A local talks about how to safely hike in and around Gatlinburg and recommends three of his favorite trails I’ve never had a safety issue and I’ve been around the Smoky Mountains for more than 30 years. So, I don’t think of the Smokies as dangerous. But as someone who has also lived on this planet for nearly five decades,
These are the 3 best hikes in the Smoky Mountains according to a local When I was a teenager in the Smokies, I didn’t need a trail to go hiking. My uncles would find a pull-off in the park, point to the nearest peak and we’d race up to the top, picking our way through the brush and trees. They
There’s a waterfall in the Smoky Mountains you can walk behind and it looks like something straight out of a fairy tale Having lived in and around the Smoky Mountains for three decades, I understand there is beauty in the park just about anywhere you look. But I also understand some places transcend beauty. For instance, there are places infused
How to get the most out of one day in Gatlinburg, according to a local As someone who has lived near Gatlinburg for nearly 35 years, I have an advantage. I can go whenever I want. Carve out a little drive time, and I can pop in and pop back out at will. But I also know that many don’t
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a drivable trail in the Smoky Mountains With one of the flashier names in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail can be one of the more relaxing experiences in the Smokies. The trail is named for one of the larger, faster and louder streams in the Smokies.
10 Best Things To Do in the Smoky Mountains, According to a Local The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is one of the true wonders of the United States. People flock from all over the country – all over the world – to take in the verdant, majestic splendor. But we live in fast times. A day or two of majestic splendor
These were the busiest months and most visited locations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2023 according to the National Park Service When is the best time to go to the Smokies? It depends on what you’re after. Do you want the peak colors of fall? The lush greens and warm weather of summer or the fresh renewal
A record-breaking billions to trillions of cicadas are set to emerge this spring The cicadas are coming. How many cicadas? As someone who has spent way too much of his life worrying about cicadas, I can say officially, it’s a buttload. In Spring of 2024, a pair of specific cicada broods will be hatching at the same time for the
Get the inside scoop on things to do when it snows in Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountains There’s nothing quite like a Smoky Mountain snowfall. We’ve discovered a newfound love of snow we never knew until we became residents in East Tennessee. You see, I never cared for snow much in Ohio. Whenever the weather turned cold and snow was forecast, we
Visitors may notice sparser fish populations as of late, it turns out, the fish are just cold like we are As an East Tennessean with three decades worth of history in the park, I’ve learned that mountains don’t hibernate. Sure, the trees have lost their leaves, and the animals are less active. And fish, have all but seemingly disappeared in