Gatlinburg & the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Day One - 1 May 2019 - The Drive 🚘

We started in Nashville and headed east on I-40 toward Knoxville. Along the way, we stopped at the Caney Fork rest area, where we took a moment to appreciate the Marking Time art sculpture. After a quick break, we continued on and stopped in Cookeville for lunch at Chick-fil-A.

Back on the highway, we turned onto I-140 toward Maryville, where we stopped to fill up the Honda Fit. Decent highway mileage on that car; it only needed a half-tank top-up.

From Maryville, we headed to Walland and picked up the Foothills Parkway to the Wears Valley Road Terminus. Continuing on Wears Valley Road, we stopped at Publix in Pigeon Forge to pick up food for the evening, then made our way into Gatlinburg and checked into the hotel.

Day Two - 2 May - Little River Trail, Huskey Branch Falls, Newfound Gap, and Clingman’s Dome

Up around 5:45 a.m. to get ready. We had the free continental breakfast at the hotel, grabbed our daypacks, and headed to the Elkmont Trailhead for the Little River Trail. We hiked out to Huskey Branch Falls, then went a little ways up the Cucumber Gap trail. About five and a half miles total.

After the hike, we were a bit worn out, so we stopped by the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Gift Shop. I picked up a small black bear plush toy, a t-shirt, and a hat. Then we drove up Newfound Gap Road to Newfound Gap.

The vistas at Newfound Gap were worth all the photos we took. From there we drove up to Clingmans Dome for more. Then back down Newfound Gap Road to Gatlinburg and to the hotel. For dinner, No Way Jose’s Cantina off the Gatlinburg Parkway. A reminder came quickly that driving around Gatlinburg is a pain. The food at the restaurant was excellent.

Day Three - 3 May - Andrews Bald and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center

We started on the 1.8-mile Forney Ridge trail, winding through evergreen forest to reach Andrews Bald. The first stretch from the Clingmans Dome parking lot drops steeply with quite a few stairs, but it evens out into a pleasant ridge walk once you get going. The hike back up was a challenge, though the fog and light rain added some atmosphere.

After that, we drove down to Newfound Gap Road and on to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. After the visitor center and gift shop, we went into Cherokee for lunch. On the drive back over Newfound Gap, we spotted elk grazing in the meadows around Oconaluftee. We made a final stop at Publix in Pigeon Forge for supplies and dinner before heading back to the hotel.

The elk grazing around Oconaluftee were a good unplanned bonus.

Day Four - 4 May - Laurel Falls and Cades Cove

To beat the crowds, we left early for Laurel Falls around dawn. On the drive over, a coyote on Little River Road. At the falls, we had the place entirely to ourselves, which made it easy to just stand there and take it in. By the time we were leaving, 67 people were already walking toward the trailhead. Getting there by 7 a.m. is the move if you want the falls to yourself.

After Laurel Falls, we drove to Cades Cove for the eleven-mile scenic loop. Halfway through, a turkey decided to lead the way for a bit. Later, a bear caused a commotion when people got too close. Several overlooks along the loop offered good photo stops.

A summer thunderstorm rolled in during the afternoon, which is fairly typical for the Smokies in warm weather. The humidity builds through the day and the storms come through, but they usually move on quickly and leave clear skies behind.

We wrapped up the day with an early dinner at Five Guys on the Gatlinburg Parkway.

A coyote, a turkey, a bear, and Five Guys. Not a bad day.

Day Five - 5 May - Leaving Gatlinburg and driving back home 🚘

We packed up, had the complimentary hotel (❤️ Hampton Inn) breakfast, and left Gatlinburg around 6:30 a.m. It was raining on the way out, but that turned out to be much better than rain on the way in. We went through the park on Little River Road, back through Townsend, then followed Google Maps through Maryville before getting on I-140 and I-40 for the drive home.

Sunday morning on the interstate meant minimal traffic. We stopped at the Caney Fork rest area and made it back to Nashville in about four hours.

The rain came and went when it wanted to. The Smokies don't care about itineraries.

Using points from my Capital One Venture card, I managed to offset some travel-related expenses, which brought the overall cost down considerably.