Great Smoky Mountains National Park June 2026

6/23/26
Originally, we reserved a campsite (D38 for Wednesday through Sunday), but since we weren’t doing anything, we decided to go up on Tuesday and camp at D40 for one night. We left around 9 am and arrived at 12:30. We unhooked the camper but didn’t set up the Clam since we would only be at that site for one night. We stopped at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center and stayed for the 3 pm talk about the Elk. Then we went to Dairy Queen for a late lunch and then relaxed at the campsite for the rest of the evening. For some reason, our battery didn’t get charged, and none of our lights worked in the camper. We were able to use flashlights, so everything was okay. After we went to bed, we heard something like a pop, but didn’t hear anything else, so we went to sleep.


6/24/26
We had breakfast at Waffle House, and I had to drink coffee because they ran out of ice. After breakfast, we drove up to Clingman’s Dome and hiked on the Spruce Fir Nature Trail. Then we came back and moved to site D38. We had sandwiches for lunch and relaxed. Then we decided to hike the Oconoluftee River Trail from the visitor’s center to Cherokee. For dinner, we had more sandwiches and sat around the campfire. When the propane ran out, we swapped the propane canister with one from the camper (the camper has two). After we were almost asleep, we heard another pop, but nothing else, so we went to sleep. Don had leg cramps in the night

6/25/26
After breakfast at Waffle House, we went to Food Lion and got some ice for the coolers. When we returned to the campground, we hiked the nature trail and part of the Smokemont Loop Trail. Then we drove up to the visitor’s center to sign up for the night hike (even though the notice in the paper didn’t say you had to sign up). The park ranger at the campground told us we had to sign up.) Before returning to the campground, we went to Arby’s for lunch. When we got back to the campground, we walked to the old amphitheater, which is no longer used. For dinner, we sat in the Clam and ate cantaloupe. Don noticed we had 2 small pieces of a tree limb on the roof of our camper. We think some kid probably tossed it there as a prank, and we didn’t fall for it. Don had more cantaloupe, which seemed to help the leg cramps.

6/26/26
It is our 44th wedding anniversary! We had another wonderful breakfast at Waffle House. Then we drove to Bryson City and walked around town. At 10:30, we watched the steam engine leave for the Nantahala Gorge. Next, we drove through Deep Creek Campground and saw that there were only about 4 sites that we would feel comfortable parking our camper on. After the campground, we drove to the “Road to Nowhere” and saw the “Tunnel to Nowhere.” We talked to a couple of backpackers who were waiting for their ride. For lunch, we stopped at an Ingles Deli, and I had fried chicken, and Don had catfish. Next, we drove to Fontana Dam and enjoyed the views. We went back to our campground and had sandwiches and cantaloupe for dinner. Don was able to stand on the milk crate and use the broom to get the 2 pieces of wood off the camper roof.

]

6/27/26
After breakfast at Waffle House, we decided to pack up and head home. The weather forecast predicted rain in the evening and the next day. I hate packing up wet stuff, so we took our time and packed up everything. We left the campground around 10 am and arrived home about 1:30. We were able to unpack and get lunch before it started pouring down rain.

It was a wonderful trip. The weather was perfect, and we never had a drop of rain the whole time we were there. Don thinks the Subaru pulled the camper pretty well and may have done it better than the Tahoe.

Original Photos by Pat Hernsley

Little River Trail and More Antiques

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures.

We got up early and headed to Elkmont Campground. Before the campground, we turned to go to the Little River Trailhead. We got on the trail at 7:30 am and hiked for about 5.5 miles round trip. We saw lots of interesting flowers along the way. We finished hiking as it got very hot and sunny. On the way out of Elkmont, a coyote ran out in front of our car! Then we headed back to Sevierville to Arby’s and the antique stores. Don shopped for 3 hours and found lots of treasures. I was able to sit on the bench and knit while listening to podcasts. I met a family from Lincolnton, NC who knew people from Fountain Inn that we knew. We met another couple from Clemson and the man talked with us about his wonderful hearing aids that he bought from Sam’s Club.

Things we saw:

• Maidenhair fern
• Jewelweed
• Silvery Glade fern
• Wild Ginger
• Mushrooms
• Jack in the Pulpit berries
• Doll’s eyes (White baneberry)
• Cardinal flower
• Bee balm
• Goldenrod
• Phlox
• Butterfly (Swallowtail)
• Coyote

Original Photo by Pat Hensley

Gatlinburg Trail, Cataract Falls, and more antique malls

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures. 

When we heard that the air quality was going to be bad after 2 pm, we decided to go hiking early. They warned people to stay inside after 2 pm. We hiked the Gatlinburg Trail while it was cool and not crowded. It was a lovely hike! On the way back we stopped at Cataract Falls. This is the first time that we had the falls all to ourselves! 

After hiking, we headed towards Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. We stopped at Arby’s for lunch; by then it was getting hot and miserable. So, we headed to some antique malls that we missed yesterday. Don found some treasures in both stores but I didn’t find anything. I was happy to knit and listen to podcasts as he shopped. 

After shopping, we decided we deserved to eat some ice cream so we stopped at Baskin and Robbins and had a banana split. It was worth it even though it cost over $20! 

On the radio, we heard about a fire in the park and that Parsons Branch Road and Abram Falls area were closed. They are calling it the Flint Gap fire. 

At 6:30 pm, while standing on our balcony,  we saw a turkey and a black bear in the field across the street. 

We were back at our resort by dinner time. At 7:30, we went downstairs to hear a local fiddler but it was rescheduled for Friday at 6:30. We ended up sitting on the balcony and enjoying the sound of the creek until 10 pm. 

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Laurel Falls and the Smokies

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures. 

This morning we had breakfast at our condo and then hiked the Laurel Falls Trail. It is a 2.5-mile round-trip hike and it is uphill all the way to the falls. We talked with a nice couple from Wisconsin when we got to the falls. After the hike, we stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. It was sad that they took out the movie theater that showed the movie about how the park began. After that, we went up to Clingman’s Dome and then did the Spruce-Fir Nature Trail. After that, we went to the Chimney’s picnic area and played in the river. For dinner, we had pasta and sauce at the condo. I had to call the main office to inform them that the refrigerator/freezer wasn’t working. 

Today we saw: 

Ironweed

• Indian Pink

• Thimbleweed

• Evening Primrose

• Mushrooms

• Rattlesnake root

• Goldenrod

• Spiders

• Mountain Angelica

• Wood Aster

• Wood Nettle

• Wood fern

• Hobblebush

• Big Shaggy Moss

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Porter’s Creek Trail

(Here is my write about about our trip from last week.)

Click here for pictures.

On the way to breakfast, a bear ran out in front of our car (that makes 4 in two days!) We went to breakfast at the Log Cabin Pancake House and had the special for $11.25 each. It came with eggs, 2 pancakes, bacon, and a drink. I noticed the lunch specials have gone up to $11.95 from the $9.95 from two years ago.

Then we went back to our townhouse and prepped for our hike. We ended up at Porter’s Creek Trail at 9:15 am. We hiked for about 2.5 miles and it was uphill all the way. We finished around noon and then stopped at a place to put our feed in the river. After relaxing for a little while, we went to Food Lion to pick up some red sausages and sauerkraut for lunch.

We saw some flora and fauna along the way.

Things we saw:

• Maidenhair Fern
• Christmas Fern
• New York fern
• Southern Lady fern
• America Spikenard (close relative to wild sasparilla)
• American Jumpseed (aka Virginia Knotweed)
• Cardinal Flower
• Beechdrops
• Solomon’s seal
• Indian Cucumber
• Southern Harebell
• Jewelweed (orange and yellow)
• mushrooms
• Caterpillars
• Millipedes
• Squirrels
• Mayfly larva

Our lunch was delicious! We relaxed around the townhouse after lunch.

In the afternoon, we went to the pool and relaxed. The hot tub was nice and hot which relaxed our muscles. The pool was cold when you first got in it but then it was okay. In the evening we watched movies (Days of Thunder, Top Gun, and Guardians of the Galaxy).

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Gatlinburg Trip

For pictures, click here.

8/21/22
We left home at 7:45 and got to Treetops Resort around 11am. We took Exit 447 (Big Creek Rd.) off of I-40 to Lindsey Gap Rd to Groundhog Rd. This was a lot shorter than the route we usually take.  I read the reservation wrong and thought check-in was at 2 but it wasn’t until 5. Since our condo wasn’t ready, we went exploring. We went out the back road which was supposed to be a 2 lane road but it felt more like a winding one-lane road with steep drop-offs. My heart was in my throat the whole time and I was so afraid we might encounter another car wanting to go the other way! As soon as possible we got off that road and went hiking. We went to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and wore our masks inside (they required masks but didn’t seem to enforce them). Then we hiked to Cataract Falls and then did the Fighting Creek Nature Trail. After that, we hiked the Sugarlands Valley Trail which was exciting because we saw our first bear of the trip. He was busy looking for food and wasn’t interested in us. Next, we decided to do the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and stopped at Jim Bale’s cabin. Near the corn crib, we saw a snake (I think it was a water snake). After that, we continued our drive and saw another bear. We finally checked in our condo at 4 pm. Next, we went to Food City and bought some groceries. Dinner was peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwiches.

8/22/22

After breakfast, we got back on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and went to the Rainbow Falls trailhead. We got on the trail at 8:45 and made it to the falls at 11:30. It was a long tough climb! Along the way, we saw another bear crossing the trail. In fact, there were tons of bears on this trail and a mother and cub were above the trail in the trees. We had lunch there and returned to the car by 2 pm. When we got back to our room, we cleaned up and I paid for the cruise we booked. As we were leaving to go find some dinner, we found a raccoon outside our room going through the trash from a nearby trash can. We decided to go out for dinner at the “Best Italian Café and Pizzeria in Elks Plaza.” We really like this place. Don had manicotti and I had spaghetti with meat sauce. Both came with 3 garlic rolls (full of garlic and parmesan cheese!). As we were leaving, some ladies ran inside from the patio screaming. A bear came on the patio and wanted their garlic rolls. The waiters ran out and scared him off. The smart bear went around the building and decided he wanted to come in the front door. Again, the waiters ran him off. They say they have to do this 2 or 3 times a day. It was a wonderful day!

8/23/22
We got to the Grotto Falls trailhead at 9 am and it was full. All along the roadside cars were also parked so we decided to go do another hike. We went to Greenbrier to hike along the river but the area was closed because of heavy flood damage that happened in July. So, we headed to Pigeon Forge and walked around the outlet stores and Walmart. It might have been good to take the morning off since we were both a little sore and stiff from yesterday’s hike. After lunch at Olive Garden, we headed to the Sugarlands Visitor Center where we began the Gatlinburg Trail. It was an easy 4-mile hike and good to stretch our muscles. Then we went back to our condo and had Red Hot sausages and sauerkraut for dinner.

8/24/22

We left at around 7 am to go to Grotto Falls. The sun was just coming up and the scenery was beautiful. When we got there, there were still a lot of cars already parked and the llama trailer and truck were there also. The llamas bring supplies up to Mt. LeConte once a week. We got on the trail at 7:30 am and got to the falls around 8:22 am. It was uphill most of the way but much easier than Rainbow Falls. The falls were beautiful and we were able to walk under them. We were back in our car by 9:45. After stopping by our condo for a little while, we went to the grocery store to pick up some more sauerkraut for dinner. We went to the Little House of Pancakes and had their lunch special (Baked Spaghetti, salad, garlic toast, and a drink for $9.95) which was really good. After lunch, we went by Laurel Falls but there was no parking so we went on to Elkmont. We parked near the cabins by Jakes Creek Trail and explored the cabins that are being restored. Then we hiked a couple of miles on the Jakes Creek Trail. On the way back to the condo, we stopped at the Spinnery so I could talk to them about my spinning wheel. It has been a great day!

8/25/22

We were at the Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead by 7 am so we could get a parking place. There were only a few left but many of the cars belonged to those staying up at Mt. Le Conte. We also met the 28 Thursday Hikers from Knoxville. It took us 45 minutes to get to Arch Rock and then another 45 minutes to Alum Cave Bluff. We took our time, taking pictures and enjoying the views. We talked to a lot of people so the entire hike took us 4 hours round trip. The weather was beautiful! Since we left so early, the sun was just rising and it was a little overcast. This made it nice and cool for the hike up the mountain. The sun was out and shining later but we were on the way down the mountain. We stopped at the Little House of Pancakes for lunch. Don had a veggie plate for $6.49 and I had the lunch special for $9.95 (French dip, fries, and a drink). When we got back to the condo, we went to the pool for a little while. It was another fantastic day!

8/26/22

We started the Laurel Falls trail at 7:45 am. It was a beautiful 2.6-mile hike and paved most of the way except where the pavement was washed out. We were finished by 9:15 am. I carried my hiking sticks but never did need them. We left there and went to Elkmont and walked about 3 miles on the Little River Trail. It was a beautiful day for hiking. We went back to the Little House of Pancakes for lunch. Don got the special for $9.95 (Catfish, fries, slaw, hushpuppies, and a drink) and I got a grilled cheese sandwich and fries for $5.95. When we got back we relaxed and then went to the pool and hot tub.

8/27/22
I thought we were going to do an easy nature hike today but ended up going up to Chimney Tops at 8:40 am. Then I thought we would do a side trail to 2 waterfalls but when we got to the junction we met two guys who came from that direction. They said the trail was slick and involved some boulder hopping so we ended up going straight up to Chimney Tops instead. We haven’t done this trail in 20 years and I have no idea why we decided to do this today! It went straight up for 2 miles with almost 1400 ft.

elevation gain. There were many times when I wanted to give up but after a lot of short breaks, I continued upward. We made it to the platform which had a beautiful view of the Chimney Tops. A little further and the trail was barricaded but many people go under the barricade and continue to the rock outcropping. We met three young people and one of them (Shannon) graduated from Furman in 2021. We watched a couple go all the way up to the top of Chimney Tops and Shannon and her friends made it halfway. We got back to our car in time to head to the Little House of Pancakes for the lunch special (Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, bread, and a drink for $9.95). We spent the afternoon at the pool and hot tub.

8/28/22

We left the resort at 7am and headed home. We went past Cosby Campground and turned left on Groundhog Rd. and right on Lindsey Gap Rd. to get to I-40. This was a great shortcut and got us home by 10am. 

Great Smoky Mountains Postage Stamp

The ten-cent Smoky Mountains National Parks stamp (#749) was issued on October 8, 1934, in Washington DC.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation establishing The Great Smoky Mountains National Park on June 15, 1934. He spoke at the dedication of the park on September 2, 1940.

It all began in 1908 when President Theodore Roosevelt felt that natural resources needed to be managed by the federal government. Two people stood out who advocated for establishing an organization in charge of the national parks. They were Stephen Mather and Horace Albright who later became the first and second directors of the National Park Service.

These two men want to overcome those in the government who were against the National Park Service and to get public support for the National Park Service. They began to promote the benefits of having one organization in charge of national parks.

Mather and Albright gained the support of influential organizations such as railroad and automobile companies, the Sierra Club, and influential individuals such as Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. National magazines printed articles about the national parks and encouraged people to visit them. Mather got seventeen railroads to publish a book with pictures and articles about the parks and sent them to each member of Congress. In 1915, legislators from California and Utah sponsored the legislation that led to the National park Service Organic Act. Mather became the first director and started creating a system of national parks.

Mather promoted the parks using advertising and publicity to get support for the parks. One thing he did was to get the Post Office to issue stamps featuring the different parks. Franklin D. Roosevelt was an avid stamp collector who recognized Mather’s efforts. Harold Ickes, Roosevelt’s secretary of the interior was a big advocate of the national parks and announced that 1934 would be National park Year. Roosevelt, Ickes, and the postmaster general (James Farley) discussed creating a series of park stamps.

The NPS Director, Arno B. Cammerer asked George Grant, the chief photographer of the National Park Service to select photos from artists that could be used as designs and engraving for ten stamps.

It was decided that ten parks would be featured on stamps ranging from one cent to ten cents. They were Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Mount Rainier, Mesa Verde, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, Acadia, Zion, Glacier, and the Great Smoky Mountains. There were a lot of photos to be looked at and decided upon. It only took 6 months from the beginning discussion to the creation of the last stamp! Each stamp was one color and the color for each stamp was different and printing. The lettering was white. Six stamps were horizontal and four were vertical. All of the engravings were done by the Bureau of Engraving.

The ten-cent Great Smoky Mountains stamp was the first US stamp designed by a woman (Esther Richards). A special one-sheet of the ten-cent Great Smoky Mountains stamp went on sale in Asheville, NC in 1937.

Class Activities:

• Research national parks. Pretend the rest of the class is Congress and you have to convince them to financially support your favorite park.
• Create a brochure of your favorite park. Include facts and pictures.
• What other parks should be featured on a stamp and why?
• Design a stamp for another national park.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

References: 
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/stamps-parks-and-a-president
https://www.mysticstamp.com/Products/United-States/749/USA/

Camping Trip

Click here to see pictures.

We headed to the Smokies on 7/31/22 for a 5-day camping trip. We camped in Smokemont campground at site D39. Next time we may want to try site D42.

When we got there on Sunday, it was hot and humid. After setting up camp, we walked around the campground and then relaxed at our campsite. About 30 minutes after we went to bed, it started to rain pretty hard. We had to close the windows because the rain was blowing in.

On Monday, it rained on and off for most of the day, We walked around the campground in between showers. We found a Mexican restaurant (Rancho Villa) in the Food Lion shopping center that had lunch specials for $6.99. We had to check email and I had to do my Duolingo lesson so we had to go into town each day for a cell signal.

Tuesday was much better and we went to Newfound Gap and Clingman’s Dome. We hiked on the Spruce-Fir Nature trail and found pink turtleheads.

Wednesday we tried to hike on the Oconoluftee Nature but the elk had other plans. We waited for one group to get to one side of the trail so we could go past at a safe distance. Then we came across another group who would not let us pass. This mama elk and baby came straight down the trail towards us instead of going into the woods. Eventually, after we had to keep retreating, we decided to give up and go back the way we came. We ended up going to Mingus Mill and doing the trail there. We were excited to see the Cranefly Orchids blooming.

On Thursday morning, we took our time and packed up for our ride home. We had hoped to visit some antique stores but the one we wanted to visit had moved.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

One of our favorite national parks is The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We can be on the North Carolina side in about 3 hours and the Tennessee side in 4 hours. I thought I would share a little video of our trip last week. Students who have never been outdoors much might enjoy it. 

Camping in the Smokies

For more pictures, click here.

We spent last week camping in the Smokies. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is our favorite national park and we spend a lot of time there.

We got to Smokemont Campground on a Monday afternoon. It was so easy to set up our campsite (Site D38). This is our favorite campsite. It is across from the group campsite which was closed. The bathrooms were right across the road and this building has outlets. Since I get up so early, I can plug in my iPad and charge it up if needed. I can get it all charged up before most people are even awake.

We like to go to the Oconoluftee River Trail which is about a 3.2-mile roundtrip hike that starts at the Visitor Center and goes to the town of Cherokee. Every day, we came across elk under the shade trees. On one day, there were several people who were extremely close to the elk to take photos and the male elk gave a bugle warning a couple of times, but the people didn’t move. We went an alternate way off the trail to avoid the elk and the people. For lunch each day, we ate at Subway. They did a great job of wearing masks and gloves as they fixed our sub sandwiches. On one day, we got in the river and played in the water. The water was just like bathwater! (Well, bath water in the dead of winter if you have no heat and no hot water.)

After a few days, we headed to Cades Cove Campground. We had a nice ride over Newfound Gap and stopped to see the views and take photos. We stopped in Townsend for gas and supplies (ice was $2 at the IGA) and lunch at Subway. We camped at site B37 which was a nice site. It was further away from the bathrooms and I had to use our external batteries to charge our electronics. After we set up camp, we went to the camp store and got soft serve ice cream (which we have gotten there for about 30 years when we visit!). I was surprised how much the price has increased (about $5 for a cake cone.) On the first afternoon, it poured down rain pretty heavily. I was so glad we had our Clam screen room and had the optional walls up to keep out the rain. I also had my Little Red Campfire going which made the room toasty warm while it rained. One man called it a “frog strangler” kind of rain.

Most of the trailheads were packed with cars and heavy crowds so we drove to Sevierville and went to the Tanger Outlet Stores. We both needed new tennis shoes and got some from the New Balance outlet store. Then we had a nice drive and lunch in Townsend. We found out our camper refrigerator wasn’t working so we had to put everything back into the cooler and buy ice from the camp store ($4.50). In the evening we walked around the campground and talked with other campers. When we went to bed, it was really hot, humid and miserable. We decided that we would leave in the morning and head for home.

The next morning, Don got up around 7:30 am and by 8:30 am we were packed up and heading home.

Things I Learned:

1. I really like Smokemont Campground D Loop (pull through sites).
2. Smokemont D38 is my favorite site.
3. I like playing in the river even if the water is cold.
4. It is good to have water shoes on in the river.
5. The Oconoluftee River Trail is a wonderful trail.
6. It is more crowded in the campground in the summer months.
7. People don’t wear masks even when asked that they should.
8. It is nice when people respect quiet hours in a campground.
9. There are a lot of mushrooms on the trails in August.
10. Thundershowers are expected in the afternoon during summer.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage 2017

Last week we went to the Smokies for the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.  I recorded some audio each day since I didn't have any cell service or internet so I hope you enjoy my recap of each day.

For pictures - Click Here! 

Sunday 4/9/17 - arrived at Elkmont Campground at 11am and got  Site A 13.



Monday 4/10/17 - Hiked with Dan, Sherrie, and Kim on the Grapeyard Ridge Trail (in the Greenbriar area)



Tuesday 4/11/17 - drove back home so I could teach my Furman class.


Wednesday 4/12/17 - drove back to our campsite. Hiked on the Ashhopper Branch Trail (across from the visitor center), the Nature trail, and Cataract Falls.


Thursday 4/13/17 - Hiked with Dan, Sherrie, and Kim on the Old Settler's Trail and saw lots of wildflowers.


Friday 4/14/17 - Hiked with Sherrie and Kim on the Chestnut Top Trail. Did a shuttle and left one car at the Townsend Wye and one car at Schoolhouse Gap.


Saturday 4/15/17 - returned home.

Salamanders

Last week we attended a ranger talk at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee, NC. Ranger Ann Kidd talked about salamanders and showed us pictures of some.

Here are things I learned:

1.     Hellbender - aquatic, can be 2 feet long, found in Deep Creek, like deep pools, eat crawfish, tadpoles, frogs, other salamander, none in Oconoluftee River, nocturnal

2.     Mud puppies - found anywhere, aquatic, red feathery gills, 16 inches

3.     Red spotted newt - olive green with yellow belly, 2 phases of life: aquatic, land, back to aquatic, land phase and changes to red and is called the red eft. Toxic in land stage. About 2 -3 inches. Found in Oconoluftee area

4.     Red cheeked or Jordan salamander found at 2800 feet elevation. Found at Kephart Prong trail. 3 - 7 inches., woodland species, not toxic but will secrete a sticky substance, blueish black with rounded snout, only in the GSMNP

5.     Imitator salamander looks a lot like the red cheeked.  Brown color with pointed snout. Above 2800 feet, only in the GSMNP

6.     Mole family -  around Cades Cove, burrows in the dirt

a.     Marbled below 2200 feet

b.     Spotted below 2200 feet

7.     Black chinned red- 4-6 inches, found in the water

8.     Southern Appalachian- black, little white spots,  big, woodlands , common,

9.     Dusky salamander family- common

a.     Seal salamander - in water,

b.     Blackbelly- 3-8 inches, can eat other salamander, found in both sides of the park

c.     Spotted dusky found the most of in Mingus Mill, 2-5 inches, color varies

Many found in Mingus mill and Collins creek area

Info about Salamanders in the Smokies