Gatlinburg and the Tennessee Smoky Mountains

Rarely can you actually “see” the border between states, but when you travel south on the Foothills Parkway in far eastern Tennessee, all you need to do is look to the east, and the Tennessee-North Carolina state line follows the highest ridge from northeast to southwest into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

As you approach the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge area, that same ridge is clearly visible as it divides the national park down the middle. Mount Laconte, the tallest peak in the park, is the second highest mountain east of the Mississippi, falling just feet short of Mt. Mitchell to the east.

In the far southwest quadrant of the Park is the preserved settlement called Cades Cove, and that same ridgeline, above, continues southwest into Georgia. Restored farm structures in Cades Cove tell the story of Scots-Irish families who settled in this remote valley hundreds of years ago.

Back in Pigeon Forge, The Little Pigeon River, below,  flows out of the Park, and northward toward the mighty Tennessee. Catawba Rhododendron are already blooming at this elevation.

Since the National Park opened in 1935, Gatlinburg has been one of the main destinations for Park travelers. First class resorts with artistic pools and waterfalls have been built all through the valley.

Where you have millions of tourists, you also have the irresistable attractions that vie for the family vacation dollar. One of the most dramatic is a nearly lifesize recreation of the Titanic, iceberg and all. Driving past this bohemoth is disorienting to say the least.

Another recent addition is the Hollywood Wax Museum, with a 150 foot tall King Kong clinging to the Empire State Building, while a Mt. Rushmore knock-off of Hollywood’s greatest stars looms in the foreground.

Back into nature, May wildflowers compete very well with the monstrosities of man, and serve as reminders of why we came to these mountains in the first place.

• May 20, 2013
• Architecture, Cades Cove, Foothills Parkway, Gatlinburg, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge, Rivers, Streams, and Creeks, Springtime, Tennessee Mountains
• 7 Comments