Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Dec. 2, 2023

It is difficult to plan hikes this time of year as it gets dark so early. The hikes have to be shorter and in fewer locations than I would like. It was hard to narrow down this park to just a couple shorter hikes. Sadly, the road to Clingman’s Dome was already closed for the winter. I started off with Laurel Falls which is a cute little waterfall and a nice hike through the forest. Next up, the Nature trail and Cataract Falls behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center. This hardly qualifies as a waterfall and can be skipped. I could not hike all of Chimney Tops as part of the trail is closed due to damage from a fire. The last stop was a drive along Newfound Gap road to the top of the gap where it intersects the Appalachian trail. It was foggy so not much of a view from there. I may have done this park a dis-service by visiting in December as all the deciduous trees are naked. It is hard to call the Appalachians mountains as they are so old and worn down to hills and do not compare to the mountains in the west. I was a bit disappointed in this park as the rolling hills are similar to the view I have from my kitchen window. It is the most visited National Park and it was the first one where I saw a decent amount of litter along the trails and much more along the roads. The biggest mistake I made on this trip was not bringing my hiking boots. I now have three blisters on the bottom of my feet.