday after Labor Day, there was very little traffic in the park. We made great time to Clingmans Dome and had no issues with parking. Wohoo!
Once parked, we started up the path to the observation tower. You guys, that path is NOT as easy as I remember. I have memories of leisurely walking on a paved path for 5 minutes before reaching the top. The path being paved is about the only thing right in that memory. It is only half a mile, but it is very steep and challenges your lungs at a high altitude. Although, to be fair, after living in Florida for 5 years, I think hills are gigantic mountains.
The walk to the top was worth it! We were rewarded with quintessential Smoky Mountain views. There were 360 degrees of rolling blue mountains as far as the eye could see. The smoky haze that the area is known for comes from the fog created by millions of trees in the area. Every which way I looked was another postcard worthy view.
You know those view point signs that show you what you are looking at? And it’s always disappointing because the actual view isn’t as good as the sign? Not today! Our view was actually even clearer than the photos in the signs. The air was that crystal clear!
After taking in the views, we finally decided to head to our campground and set up before it got too dark. We camped at an absolutely spectacular spot but more to come on that later. It was so good that it needs its own post.
