12-Nov-2023 Great Smoky Mountains National Park

So the mountains here DO look smoky - like there is a blue haze over them. Beautiful!

I was surprised to learn that the Great Smoky Mountains NP is the most visited of all the National Parks. And even though it's off-season boy was it crowded today! After having gone to 2 other national parks this week that were empty I was really surprised to see so many people here today - but wall-to-wall sunshine and temps in the low 60s is definitely a draw.

The two main entrances to the park are in Gatlinburg TN and in Asheville NC. I came from the north into Gatlinburg and headed up to the highest point of the park. There's a short hike to an old observation tower there and the views are absolutely gorgeous. Then I continued driving across to the other side of the park (North Carolina!) where I took a short bike ride at the visitor center in the hopes of seeing some elk – and I did!

I drove back up and over the mountain through all the windy roads and got into the cute little town of Gatlinburg. It's a super touristy place with tons of tacky tourist shops on the main road and lots of wine stores that give away free samples . Wines around here are very sweet – but I'm not complaining. Looking forward to some more time in great Smoky Mountain NP tomorrow.