A local reflects on mistakes and bad experiences he’s had in autumn time in the Smoky Mountains
I’ve spent much of my life running around East Tennessee and Western North Carolina mountains. While the mountains are a destination for many, they’re just a part of my life. Go out the driveway, turn left, turn right and turn right again and I can be deep up in the mountains in less time than most people commute to work. And so, I visit them recreationally, professionally and sometimes accidentally.
In every season for a variety of reasons, I’m in the mountains. Sometimes with my family or sometimes on solo adventures. Through experience, I’ve got a mental library of do’s and don’ts, each representing a hard-earned lesson. But I’m human and the mountains are as much a part of my life as a trip to the grocery store. Sometimes you don’t plan a trip to the store. Likewise, sometimes I find myself in the mountains on a whim or approaching a trip a little cocky. After all, I AM a professional. I don’t need a lot of advice at this point. But, of course, I do.
Whether you are visiting for a few hours, a weekend or longer, planning is essential. Therefore, I have a fall checklist that I am supposed to consult before any major trip to the mountains, especially places where there might be a lot of visitors. So here are my tips of things to avoid in the fall:
IN THIS ARTICLE
1. Don’t forget to check an event calendar or use a traffic app
Everyone knows to look out for the bi-annual Rod Runs. However, that’s not the only event that brings major traffic to the mountains. Is there a baseball tournament? A hardware convention? What’s going on and will draw more people than usual is a critical question in the mountains year-round. But in the fall when traffic is at its highest, it’s essential.
For instance, I recently went on a whim on a beautiful summer day. I checked for nothing. It just seemed like a good time for a visit, drive around Pigeon Forge with the windows open and the air conditioner off and enjoy a day. There was some kind of car convention in town. These were quick little cars with huge spoilers and failing mufflers. They were everywhere, loud and a little obnoxious.
Look, I know I’m old and this is dangerously close to “get off my lawn” territory. But driving up and down the strip making TikToks while some guy hangs out the open hatchback of the car in front of you is A LOT for me to deal with in heavy traffic. There are probably some TikToks bouncing around of a guy in a Lambo being filmed while an old white-haired man makes grouchy faces in his Ford Focus directly behind him. In case you’re wondering, I’m that old man.
My kids have gotten used to me pulling up directions to places we’ve been a thousand times because they know I like the traffic updates available. Coming into Gatlinburg, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, being aware of traffic is a huge advantage in making your trip go well. That same weekend with all the sporty little cars, I didn’t check events and took the main route into town off Exit 407 near Wilderness of the Smokies and miles of traffic from both directions were trying to get there. I could have easily avoided it by coming in through Newport. Alternatively, I could have driven to Knoxville and come in off Chapman Highway. Instead, I spent more than an hour of my trip trying to cover a distance that should have taken less than 15 minutes, I’ll because I didn’t follow my own fall checklist.
2. Don’t go to Cades Cove at the wrong time
I may be the only person who gets tired of Cades Cove. Growing up just outside Townsend, we’d have family come in and always took them to the Cove. Then, if it was a nice weekend, it was a family outing to the mountains. Of course, I love the Cove and its beauty and its history. But I did NOT want to spend four hours in the back of a van going very slowly around the loop in a line of a few hundred cars. I’ve gotten better – and more patient – over the years, but I still don’t want to spend four or five hours just to make the loop.
So why do I target the evenings? Well, it’s a fact that the two best times to visit the Cove – if you want to see animals – are in the early morning and the evening. Since most people on vacation aren’t ready to do the loop at 7 am, the big crowds are looping in the evening. If I’m going looping in the fall, I aim for late morning or early afternoon. My goal is to see the colors and the beauty of the mountains. If I see a deer, bear or turkey, that’s a bonus.
3. Don’t neglect the mountains
Every year when autumn comes around, we talk about getting into the park. Not just Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg but up on the Roaring Fork, the Cove or the drive over to Cherokee. There is, after all, a world-class display of nature’s beauty just a few miles from the house. But – I’m ashamed to admit – there have been autumns that we didn’t make it over. Maybe it was kids’ sports events or the weather didn’t work out. Or maybe we just got busy. Maybe we went to Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg but no farther. And then suddenly it’s winter and we’ve missed it.
I’ve coached softball for years and there are days the girls aren’t necessarily feeling it. They have down games or practices and their minds are on other things. One of my frequent messages is this: We only have so many opportunities together, only so many days in the entirety of our lives that we get to be softball players or coaches, or that we get to be a team. Don’t waste them.
Sometimes, I think I need to hear my message. I’m 50 years old. How many more fall weekends do I have left? You’d think I’ve got another 20 or so Octobers out in front of me, four weekends apiece. It seems like a lot. But we all know nothing is guaranteed. It could be 20 or 10. Or it could be one. There’s no way of knowing. So, I’ve promised myself that I’ll make a point each fall to take my family and see the beauty we are lucky to have in our backyard. Does that mean I might have to pass up on sleeping in one weekend? Maybe. But that’s a small price to properly appreciate the world around us.
The magic and the weather conditions of autumn
Autumn in East Tennessee is an adventure. Things can change quite quickly and from day to day. During the week, I might glance at a weather app and say, “Oh, the weekend looks nice, we should head to the mountains.” And from that point, it’s a go. Then the weekend arrived, I hadn’t checked, and everything had changed.
But it’s not always so dramatic as that. The other day it was 80-something degrees by noon when I hopped in the car wearing shorts and a T-shirt. It had been nice all week, and I didn’t have an inkling that evening temperatures would drop so dramatically. So, when the sun went down and the wind kicked up, I could have gone to a Halloween party as an ice cube. We all carry mobile weather stations in our pockets. Remember to check it?
That said, there’s a reason why fall is the most popular time to visit the Smokies. The natural beauty of the mountains is increased as the green changes to varying shades of yellows, reds, oranges. But when planning your Smokies fall getaway, there are a few things you shouldn’t do. If you follow my top three tips, your chances of having a positive, memorable getaway increase.
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