On my way to south Florida to visit my daughter I took a detour and visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Right now, it’s too hot and humid in south Florida for my blood so I’m taking my time getting down there. I’ve never been to the Smokies so this was a perfect opportunity to visit.
The Smokies hug the Tennessee/North Carolina border. The forest covered mountains are lined with trails, rivers, streams, waterfalls, wildlife and the fall colors were in bloom.
Cost To Enter The Park
The entrance fee to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is extremely affordable… it’s free!
This may or may not change in the future but, at the time of this post, there are no entrance fees to enter this park.
Oh My Aching Back!
There are many trails to be explored and I adventured down a few. I had to be a little more careful because I was getting over a major issue with my back. I’ve had spine and neck issues since I was a kid and those problems were further aggravated when I was in a car accident at age 18.
This past August, my back went out on the way back from the west coast. This was one of the top 3 worst episodes ever!
It took over 3 weeks to walk without a cane and several more weeks before I could walk with almost no pain.
The Smoky Mountain Trails
I love walking and hiking trails but the first Smoky Mountains trail I took was a bit steep. I didn’t want to push it and I was by myself so I only went down a short way.
The best thing about this trail was the aroma. It’s indescribable but it was simply AWESOME!
Scenic Overlooks
There are many scenic views and overlooks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
I stopped at many of them but my favorite was towards the top where the view was breathtaking.
Waterfalls Everywhere!
It seemed that waterfalls sprung up around every corner.
Some were big… some were small… and some were in-between.
But ALL were peaceful and ALL were beautiful.
Tourist Attractions
There are many tourist attractions. A few inside the park and many more in the surrounding area.
As I almost always do, I opted not to check them out because there were a lot of people there and I felt it might be too toxic for me.
My chemical sensitivities were already pushed past their limit earlier that morning and I didn’t want to push myself over the edge.
I completely enjoyed exploring the park so I was satisfied with that!
My Smoky Mountains Adventures Video
This video of the Smokies includes footage of the drive as well as many more pictures and tells more of the adventure…
More Info
For more info about the Smoky Mountains check out the National Park Service website.
Simply Connie 