Great Smoky Mountains NP (GSMNP) is arguably the most visited NP in the country, free of admission fee, and located conveniently in proximity of many states.
Driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Cherokee has been a treat with the diversity of the foliage colour. We had a buffet lunch at Granny’s kitchen in Cherokee, it was inexpensive and stomach filling. Last time we had a buffet, it was probably over five years ago.
We had reserved an hour of horseback riding at Smokemont Riding Stables. The horse looked small until I got on the saddle and my leg hardly reached the footstep, quite nervous at the beginning and when the horse crossed over a river or walked down a slope. It was an absorbing experience, and certainly among the highlights.
We went up the Clingmans dome tower for the sunset on top of the smoky mountain ranges. It was quite a wait among the cold and windy conditions, but totally worth it.
That was the last sunny day on this tour. Due to the storms and mudslides, the highway 441 across the park was closed, which blocked our plan to watch the sunrise inside the park. With closure of other roads inside the park, we detoured to visit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, both very interesting cities. Gatlinburg is a touristy town with lots of restaurants and shops in the main street, seemingly a popular ski area in winter. Pigeon Forge is famous for the Dollywood, named after the famous singer Dolly Parton. The town is fairy tale like. The main street is lined with a remake of Titanic, a King Kong sitting on a building, an upside down building, and all kinds of interesting museums such as crime museum, mirror mazes. It makes a great place to visit for families with young children.
The Highland Manor Inn in Townsend was our accommodation, located very close to the GSMNP. Many like Townsend for its beauty and calm compared to the busier Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. A few told us the nearby Maryville was worth a visit, we went there to pick up some groceries, did some stroll but it did not live up to the reputation.
The 11-mile Cades Cove loop was still closed to auto the next day, to clear up the debris from the storm, but hikers and bikers could get in. We hiked 6 hours, and most of the time, we had this most visited national park for the two of us. It was one of the most scenic and peaceful hikes, and we could take all the time we wanted to enjoy the fall colour, the nature, and the exhibits. How many could claim that they had the GSMNP for themselves? We saw a few white-tailed deer, they came quite close. Black bears seldom attack people, their diets are berries and acorns. When we had the park just for the two of us, what if we ran into a family of bears? For good fortune or bad, we did not encounter a black bear, though we ran into a few hikers who saw a mother and three bear cubs on an oak tree. We figured we probably walked right under them without knowing.
We had a great dinner at the Dancing Bear, Townsend to recuperate from the 11-mile hike.
It was still rainy on our third and last day in GSMNP. The grey sky and the rain brought up the fall colour more, at times, it felt like we were in some Monet pictures. By now, we have accepted that the Pixel or phone camera did not do its service to capture the fall colour, and the pictures just came out a bit dull. We continued to be treated to a super scenic drive along the little river road. The roaring fork motor drive was a nice one, and we did the Grotto falls trail with nice colour and a small waterfall at the end, where we could walk to its back.
The locals did not use masks much nor social distancing. People in these states are different from the Bay Area neighbourhood. They are friendly and have the country style, seem to be less occupied with technology and enjoy chatting with travellers, like us.
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