Great Smoky Mountains NP and Dollywood

April 2024: I was lucky enough to score a campsite in Elkmont campground located centrally in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! This park spans across southeastern TN and western NC.  It was middle of April when I arrived and although Spring had arrived in the southern states, it had yet to arrive in the higher elevations of the Smokies.  Trees in the lower elevations were leafing out and wildflowers were blooming everywhere.  It is so green!  You might notice a lot of reddish color in my pictures. Those are the seed clusters on the maple trees.

I started out by taking a half day trip to Clingman’s Dome which is the highest point at 6,650 feet. It is a shortish walk up to an observation platform, but it was steep and mostly ice and snow covered! It took a while to do that half mile. There was still snow on the trees!  It was sunny and the 360-degree views were spectacular. The wind was blowing freezing gales, and many people were not dressed for that. I did dress for it and was still cold! Since it was still so cold high up, the Elk were in lower country, and I saw several during my stay. 

I stopped at the Old Historic Mingus Grist Mill and walked the Creekside trail there. The mill itself is closed but the water flume diverting water from the creek is still standing and water is still diverted. Because of the copious amounts of water, the area was very mossy which set off the wooden structures of the mill and flume. Such nice pictures came out of it.

There is a reason why this area is so green… it rains a lot! On the rainy or cloudy days, I took some time to visit the nearby towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, both which are very small in population. It would be a great place to vacation with kids as both towns are giant amusement parks. So many things to see and do. Gatlinburg is nice looking even with the amusement park theme and has a free shuttle you can take about town. I chose to park at the visitor center outside of town because it was free to park there and ride the shuttle into town. Cheapest parking in town was $15-20 per day. Gatlinburg is super walkable and cute with a river running through it.  Pigeon Forge is like the poor cousin amusement park and spread out along the major highway. Not as inviting, except for the Mill area which had some nice shops and restaurants.

On the far side of the national park are Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the Mountain Farm Museum. The Farm is a collection of authentic buildings that would typically have been on a farm in the area. There is a self-guided tour to take with a pamphlet explaining each buildings purpose. Out front is a very large grassy field and there were multiple Elk hanging out and eating the sweet green grass. No matter how many signs there are, people can’t seem to control themselves and choose to get too close! Nothing bad happened of course, but it’s just sad that we can’t let the wildlife be wild. In addition to the farm buildings, the Oconaluftee River runs through with a beautiful trail along the shore. Lots of trees there gave a reprieve from the heat of the sun.

Before I came to this park, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a black bear that I heard were so prevalent in this park. I hadn’t seen a black bear since a young kid in Yellowstone.  I was rewarded with more than a glimpse. I must have seen at least 10+ black bears during my time here. Since it was Spring, many of the bears were Mama’s with Cubs.  Luckily, I was always in the car when I came across them so didn’t have to worry about upsetting them (or me!).  The most fun sighting was a Mama Bear and 3 cubs right next to the road in a field of grass. They all had something they were chewing on (looked like sticks to me!) while the smallest one was scrambling around exploring. They paid no mind to each car stopping to take pictures of them.  Oops, there was another fun sighting that I almost missed. A young cub was taking a nap on a huge tree branch hanging out over the road to the campground. Adorable!

The most visited part of the park, and the most beautiful from my perspective, was Cades Cove! This area is particularly historic with early settler homes and outbuildings protected for all to explore. Again, there is an auto tour pamphlet you can obtain, with numbered stops, that explains who lived there and how long. The views are stunning! I wanted to stay and live there myself.

Near my campground was a trail to Laurel Falls which turned out to be beautiful. It was super popular and parking near the trailhead was limited. I made sure to go early in the morning which was a grand idea once I saw how many people were coming up the trail when I was going down. The fact that it was Spring and snow in the mountains was melting (and all that rain), there were many waterfalls all along the roads through the park. Laurel Falls was big and wide. The boardwalk across the bottom allowed you to get very close. Some other gals asked me to take pictures of them in front of the falls and then they returned the favor by taking pictures of me.  They come out so much better than those awful selfies do! Another fun surprise was the Roaring Fork Motor Trail near Gatlinburg. It also has a tour pamphlet with numbered sites. This auto tour is a one way only road going through the woods with more historical buildings from original settlers.  Quite interesting and good for those unable to walk long distances.

For those of you who travel the roads, I stopped for the first time at a Buc-ee’s Gas Station and Store. The one in Sevierville, TN is huge! I’ve been told by others that I must stop and see the spectacle that is Buc-ee’s (with a Beaver logo). It’s like a department store meets truck stop, meets cafeteria. You can get everything with Buc-ee’s brand logo on it.  Phenomenal is all I can say!

I am sure everyone has heard of Dollywood! It is in Pigeon Forge, TN and of course, I had to go there and experience everything Dolly!  I don’t believe I have ever seen an area that is so obsessed with one thing… Dolly Parton! Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville are all 100% Dolly Parton. I surprisingly really enjoyed Dollywood! I happened to be there during the Food and Flower Festival for Spring.  Multiple large sculptures adorned the park, that were made from plants and flowers. It was gorgeous!

This park is somewhat like a smaller Disneyland. It has multiple areas with different themes. However, Dollywood is built on a hillside in the trees giving it a homey country feel. The vibe is very wholesome. Lots of music playing everywhere and there were multiple indoor and outdoor theatres/stages. Tired feet? Just sit a spell and listen to some country music. Oh yeah, only country music is played here. Architecture is country style for sure. Lots of water features, shops and restaurants with all types of food. I had to buy a loaf of the Famous Cinnamon Bread! It comes with a container of cream cheese frosting and the bread is still warm when you buy it.  Think Cinnabon and that’s how good it is only better. 

Dollywood is also an amusement park. There is a section geared toward younger children, but this park boasts some of the most incredible roller coasters!  I love me a good Coaster!  I only went on one, afraid I might get sick if I rode too many rides. Quite the thrill with straight downs and lots of twists and turns!  I did a couple other tame rides but really enjoyed the music most of all. I still can’t believe I walked out of Dollywood without a Dolly t-shirt!

All in all, my two weeks in this area was spectacular!