Great Smoky Mountain National Park

July 28, 2006





After 2 nights camping near Asheville, we hit the road again. Not before stopping in to see the new home of our friends, Key West residents Alison & Victor Heymann. They recently purchased a home in Asheville, a popular spot for Key Westers, and were here preparing in to be rented. We had a nice visit before heading off towards the Smoky Mountains, a short drive away.
Alison & Kathy

After stopping for the obligatory boiled peanuts and fresh peaches at a roadside stand, we drove through the Cherokee Indian Reservation into the town of Cherokee, a gateway community for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We had lunch there and walked around a little. It has all the sort of touristy Native American stuff you would expect to find, and is somewhat overwhelming.



We continued on into the park and traversed the road that leads from Cherokee to Gatlinburg, TN. The park itself is beautiful, spectacular vistas and views of the hazy mountains that give the park its name. We made one lengthy stop, at Clingman’s Dome which at 6643 ft is the highest point in the park. We hiked up the ½ mile path that leads to the observation tower. Thankfully the view was fairly clear; it can get really cloudy and hazy there. We then continued on through the park, stopping to check out one of the many beautiful mountain streams.

Clingmans Dome



We were going to stop in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge for the night, but if we thought Cherokee was overwhelming, the Tennessee gateway communities are over the top. Kathy described them as Duval Street on steroids. It was a mass of commercialism and tacky tourist traps, arcades, small amusement parks, etc. We just were not in the mood for such an onslaught after the peace and tranquility of the park. It’s hard to imagine such a totally opposite experience from being in the mountains. We drove on, and stopped just outside of Knoxville.