bwg

Are the heat, humidity, crowds bearable in July or August? Exchanging a timeshare in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. Mainly interested in outdoors and SMNP
Thanks!

indyhiker

Everyone's tolerance levels for heat, humidity, traffic and crowds are different....but it wouldn't appeal to me. I can generally only tolerate Gatlinburg outside of the high season. And even then, I have to work at overlooking some things in an effort to enjoy the park.

spirobulldog

The park seems to be about 10-15 degrees cooler than the rest of the south.

The higher elevation the better. Check out LeConte Lodge. I think the temp has only broken 80 degrees there one time.

indyhiker

Yeah, but the humidity can suck the life out of you. But to me, the crowds are the bigger issue, both in town and in the park and trails.

spirobulldog

Crowds in town are a zoo anytime between Memorial Day and Halloween.

Gretchen

Oh, c'mon, LeConte Lodge has to be hiked to.
If it's humid in the mountains, it will be a mildew alert in the lowlands.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are tourist central and awful, with or without humidity. Just my opinion.

indyhiker

I've been in Gatlinburg a couple different Septembers (mid to late). It was bearable in terms of crowds during the week. The weekends less so. Another year we stayed in Townsend in May. I liked it but I felt like we spent a bit too much time in the car. In other words, the "quiet side of the Smokies" was a bit too quiet. I like the hikes in the Greenbrier section of the park, so we might stay closer to Cosby next time. But you still couldn't get me anywhere close to Gatlinburg in July or August. I could accept the crowds minus the heat and humidity. And I could accept the heat and humidity minus the crowds. But to combine them all? No thanks. But to each their own. That said, I do love the park. It's a treasure no matter how tacky the surrounding area can be.

If you do go: Hike as early as you can stomach it, look for hikes off the beaten path, use a Camelback or other bladder system for longer hikes, and eat most of your meals in. My favorite online guide for hikes is www.hikinginthesmokys.com.

Gretchen

That said, I do love the park. It's a treasure no matter how tacky the surrounding area can be

How well said. It IS a treasure, and we are grateful for it.

The Bryson City side is a pretty side also--again, maybe time in the car. I don't really know about the hiking.

jent103

The others are dead on about the crowds in the towns, but if your timeshare is not right in town or is easy to take back roads out of, it might be fine. To me, the Smokies in the summer feel great, but I'm comparing it to the rest of the South (and have a native's tolerance for heat and humidity). If you're from the North or West, you may not think it's so great.

starrs

Yes, the heat and humidity are bearable in those months in western NC, eastern TN and north GA. Half of the state of Florida have second homes in the mountains for that reason.

Temps at my place didn't get over 80 degrees (except for maybe one day) last summer. The higher the elevation, the cooler the temps.

bwg

timeshare is in sevierville- will that help?

indyhiker

To clarify my own opinion about summer heat and humidity: I'm tolerant enough of the heat and humidity in general, but hiking in it--at least for me--really increases my discomfort. Add in an uphill hike and a backpack stocked with enough water for a day hike, and I tend to overheat. If I visited the Smokies during the summer, I'd probably stick to somewhat shorter hikes and start them as early as I could, with the hope of finishing before noon. Then I'd spend the balance of the day sitting on the back porch of my cabin with a good book and a cold beverage. That would be a workable plan for me, but for the fact that getting my husband up and out the door at daybreak is next to impossible!

bwg

thanks for all the tips and the hiking guide! yes we are early hikers.
Now I need directions to SMNP on backroads from Sevierville

starrs

Have you looked at a map?

bwg

I'm looking for back roads to avoid heavy traffic thanks

jent103

The Parkway (highway 441) will have the most traffic, as it's the main road connecting Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg to the park. So any time you can stay off that, great. But really, going in the summer, you should be prepared for traffic and crowds in the towns and popular spots. One time I did the Cades Cove Loop around the 4th of July and it took three or four hours to go the eleven miles. It's a slow road anyway (and should be), but there was a lot of sitting that day.

rjasnumberonefan

We vacationed here every July 4th growing up. My Aunt and Uncle had a RV about 15 mile away. Keep in mind that Gatlinburg is known for having the first Independence Day parade. By first, I mean Midnight on the 3rd of July. It would last about an hour and we would return to the campground in the early hours of the next morning. Only the young adults and us kids would ever dare to go because of the traffic crawl. Around 100,000 people attend and there aren't many backroads in and out of the place. Avoid July 4th week to avoid the heaviest tourist flow. From Sevierville you can take 449 to cut off a little traffic, or 416 to Birds Creek/Buckhorn Rd.