If you heard that Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited National Park– believe it! There are good reasons for the visitor swarm: the amazing mountain views, the well-maintained, well-marked  hiking trails, the foliage and wildflowers, the unspoiled beauty of the place.  We were blessed with September temperatures between 60 and 85 with not too much humidity.

The early morning (7-9:30 a.m.) is the best time to hike, because after 9:30 the processions begin, and suddenly you are sharing the waterfall views with thirty of your closest friends. Not that anyone was obnoxious or noisy, but they made you aware that you were at an attraction.

Below you can see what we saw on our first three days of the visit: Clingman’s Dome and Grotto Falls. Of course it is impossible to capture the mountain vistas with a cell phone camera, but you can see enough to spark your imagination– the layered mountain ranges the Cherokee called “blue, like smoke” hence our terminology “the Smokies.”

Clingman’s Dome (see flying saucer viewing deck)  is the top of the park at around 6600 feet, and we ascended on a very clear Sunday of Labor Day Weekend.  The walk up to the Dome is paved, but steep. With the many foreign visitors who accompanied us, you had the feeling of the last leg of a pilgrimage. We did not hear a lot of English spoken on that ascent. We had to  stop a few times to catch our breaths, but the view at the top was worth it. The photos do no justice to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even after the crowds disbanded after Labor Day, the park was well-travelled, and we planned hikes for early morning on Monday and Tuesday. Below you see Victoria at Grotto Falls, the only waterfall in the park you can walk under.  We reached it with a mile and half walk up the ridge, and the gathering was less than ten until 9 a.m. When we began the return trip, the pilgrims began to flood the path.  The Grotto was a highlight of our visit.

We stayed outside of Gatlinburg in the Laurel Point Resort, an exchange property for RCI. The town is a tourist trap, and, for me, a distraction from the spectacular views of the park. We spent about an hour there ($10 parking) to buy some groceries on a Sunday evening, but found no place we wanted to eat. I might have lost my chance to eat local trout, but we did not want to buck the lines.

The two-bedroom condo has been comfortable. We have spread our maps, brochures, and books all over like a base camp. Victoria made some bean soup that has great staying power, and we are well provisioned.  Glory be!