It's difficult to imagine a more beautiful spot to enjoy the outdoors than Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Gatlinburg is surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an 880 square mile Tennessee and North Carolina treasure. It is the most visited National Park in the United States with over 10 million annual visitors. Established in 1934, this protected 520,976 acres are home to magnificent streams and rivers, majestic peaks and the home of the largest and most diverse collection of plants and animals in North America. There are over 100,000 different species in the Smokies alone.
On the Tennessee side of the park,the city of Gatlinburg is the main entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. From the Sugarlands Visitor Center, it's a 15 mile trip up the mountain to Newfound Gap on the Tennessee - North Carolina border. A short drive from that point is Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest point in the Appalachian Mountain range. Only Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mt. Craig (6,647) in Mt. Mitchell State Park rise higher.
Clingmans Dome is a popular park destination. Spectacular vistas await those willing to climb a 30-minute steep half-mile walk to the tower at the top. On clear, pollution-free days, views expand over a 100 miles
Another highly suggested scenic drive in the park is Cades Cove, the most popular destination in the Great Smoky Mountains.The idyllic setting of Cades Cove is a sampler of everything the Park has to offer the Smokies visitor. Historic structures that dot the Cove tell the history of its early inhabitants. Wildlife is abundant. More than a dozen hiking and horseback riding trails originate in Cades Cove. The Smoky Mountains, which tower above picturesque Cades Cove, serve as guardians to the Cove's serene beauty.
In addition, Cades Cove is home to trout streams to tease the fly- fishing enthusiast. Cades Cove Loop is open to auto, bicycle and foot traffic every day of the year from sunup to sundown with a few exceptions. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park has designated that May through September on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the loop is reserved for hikers and bicyclist from sunup to 10am only. Auto traffic on those days is permitted in Cades Cove after 10am. Bicycles can be rented for a small fee at the Visitors Center at the beginning of an 11 mile one way loop around some of the areas most beautiful scenery and historic log homesteads in the park.
A highly suggested short drive from the cabin is the beautiful Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.It is a nature trail that can be enjoyed from your car, or by taking one of the many trails that begin here . It forms an 11-mile loop along with Cherokee Orchard Road. The one-way road runs for 8 miles.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is an intimate journey through the Smoky Mountain's lush mountain wilderness. In places it reveals some of nature's secrets, while in others it weaves the story of the people who once lived here. Water is a constant companion on this journey. Cascades, rapids, and falls adorn the roadside. The sound of rushing water is never far away. The air feels damp and tropical throughout the summer months, yet the icy water rarely reaches 60F degrees.
Along the route are many hiking trails including the hike to Grotto Falls. This same trail continues to Brushy Mountain and Mt. LeConte.
Healthy second growth forests escort the road on its journey. A few better-drained ridges support a pine-oak forest, but cove hardwoods and hemlocks dominate the landscape. Rhododendron's thick, sprawling foliage green the understory year-round. In early July their pink blooms highlight the shadowy forest. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is open to vehicle traffic from early spring until December 1 each year.
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the largest tract of unspoiled wilderness in the eastern United States The Smokies are considered a wild and scenic area and should be treated as such. Feeding of the wild animals that inhabit the park is prohibited. Fishing is allowed inside the park with a proper license but certain species are protected.You would be well advised to check with the park service headquarters located at the Sugarlands Visitor Center for current regulations.
A short trip through Gatlinburg and across the mountain will take you to the Cherokee Indian Reservation and Harrahs' Casino. Another suggested day trip would be to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville,NC.
Here is a link for Fishing regulations within the park and in the many streams that are outside the park boundries within a short distance of our cabins in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
