THERE’S
AN APP FOR THAT…
There are
800 miles of hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the most
visited National Park in the United States. Straddling the states of Tennessee
and North Carolina, it is estimated 12.5 million people visited GSMNP in 2019.
In June we rented an isolated cabin in Seviersville, Tennessee, adjacent to the
park and the frenetic tourism of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
 |
| The view from our cabin |
HEAD
FOR THE HILLS
Janet
found two great sources for finding different hikes in this unfamiliar place. Both
are good for a smart phone, although you can look up information about any
trail in the United States on your computer with Alltrails.com. Just type in
the city or area you want to hike and it comes up with a list of trails in the
area. The website features maps of the trails, reviews, photos and details like
the degree of difficulty, length and elevations. There is a free version and a
“pro” version. You don’t think we got the pro version, do you?
Janet
preferred the National Parks app available free through Apple. Only for use with an iPhone or iPad. Search for
National Parks Trail Guide. Specific to the U.S. National Parks system the app
gives similar information as AllTrails, but with much more details like best
hikes, family friendly hikes AND driving directions to the trailhead. The app
opens with pictures of all the national parks and you click and search.
This is a screen shot for the iPhone or iPad APP:
We hiked
every day we were not traveling in Tennessee.
Here’s a
quick list of our hikes in the order we took them.
Cataract
Falls and the Fighting Creek Trails
Have I
failed to mention it’s busy here in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park? To
reach our first hike we drove along the length of the Parkway through Pigeon
Forge gaping at all the family attractions and inched along in traffic through
Gatlinburg. It was shocking, because our cabin is so isolated, yet just a few
miles away from all this commotion. Traffic did not abate when we reached the
Sugarlands Visitor Center. The parking lot was crowded, entrance to the visitor
center was staggered and masks were requested by the rangers. There are nature
exhibits at the visitor center, but the movie was shuttered because of the
pandemic. There’s a gift shop.
The hike
begins just past the visitor center pavilion and is flat, easy and very heavily
trafficked and eventually leads to a moderate waterfall that would be pleasant
to look at it there weren’t so many people clamoring on it. There was a lady
smoking a cigarette. We wore masks every time we neared another party.
 |
| AT CATARACT FALLS |
Make sure
you follow signs to the Fighting Creek Trail on your return. Few people did and
for about a mile loop we had the trail to ourselves. We saw three large
woodpeckers and an historic cabin.
It was a
good quick hike despite the crowds. It was a Saturday. Afterwards we bought
some local bourbon, Old Forge and Kings. Old Forge is in the midst of the
hordes on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge, and Kings was a short drive out of town.
Metcalf
Bottoms and Little Brier Gap Trails
We took
this hike on Sunday, Father’s Day and the area of Metcalf Bottoms Trail Head
was packed with picnickers settled in for the day with BBQs and tents and
families were flouncing in the Little River. We turned onto Lyons Springs Road
off of Wears Valley Road and soon we were passing ominous signs alerting RVs
and trucks to turn back and NOT follow the GPS. To reach the parking area we
had to drive along a hilly, tightly curved road and eventually cross a narrow wooden
bridge single file. Larger vehicles would not be able to take this route. We
drove around the grounds marveling at the amount of people all gathered here
with NO social distancing at all. Eventually we found a parking spot and headed
for the trailhead by crossing back over the narrow bridge. Cars passed us
dangerously close.
 |
| Can't get there from here |
It’s an
out and back hike and it starts off with a steep uphill and crosses some
streams and ends up at the historic Little Green Brier school house and a
cemetery dating from the mid-1800’s. Janet lapsed into teacher world
immediately and gave a lesson at the blackboard. We continued another mile to
another historic building called the Walker Sisters House. In the cemetery we
noticed the graves of several Walkers.
Despite
the crowded conditions at Metcalf Bottoms there really were not that many people
on the trail, and even less on the second half towards the Walker Sisters
house.
It was a
good hike, moderate in difficulty. We saw a deer in the woods across a small
creek oblivious to us.
 |
| Don't "F" with the teacher |
On our
return we took the Little River Gorge Road towards the Sugarlands Visitors
Center. It’s a beautiful winding road passing different views of the river.
Despite the rural setting, it’s an integral roadway and busy with cars driving
quickly in either direction. There was no chance to enjoy the views and the
traffic only slowed near the trailhead for Laurel Falls. This is a heavily
trafficked, easy, family friendly hike that was very popular and extremely
busy. Cars were parked on the shoulders for a good half mile away from the
starting point. We thought we would never hike the Laurel Falls trails because
it was so very busy.
 |
| CHIMNEY TOPS |
Chimney
Tops
There are
strolls and there are hikes. Chimney Tops is a great hike for the adventurous
and the hardy and we were left with a sense of accomplishment completing it. Just
under four miles in this out and back trail, there is an almost 1,000-foot gain
in elevation in the second mile. Very steep! There was a seemingly unending
series of rock and roughly hewn wooden steps for a tortuous stretch. We were
panting throughout and sweating profusely, but reaching the vista and viewing
the Chimney Top was worth it. It rises like a spire out of the mountain range.
A spectacular view.
The trail
ends at the vista point, a seemingly improbable trail to the actual summit of
Chimney Top was damaged in bad weather and is now closed. This was my favorite
trail for the week.
To reach
the trailhead we drove past Metcalf Bottoms, Laurel Falls and Sugarlands
Visitor Center. Today, Monday, Metcalf Bottoms was empty and serene with few cars
in the parking lot. Along the beautiful Little River Gorge Road though traffic
still chortled frenetically. The parking area at the trail head for Chimney Tops
was packed and we had to park on the shoulder hundred yards away. Despite the
crowded parking there were relatively few people on the trail and there were a
lot of people in the stream at the start of the hike.
Laurel Falls
A severe weather
pattern almost washed out our plans to hike today, but when the rain let up in the
afternoon, we decided it was the perfect day to make this very popular hike,
thinking that less people would be on it. We were lucky to find a parking spot,
but the trail was crowded. It’s paved and a gradual climb and along its entire
length we never were alone. There were always other hikers, some pushing
strollers, in sight.
 |
| LAUREL FALLS |
The trail
ends at a pretty waterfall that had two cascades. The first one is where the
trail ends and plenty of people stood here to pose for pictures. The water
flows beneath the wooden bridge at the end of the trail and cascades a second
time.
People had climbed down the rocks to get close to the waterfall. Janet wanted to climb down, but we decided against it.
People had climbed down the rocks to get close to the waterfall. Janet wanted to climb down, but we decided against it.
Rainbow
Falls
This hike
was Janet’s favorite. It’s busy and parking is scarce, but it’s a long moderate
climb of just over 5 miles out and back, and the payoff is the longest single cascade
in the Smoky Mountains. On sunny days rainbows form in its mist. Very dramatic
falls with people clamoring on the large boulders. The hike rises in elevation
more than the steep Chimney Tops hike, but there are several switchbacks in the
steeper sections making it comparatively easier.
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| RAINBOW FALLS |
Driving
home we decided to stop somewhere for some beer and wings. We took the
Gatlinburg bypass and entered Pigeon Forge with the intent of stopping by the
Yee-Haw Brewing Company, but their facility here was located on “The Island”, a
massive, crowded area of bars, restaurants, shops and attractions.
We drove by
the very crowded entrance. No one was wearing a mask. So, we decided to visit
the Smoky Mountains Brewing, a little further down the road. We were hoping for
outdoor seating, but had to settle for a table in the bar area, set away from
others. We walked in wearing masks, the wait staff wore masks, but no one else
in the joint wore masks, elbow-to-elbow at the bar.
 |
| On the way to RAINBOW FALLS |
Didn’t
like their IPA or their wings at Smoky Mountains Brewing, and under different
circumstances would opt for Yee-Haw. I had bought a six-pack of Yee-Haw Eighty,
a Scottish Ale at the grocery store for the week and liked that better.
Hen
Wallows Falls
We
decided to drive a bit further to reach our last hike for the week to get a
more remote feel to hike rather than the racetracks we had run along on some of
the hikes. To reach the trailhead we had to drive about 17 miles beyond Gatlinburg.
The trail was especially alluring to Janet because black bears are regularly
sighted in the area, but she only told me this AFTER we headed out. At the
Cosby Picnic Area where the trailhead is located, we saw some serious
back country hikers with full packs and full beards. I hope they read the NP
guide to dealing with black bears.
 |
| HEN WALLOWS FALLS |
Despite
the more remote location there was still a far amount of people on the moderately
challenging 4.5-mile hike to the falls and the constant chatter coming from
some of the other hikers ensured we would not unexpectedly happen upon any
bears. Plenty of switchbacks made the 800-ft elevation manageable. The 90-foot Hen
Wallows Falls starts out narrow at the top, just two feet wide, but then
spreads out in dramatic fashion to 20 feet. The surrounding boulders are
covered with moss and are slippery and hikers are cautioned not to climb on them.
We posed for pictures and headed home, not bothering to search the pools for
salamanders that are apparently abundant.
Finally!
Some social distancing
The Wild
Bear Tavern was a joy to find. It’s at 4236 Parkway in Pigeon Forge and it’s part
of a massive motel complex of the same name. They serve plenty of German food
and German style beer from the Schultz Brau Brewing Company of Knoxville. They offered
four styles of beer: Hefeweizen, Schwarzbier, Dunkel and Pilsner with plenty of
bratwursts on the menu. But, most importantly, there was only outdoor seating
at the Wild Bear Tavern. Half the tables on the outdoor deck were closed off.
Before we were seated a guard checked our temperature with one of those scanners,
and wiped down the table and chairs. It was the only place we had come across
in our Tennessee travels. It was refreshing and appreciated, plus the food and
beer were very good. We had worked up a good appetite with a week of hearty and
hale hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Thanks
for reading. Please stay healthy... and feel free to visit the store.
HEN WALLOWS FALLS
Love
Janet and greg
© 2020 by
GREG DUNAJ
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