A Wet Few Days

Just got back from the 3 days in the Great Smokies National Park camping in Smokemont Campground near Cherokee, NC. It rains here a lot on this side of the Park, but we survived it. We knew it going as we camped here several times in our tent days. Everything packed in the camper wet and then driving home into the 90 plus temps of SC made for quite a stench when it up to unpack.

Got in some nice hiking, enough sunshine to get a tubing trip on the Oconaluftee River (it does not rain all day, just at least once, sometimes more) and we did get into the Museum of the Cherokee in town. On that side of the Smokies in the park, we visited Mingus Mill which is an old grist mill that they operate today milling corn into grits and corn meal. At the Visitors Center is a Farm Museum to show you life in the mountains in the days before the park. The campground would have been a lumber camp so there was actually a railroad through it back in the early part of the 1900s and the road above the campground makes for some nice hiking. The wildflowers were just beginning to bloom and will be really nice in a few weeks.

Actually the rain was never heavy and was more annoying. Especially, when it rained just as we started taking down our side tent and the other canopies over the galley and picnic table.

 

Your post brought back many great memories when we lived in Western NC. Used to frequent that area a lot between Cherokee to Gatlinburg. Cade's Cove was best visited when the crowds thinned-out. The hike to Clingsman Done can be a workout! Thanks for the post.

 

We have been to Cade's Cove once but the traffic over there is pretty bad in the summer and it is hotter since it is lower in elevation. Hard to enjoy the loop there when you are stuck in a traffic jam. We have hiked at Clingman's Dome and especially like the Andrew's Bald hike up there since the crowd goes up to the Dome. Our favorite up there is Balsam Mountain since you are at 5000 ft elevation but our daughter prefers a river nearby so we did Smokemont this time.