Townsend,TN-Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove Campground

We were a little nervous heading into the Smoky Mountains National Park. The guys who were working on our trailer said something to the effect of “You gonna haul that thing into Cades Cove?” as if they were questioning our decision. Then they said, “Oh it will be okay but there will be turns where you will be looking at your tail lights”. So it was a little stressful as we kept waiting for the awful switchbacks and you know what? They never came. Sure, there were some turns, but nothing that was difficult while pulling our 36 feet of trailer behind us. Stress aside, the drive in was beautiful. The winding roads traveled alongside the river at many points and through a tunnel.

We knew, in advance, the campground would present new challenges. There are no electrical or water hookups and no showers. I cannot imagine staying in a tent there for more than a couple days, but people do! Fortunately for us in an RV, we could fill our water tanks with clean water at the dump station AND if you use a CPAP machine, you are eligible for a handicap site with 5 amps of electricity!

So we didn't have to rough it as much as everyone else. Thank goodness! BUT we still had to conserve water and there would be no air conditioning and no microwave. We made many trips to the outside sink at the bathrooms to fill water jugs for drinking and cooking. And showering was limited to a bucket of water. We made it the full week without running out of water!!!

So here is the summary of our trip. It has been my most favorite place thus far. In addition to the joy of being in the Great Smoky Mountains, we got to visit with family and friends. Beginning the week, Corey (my nephew), his wife, Barbara, and their family came for a visit. Then later in the week, Matt and his family came to visit. He is an old friend of Greg's from church during his high school years. It was really hard to pare down the number of pictures because there was just so much fun and beauty to share!

DAY 1

Our first day began with a wonderful visit from Corey and his family. The kids had a great time and can't wait to visit with their cousins again in the future.

They spent the evening searching for bugs and playing with the Nerf guns. They were rolling around in some tall plants hiding from each other. Surprisingly, only one of them ended up with a rash.

Jordan and Ian

Jacob and Manuel

After they left that evening, we took our first ride around Cades Cove loop. Daylight was disappearing but what was left gave us a peek at the views for the upcoming days. So pretty!

DAY 2

We headed over to the Sugarlands Visitor Center, but first stopped along the way to have a snack at this peaceful roadside picnic area. 

The visitor's center was a very busy place! It had a small museum area and video that we watched on the history of the park.

Then we went on a hike on the nature trail behind the visitor's center. It was an easy walk and the kids worked on identifying leaves and trees for their badge.

These falls were along the hike.

After having lunch, we drove over to Clingman's Dome.  This is a view from one of the many roadside pulloffs on the way.

The Clingman's Dome hike is a 1 mile hike up a paved path but it is STEEP! We had to take several breaks but finally made it to the top. After all that effort we took in the view for a few minutes then headed back down. :)

Also in that area, Jordan and Greg took a SHORT hike along the Appalachian trail.

Since Clingman's Dome is actually in North Carolina, I guess we have one more state under our belts.  Just kidding!  We will be back.

DAY 3

The adventure for day 3 was a 5-mile round trip hike to Abram's Falls. It took us 4 hours and I am so proud of the kids. It was hot, muddy and muggy and we were rationing water because one, we did not bring enough, and two there were no potties (although it is easy enough to find a place for the kids to go).

It was rocky and muddy, uphill and downhill. Here, Jordan is making one of her many leaps through a muddy patch. 

And we crossed over a couple of log bridges. Fortunately, they have the thick wires running between the posts because Jordan's fall would not have been stopped.

The kids found a great place to stop and relax. This was the halfway mark.

We saw lots of beautiful flowers.

For more flower pics, click here.

And many animals, including butterflies, snakes, deer and insects.

And for more wildlife, click here.

And, of course, the falls were beautiful. But even on a Tuesday, it was busy and a little difficult to find a place to sit and watch.

Jordan ended up with a few scrapes on the hike but made it the whole way. The kids even did most of the backpack carrying including an extra bag of collected trash, which they did as part of earning their badge.

On our drive back, this little guy was hanging out along the roadside and got VERY close to us. I really expected something more terrifying but watching the bears was just like watching a deer. They just kept doing their own thing despite all of the action around them.

DAY 4

Day 4 began early. At 7:30 am, we were already out on our bikes ready to make the 12-mile journey from our campground and around Cades Cove Loop. Twice a week, the park closes the roadway to cars until 10 am.

It was a fun way to take in many of the views, wildlife and history along the loop.

(view from John Oliver cabin)

We stopped and checked out the churches, cabins and barns using the printed self-guided tour. But even with our 7:30 am departure, we would not make it back out of the loop before the cars began to enter.

 (Missionary Baptist Church built 1915)

 (Tipton place, built in the late 1870s)

(Tipton's double-pen corn crib and cantilever barn)

And did you know that the Great Smoky Mountains have over 9 million visitors each year but that the majority of them never get out of their cars? Matt, who came to visit us there, told us that and when I was doing some research, I found this to be true! The park calls them “windshield visitors”. So sad!

For the rest of the Cades Cove Loop pics, click here.

Then after a little rest and some lunch, we went to the Cades Cove Visitor Center and Cable Mill area where they had several historic buildings that were moved to this site.

The exception is the Cable Mill which is a water-powered grist mill and sawmill.  It was built in 1870 and stands in its original place.

The kids watched a demonstration of corn being ground into cornmeal. Underneath, you could peek through and see all of the wheels and cogs turning.

We also followed the creek, that powered the mill, back to it's source where we were able to see the dam and lever that controlled the water flow.  I am always amazed by the ingenuity.

And finally after completing all of their activities, they earned their Junior Ranger badge.

It was such a busy day. After leaving the visitor center, we headed into town via Rich Mountain Road and despite being SUPER rocky and bumpy, this is what the kids did....

There was one good viewpoint from the road

but nothing else was worthy of the bumpy and long ride.

Day 5

On this day, I LET Greg go on a hike by himself ;) Ha ha.  He took the Anthony Creek Trail to one of the backcountry campsites.

Later that day, Matt, his wife Larissa, and 6 of their 7 children arrived. We had a nice visit and the kids began to get to know one another.

(The kids are Judah, Hannah, Andrew, Levi, John and Liam)

Day 6

We took a hike with Matt's family. They took us to Spruce Flats Falls near the Tremont Instititute.  The trail is not on the map and so without them, we would never have discovered it. It was about a mile and a half hike and the falls were beautiful. I liked these falls better than all the others we have seen and it was not crowded at all!

The picture below is of the top portion of the above picture, but since a couple of the kids are in this picture, you can get a better idea of how big the falls were.

The kids had a great time crossing the stream and wading in the water.

The challenge: to get this log to head downstream. They never got it all the way down but they sure tried!!

Day 7

Our friends left. We had a fabulous time visiting with them and the kids were especially sad to see them go.

So for our last day, we took a short hike from our campground. 

It was a 1 mile loop and except for the snake that Jordan found, a very pleasant way to end our stay here.

To sum it up, we had a fantastic time. The area is so beautiful!! We ended up seeing 10 bears, 3 snakes and more deer than I could keep track of. And visiting with friends and family made our stay that much better. I would love to go back one day to explore more of the park but after a week it really was time to leave and have a REAL shower!

From here we head to Nashville!