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Family Vacation 2021, Part 2 - The Great Smoky Mountains

  • Writer: Lauren Catron
    Lauren Catron
  • Jun 5, 2021
  • 8 min read

The second part of our family vacation led us to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For those of you who don't know, GSMNP is located in the southeast part of the country and spans through Tennessee and North Carolina. The park was established in 1934 and is the most popular national park, with over 11 million visits per year, according to its Wikipedia page.


Since we came from the northwest, we drove through Gatlinburg, Tenn., before making our way to the park. As we drove through the town, we could not believe how many people there were. The sidewalks were jam-packed. There were lines to get into restaurants and shops. After living through a pandemic, the sight of large crowds was a little overwhelming. We were glad we had made the decision to stay on the quieter side of the park, in Bryson City, N.C.


We finally made our way to the park entrance around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. My first thought was it was SO green and lush! It was a cloudy day, but the sun was still able to shine through all the trees, giving off a beautiful light. Henry fell asleep, so we decided to drive straight through the park to get to the other side. We needed to make it to our cabin before the sun started to set. We didn't want to have any issues finding the place in the mountains at night.


We did pull off on the side of the road at the Chimney Tops Overlook and just took in the views. Henry was still sleeping, but Drew and I got out and just took a moment to ourselves to breathe in the fresh mountain air, and take in the views.

Chimney Tops Overlook  - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Chimney Tops Overlook

Our first official stop in the park was the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We needed to get a map. Typically, when you check into a national park's gate, they will give you a free map. However, at GSMNP, there's no "gate" and admission is free, so we had to pay $1 for a map. No big deal, just a heads up! Henry was also able to pick up a black bear and turkey souvenir - both animals we would see during our trip!


Henry holding his new bear and turkey
Our animal-loving toddler

Running behind the Oconaluftee Visitor Center is the Oconaluftee River. We walked along the river and took in the sounds of the rushing water. We took a few pictures before moving through the walking trail of the Mountain Farm Museum. The "museum" is a collection of farm buildings including a log farmhouse, barn, apple house, and more. Most of the structures were built in the late 19th century. As we were leaving the parking lot, we spotted our first sign of wildlife - elk! Elk were reintroduced to the park in the early 2000s.

From there, we made the roughly 40-minute drive to our cabin. It took some time to get up the curvy, gravel mountain roads, but we made it! And the views were breathtaking! We unloaded the truck, and then made our way back to town to grab something to eat.

I won't lie, Bryson City on a Sunday evening is dead. We were a little worried we weren't going to find something that was open - but we did stumble upon a restaurant called CJ's Grille. It was just a little bar and grill, nothing too exciting. While we were there, we mapped out our plans for the next day. When we got back to the cabin, we started a fire and made some s'mores, and watched the moon come up over the mountains.

Breathtaking view from our cabin - Bryson City, NC
Breathtaking view from our cabin

Monday morning, we got up EARLY and hit the road, headed back toward Gatlinburg. As we made our way through the park, we spotted more elk and some wild turkeys. Our first stop of the day was Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a 5.5-mile loop through the park providing gorgeous views of the mountain streams and an old mill. This spot was one of our favorites of the entire park!


We also got to "chat" with some turkeys. Henry got a kick out of that!



From there, we headed back into Gatlinburg for some breakfast. I had done some research and discovered The Atrium Restaurant was THE place to go for pancakes. They are known for their famous Apple Pancake. We both ordered that, and man was it delicious! Side note, we should have just ordered one and split it, because neither of us barely made a dent in the thing. I still dream about it though..

Famous Apple Pancake from The Atrium - Gatlinburg, TN
Famous Apple Pancake from The Atrium - Gatlinburg, TN

We headed back into the park and stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. We got Henry's passport book stamped, and then headed outside to make the hike to Cataract Falls. This nature trail is less than a mile round trip, and is tree-covered, so it was perfect for the cool April morning. The trail is mulched and dirt, but it was easy to navigate - especially as a pregnant woman.



Next stop we headed toward Cades Cove. Cades Cove Scenic Loop is known to be one of the best places in the park to see wildlife - especially bears! From Sugarlands Visitor Center to Cades Cove is about an hour's drive. The loop is 11 miles long and is one-way. It could take two to four hours to make it through the loop, depending on traffic. First on the loop, we spotted some horses. Since Henry had never really been up close and personal with a horse, we had to get out. He thought it was pretty cool we could actually pet them!



We were a little hesitant that we would see any wildlife because we were hitting it right around lunchtime - the hottest part of the day. But low and behold, Drew spotted a bear! It was a good distance away, but we parked and watched him roam the field for a while. None of us had ever seen a bear in the wild before. It was pretty neat!

Bear - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
We got to see a bear!!!

As we continued through the loop, we noticed a bunch of cars pulled over. There just had to be more animals! And we were right! There was a momma bear and at least two cubs (from what we could see). People are crazy and were starting to get close, we stayed in the truck and could see with our binoculars.


Next stop was lunch. Having done our research prior to our trip, we discovered there aren't any restaurants or places to grab food within the park. So, we came prepared with coolers and food, and found a little campsite next to a creek to eat lunch. While we ate, Henry played in the creek and discovered his love of throwing rocks into the water. We let him run around for awhile before loading back up in the truck.


Heading back, we pulled off at The Sinks waterfalls. If you blink, you'll miss it as its not very well marked. Despite its appearance, the short falls are rather dangerous. There are signs along the walkway talking about the many deaths that have occurred. Yikes.

The Sinks - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Sinks

The last big adventure of the day was to head to Laurel Falls. For whatever reason, I missed the memo on this when I wrote it down as a place I'd like to view. The trail is 2.6 miles and considered moderate in difficulty. It takes about two hours roundtrip. Being pregnant and out of shape, damn this was a hard one. The trail was rather difficult and would not recommend if you plan on taking a stroller or anything - which we saw people do. We had to stop for several breaks (sorry Drew!), but we met some really nice people along the way. The falls are 80-foot tall, and to be honest, I was unimpressed. Compared to the waterfalls we'd seen in Yellowstone; I don't think it was worth the trip up. We rested a bit before heading back down the trail.

Laurel Falls - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Laurel Falls

As we headed back to Bryson City, we spotted more elk. They definitely favored the fields outside of Oconaluftee Visitor Center. For dinner, we ate at a Mexican restaurant - La Poblana - one of the only restaurants open in town! It was really good, so we didn't complain!


We made our way back to the cabin and hung out on the porch - listening to the woodpeckers and turkeys gobbling, before turning into bed early.



The next day, we got up early AGAIN - and headed toward Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the park. At the top, there is an observation tower that offers 360-degree views. On clear days, you can see over 100 miles. The hike to the top is 0.5-miles long, but it is STEEP. Like the steepest steep I've ever climbed. I died. But I didn't give up (I tried, but Drew wouldn't let me) and we made it to the top. The views were really beautiful and we met a couple who were hiking the Appalachian Trail! We chatted with them about their journey and it totally made Drew's day. (He still talks about them). The couple started in Georgia and they were planning to hike the entire trial - all 2,200 miles!!!! They were averaging about 10 miles a day. And here I am huffing and puffing up this trail! HA!

The cool thing about the national park spanning across two states, is that the state line is marked within the park. We took dorky pictures of us straddling the state line, before heading over to the Appalachian Trail. The trail runs right through the park. We had to hike a few minutes of it to say we hiked the Appalachian Trail!!!

Before we stopped for lunch, we checked out Mingus Mill, a large water-powered mill still in use today. It was built in 1886 and it uses the power of the water from the Mingus Creek.

For lunch, we found a little park area in Cherokee and ate our sandwiches. Henry found another creek and they threw rocks while mommy rested. Next on our list was Mingo Falls. These falls are right outside the park boundaries, but highly worth checking out. They were another favorite on our trip. The hike is 0.4 miles long, but it's all stairs. Like over 450 stairs total. It's considered moderately difficult. But let me tell you, this hike was worth it. These falls were beautiful, and you literally say "wow" when you make it to the top. HIGHLY recommend!

Mingo Falls
Mingo Falls

We went into Bryson City and stopped at Soda Pops Ice Cream Parlor for some ice cream and sat out on the chairs and people-watched. We rested up and fueled up for the last adventure of the day - Indian Creek and Toms Branch Falls.

On this 1.6-mile hike, there are several places to stop and take in views of the falls, the first being Toms Branch Falls. This area had rocks and seating that you could sit and just take in the sights and sounds. Henry loved throwing rocks in the water - of course. We stopped here a bit before moving on.


As we were walking, an older couple stopped us to tell us about a bunch of Monarch butterflies hanging out by one of the creek bends. There were dozens of them just flying around. It was a pretty magical sight to experience! We stopped at the Indian Creek Falls before turning back on the trail.


It was another long day, jam-packed with lots of things, but we really enjoyed ourselves. While GSMNP wasn't our all-time favorite park, we were still really glad we came. It was another park we got to mark off our list - and we will definitely be back when baby girl gets here!


I hope you've enjoyed the second part of our trip. Up next, we hit the coast! If you have any questions about our trip or want any further recommendations, reach out! I'd love to chat!


Enjoy!

XOXO

Lauren

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