The Smokies Still Have Secrets

Unique and different places to visit in the Smokies

While the broader world thinks of the Smokies as the neon glow of Pigeon Forge, of moonshine distilleries and go-kart tracks and pancake houses, the truth is the Smokies are vast. There is a lot going on in the mountains. Even if you had a lifetime to explore, you wouldn’t be able to see it all. And most people never think to try. 

But, if you want a new experience in the mountains to see something that folks back home haven’t even heard of, the Smoky Mountain destinations are there for the exploring. 

Places that are kind of off the beaten path

If you’re a frequent reader of thesmokies.com, these places will not necessarily be overly unique or different to you. We’ve written about these off-the-beaten path places several times. However. we’d be remiss to assume that everyone knows these places you should visit.

Max Patch

Located on the Tennessee-North Carolina border above Newport, Max Patch is a spectacular mountain bald with views that will make you want to cry. A bald is essentially a mountain field, usually filled with tall grass and wildflowers. Max Patch is on the Appalachian Trail, perfect for a hike, a picnic, or a day of communion with nature on a perfect summer day. However, please approach from the North Carolina side. The trip up from the Tennessee side is a little bit more than you typically would want on a family getaway to the mountains. 

House of the Fairies

In the decades before the National Park, parts of the mountains became play areas for the uber-wealthy, like Biltmore. But the Vanderbilts weren’t the only incredibly rich people building mountain retreats. Say hello to Louis Voorhies, a rich and eccentric inventor who came to the mountains to create his own estate.

Obsessed with hydroelectricity, Voorhies developed a 38-acre retreat with water features and gardens. The House of the Fairies is a remnant of that estate, an arched spring house cut into the side of a mountain and covered in moss. Some folks with more fanciful imaginations have dubbed it the Fairy House.

The old steam engine

Speaking of the mountains before the National Park, the Smokies were once a place of great industry – lumber specifically. But the lumber companies’ pursuit of profit and slipshod operations necessitated the creation of the park to preserve the forest. Never forget: The Sinks waterfalls on the Little River were created when loggers unclogged a jam with dynamite and re-routed the course of the river.

Well, the steam engine in question isn’t directly related to the logging business, but it is in the ballpark. In the 1920s, a school was under construction, and the steam engine in question was hauling a lumber saw up the mountain when things went awry. The engine crashed down the mountain and into the creek below, where the moss-covered pieces remain today. Is it cool to see wreckage of a 100-year-old steam engine in the mountains? It is. I’m not sure why – but it is. You can find the old steam engine by taking the Grapeyard Ridge Trail. 

Little Brier Gap Trail

This family-friendly 2.6-mile trail has only mild elevation changes but allows access to both the historic Little Greenbrier School – built in the 1880s – and the Walker Sisters Cabin, which dates back to the days before the Civil War. The Walker Sisters were a group of unmarried sisters who rose to national fame after a magazine profile. The sisters – who owned a 126-acre family farm – negotiated a lifetime lease to stay on their family property.

The highly religious sisters maintained the old mountain ways, drawing the attention of a magazine writer and then the nation. They became a tourist attraction themselves, selling their wares, knickknacks, and poems to visitors who made their way up to the cabin. 

Things that are really off the beaten path

The lore of the mountains runs deep and wide. You could spend a lifetime chasing down all the legends, seeing all the sights. But if you’re looking for something the tourists won’t see. Here are your best bets.

Quilliam Cave via Courthouse Rock Trail

We start with something that is not for the weak of heart… or foot. The cave itself is a large natural outcropping accessible only via the Courthouse Rock Trail, a nearly 3-mile out-and-back route. The trip itself isn’t crazy, with a 1,200-foot elevation change. But this trail isn’t maintained by the National Park Service and can be rougher than your usual mountain hike. 

Whiteoak Sink

This is a longer but easier hike to a pretty but modest waterfall in the Smokies via the Schoolhouse Gap Trail. It’s 4.6 miles out and back. It has a 643-foot elevation change and is known for excellent wildflower viewing along the way. Last year, park officials asked groups to limit their numbers to preserve the flowers. 

Masonic Monument via Heintooga Ridge Road

At the North Carolina border, Balsam Mountain Road becomes Heintooga Ridge Road, a seasonally open, scenic drive through the mountains that connects to dozens of hiking trails, scenic overlooks, and camping areas. The Masonic Monument – located not far from Maggie Valley – is a shrine completed in the late 1930s. The 12-foot-tall monument is a gathering of large rocks from various states, 41 countries and every continent but Antarctica. The 687 stones are melded together via concrete. Among the stones are a rock from an Egyptian Pyramid, a brick from the White House, a piece of Plymouth Rock, a piece of the Alamo, and a piece of marble from the original monument of George Washington, which was destroyed in the 1830s. There’s a little trail to get to it, and it’s a great place for a picnic.

Gregory Bald via Parson Branch Road

Gregory Bald sits in the high mountains above Cades Cove. And there’s no easy way to get there. It’s a part of the world relatively few people who are not serious hikers get to see.

I spoke to Rex Caughron – whose father, Kermit, was the famous Bee Man of the Cove and the last person to live there. Rex said that when his dad was young, he’d herd the livestock high in the mountains at the Bald throughout the summers. Rex also identified the hike up to the Bald as his least favorite in the Cove. It’s an 11.3-mile hike with an elevation gain of nearly 3,100 feet. Your hiking time alone will be 7-8 hours. Is it worth it? That’s up to you. You feel like – in that grassy field – you’re on top of the world. Get to the trailhead early, partially because you have to drive halfway through the Cove before you can get to Forge Creek Road, which will take you to Parsons Branch

Willis Baxter Cabin

There are lots of old cabins available to explore in the National Park. However, many don’t do a great job of conveying the loneliness of a Smoky Mountain existence. Located above Cosby, the Baxter Cabin was built in 1889. It was the centerpiece of the family farm until the creation of the National Park in the 1930s. The small cabin highlights the sparse existence that mountain farming required. 

Have you visited any of these places? Let us know in the comments and on the socials!