Growing up, my parents would send me to a small town called Timpson, TX, every summer to get away from the screens and city life. Being a kid from inner-city Dallas, the lack of air conditioning and sleeping with the bugs came as a shock at first, but soon incubated a love for nature I carry with me today. My wife and I share this appreciation for the great outdoors and created a goal to visit all of the National Parks in the US. We’ve successfully crossed off 12 out of the 63 parks, the most recent adventure being The Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
If you have ever been interested in traveling to the Smokies (the pep name we assigned to the park), here are a few things to consider before making your travels. This park is the most popular park in the country, clocking in almost 13 million visitors in 2022. It can get very crowded during the peak summer season, which can greatly affect how far away you park from different trail heads. I would definitely recommend going earlier in the day when it’s not as crowded. As of March 2023, the park installed a new parking pass system due to the increase in visitors. There are self-service ticket booths at the visitor centers that are very easy to use, available 24/7, and cost about $5 a vehicle.
The park offers a wide range of hikes for beginner and seasoned hikers. The key to picking the right trail for you is finding one with the elevation gain and mileage you’re comfortable with. There is an app/website called “AllTrails” that is a good resource for finding these details at different trails across the US. My wife and I took on a more challenging route called “Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte.” The 11-mile trek with 3,000 ft. in elevation gain was well worth it for the over-the-clouds views the peak had to offer.
When it came to finding a place to stay, we decided to stay in Gatlinburg, TN, due to its closeness to the park. The town had a lot to offer when we were not getting lost in the mountains. Moonshine distilleries and wineries can be found scattered around the town, with one of the distilleries ironically being named the “Sugarlands Distilling Company.” There are also a few Ripley’s Believe It or Not attractions that allow you to bundle tickets and a cute Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum that will surprise you with how many combos of shakers exist.
All in all, the trip was amazing. The Smoky Mountains lived up to its expectations and Gatlinburg’s attractions were a lot of fun. We will definitely be revisiting the park to explore other areas we did not have time to explore. In the modern day of advanced technology, I am grateful for the escapes the national parks offer to unplug and enjoy the present.