Slice of Life: Weekend In The Smoky Mountains

Hello All! I hope you’ve enjoyed summer. I’m a bit sad to see the season end, but at this point I’m definitely ready for Fall! I’ve been pretty busy this season, which is why my blog posts have not been as frequent. One of the few trips that I took over the summer was a weekend escape to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

I haven’t been to this area since I was a kid and my family took a yearly trip to Gatlinburg. This time it was a different as we stayed in one of the many cabins you can rent out in Pigeon Forge. It was high up in the mountains and the view was gorgeous! Though I’m afraid of heights, I still loved being up in the trees.

Even though we left very early in the morning it took a long time to get there because of traffic, accidents, and the constant construction detours. Instead of the 9 hours trip it takes to get there, it ended up being a 13 hour car ride. By the time we got there, I was more than happy to not be cramped in the car.

The cabin was a nice size, and had three floors (each with a patio). It was well spaced out from other cabins nearby, plus it was spacious for my family (there were six of us). The interior had a woodsy/bear decor which was fitting for the setting and was also equipped with a game room where I spent time playing air hockey and old school arcade games like Pac-Man.

Since the first day was lost due to getting there so late (around 6:30pm). We decided to push our plans to the next day. On Saturday, we headed out to the gorgeous Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and on our way to our destination we stopped to take many pictures.

After driving to the top, we started our trek to the top of Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. From the top you can see four states (on a good day). It was a very steep hike and I recommend if you ever walk this trail to make sure to pace yourself and drink lots of water. I was so proud I made it to the top, even though on the inside I was quaking with fear due to the extreme heights.

After Clingmans dome, we headed down the mountain to the Newfound Gap. At an elevation of 5,046 feet, Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Appalachian Trail crosses over Newfound Gap Road and straddles the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee for most of its length through the park. So we took a 3 mile walk on the Appalachian Trail. This trail was a bit trickier due to all of the large rocks and uneven pathways. We saw lots of nature and even caught a glimpse of some wild turkeys.

After walking on the Appalachian Trail, we headed down the mountain and into Downtown Gatlinburg (Sorry, I don’t have any pictures). We spent the rest of the day sightseeing and walking through the shops. On Sunday, we headed back home and thankfully it only was 9 hour ride without delays.

I hope to come back and visit the Smoky Mountains again one day. It is such a magnificent sight and you feel as if you are truly one with nature. If you haven’t visited this park, I highly recommend it.

For more information about the parl visit: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

Thanks for reading! Have you visited any place new this summer or traveled anywhere new? Let me know in the comments. 🙂