I drove into the Gatlinburg area on Monday evening, and boy was traffic an issue. This area, calledthe gateway to the Smoky Mountains, definitely gets their share of traffic.
I spent all day on Tuesday at the Airbnb, as I was pretty exhausted after driving over 600 miles on Monday. I am staying in the cutest studio condo that is fully equipped with a kitchen, so I have been able to do some cooking, and catching up on my blog and social media. Check out the details on the Studio Condo here. I loved having a day of rest, as I have been going non-stop since I left on September 12th.
Today I ventured into Smoky Mountains National Park. I stopped at the Visitor Center then headed out to see Cades Cove Loop. A sign stated the loop is closed on Wednesdays to vehicle traffic, so will just plan on heading that way tomorrow.
First stop was in Wears Valley in Sevierville, and stopped in at Wears Valley General Store, which is just the cutest county store with lots of jams, gifts, and clothing. Sevierville is a beautiful little town just outside the Park, and the scenery is just idyllic.
Driving back into the park, I passed the trailhead for Laurel Falls, so I parked, which took me a few minutes as I had to wait for a car to pullout, and headed up the trail. It is a moderate climb of 1.2 miles to the falls, and it is not too challenging as there was a paved trail. You end up at the falls, which is a small falls but very pretty and worth seeing.
After the hike I headed towards Clingmans Dome, which is the highest point in the park. It is a half mile hike with a really steep incline all the way to the overlook. The trail is paved, and it is very busy, so just take your time and rest when you need to catch your breath. It really is worth the climb, and it is a quick hike all downhill when you are done.
This sums up day one. I will create a new blogpost for day two.
