CityGuy

We are planning a 3 day trip to Smoky Mountains in late October. We fly in on a Saturday morning into Charlotte, NC; then rent a car @ the airport and drive to Gatlinburg, TN. We have a hotel reservation for one night at Gatlinburg and one night at Cherokee. We plan to drive back to Charlotte on Monday afternoon/evening. Tuesday morning we head back home.

We like some ideas for this trip and here is some info about us:

We are a family of 4 with 2 boys aged under 12. I have some fear of heights so I do not like to drive on roads that are at the edge of mountains/cliffs - I do not like to see/visualize big drops. Winding roads are fine. For example the "Road to Hanna" in Hawaii was fine; but the road to Mount Halaekala was little stressful - I ended up driving almost in the middle of the road .

Reading about the region and park brought attention to venomous snakes and black bears; so we like to stay away from them We prefer gentle and relaxed hiking or trekking for few hours. I will be experimenting with my DSLR camera; and the family hopes to catch fall colors. We are not planning to hit Dollywood. We do not care much about dining options.

1) So with such limitations and interests, what do you recommend? What should we do and where?
2) Is the road from Gatlinburg to Cherokee scary? Looks like it will take us through Newfound Gap.

spirobulldog

Hike to Le Conte Lodge and spend one night. Slightly Adventurous. I wouldn't worry to much about the black bears and snakes. More likely to be struck by lightning.

CityGuy

Thanks for your tip.

bmillersc

LeConte Lodge will not be an option on short notice, as the reservations for overnight stays sell out 6 months in advance (or more, especially in peak leaf season).

Not sure why you're moving from place to place for one-night stays - I'd pick one and save some packing time. The differences between Cherokee and Gatlinburg are night and day, but I'll assume you've done some homework in advance and know what you're getting into there.

I'd highly recommend spending some time on the GSMNP website: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/

From your description of your fears, the drive through the park through Newfound Gap may be more along the lines of "a little stressful" than not, but to be honest, it is a mountain range and that is the best, if not only, way throught the park. It's only got a few "drop-off" type areas, but it is a winding road for sure.

There are lots of hiking trails in the park, ranging from easy to strenuous, from cliffside (which are my favorites but likely not yours from your description) to waterfalls to woodsy strolls. I've traversed a lot of the trails in the park, but I'd suggest doing some googling of your own on some of these and decide if you like them: Abrams Falls from Cades Cove, Boogerman Trail, Charlie's Bunion, Ace Gap, Rich Mountain Loop, Alum Cave. All are in the 5-8 mile round trip range, some are easier than others, and some are strenuous.

For photography, you'll want to get an early start, as in the fall, you can get misty/foggy valleys and exposed mountains, which lead to fantastic photos.

Of all the hiking I've done in the Smokies, I've only encountered black bears once, on the Rich Mountain loop. Just make some noise as you hike, and you'll likely never see anything of the sort. If you do, enjoy it! It's a rare treat.

RagtopGirl

Do not try to hike to LeConte! I hiked it in August and loved it, but it's five miles straight up and down, strenous, and you have to have a reservation to spend the night - plus it will be cold up there. Only for experienced hikers. Yes, the road to Newfound Gap is through the top of the mountains with views and drop offs, but it's the only way to get to Cherokee from Gatlinburg. Not much to recommend in Cherokee and am surprised you are staying there - you might want to do two nights in Gatlinburg.

This is a VERY crowded time of year in the park, be prepared for lots of traffic. Try the drive through Cades Cove depending on the day of the week. Stop at the Sugarlands Visitor Center and they can recommend some short walks for you in the area. No real worries about bears or snakes.

bmillersc

Oh, I didn't mention Chimney Tops trail, but as you end up on some exposed rock outcroppings, it might not be your cup of tea with a fear of heights. However, the views are downright awesome from the tops!

With only two days, you'll have to just pick one or two hikes and roll with it. You'll have to decide what you want to see, and of course the weather...

Keep in mind it's a 3.5 hour drive from CLT to Gatlinburg, so you'll be arriving there midday. It will get dark around 5:30 to 6:00 (sooner in the valleys) so keep that in mind while hiking as well. Be prepared! Also, will your kids just want to do the (overly) touristy stuff in Gatlinburg when they arrive? You could easily spend the rest of your Saturday doing that. Your plan of spending the next night in Cherokee does make some sense in that you'll be going through the park on Sunday to get there. I'd try to get back into the park on Monday from the Cherokee side if you can - either the Boogerman Loop (which is a little off the beaten path) or the Smokemont Loop trails would be a decent option before driving back to CLT.

starrs

Why are you flying into Charlotte and then driving all the way to Gatlinburg?

For a short, three day trip I'd save some drive time and go to Asheville or Boone and spend more time doing stuff than driving. I like that area of the Smokies a LOT more than the Gatlinburg/Cherokee area.

bmillersc

I agree with what Starrs says, though it sounded like the OP had his mind set on the Smokies. Flying into Asheville would have been even better, but I assume tix are a done deal at this point.

starrs

I agree they already have their plane reservations. I'd change the hotel reservations and go to the NC part instead of the TN part. The Gatlinburg/Cherokee area is going to be crazy with traffic at that time of year. Even if it weren't, I'd choose NC over TN - ESPECIALLY if I were flying into Charlotte.

SAnParis2

I agree - both Cherokee & Gatlinburg (while they do have some good parts) are primarily overdone tourist traps. You'd be beter served to stay most anyplace else, & just stay on the NC side, due to time constraints.

Gretchen

OK. Mt. Leconte is out for many reasons.
Driving in the Smokies is NOT white knuckle time.
Cherokee offers a wonderful possibility of going trout fishing for the kids. You can buy one day licenses. YOu can use whatever bait you want. The waters are stocked. But it is still good game to catch those suckers!
You might have done as well to stay all nights in Cherokee and drive into the Park from that side rather than Gatlinburg.
It IS touristy, no two ways about it.
From the Cherokee side you could perhaps do some tubing.
The kids can also fish IN the Park without a license.
All things considered, if you still want to do The Smokies, I'd do it from Cherokee.

starrs

Tubing? In Cherokee? At the end of October?!
Brrr!!!!
The water will be freezing then. It was already too cold for us a month ago and that's with air temps close to 80 degrees!
Brrrrrrrr! You're made of heartier stock than anyone I know.

starrs

I guess that should have been "hardier" stock...but it'll be a shock to the heart too

Gretchen

So, maybe not. But don't rain on the parade of going to the Smokies. The water temp is ALWAYS cold--you are right. But if these folks are coming from the North, they go swimming in the ocean when we don't. It was just an idea. ;p)

CityGuy

Thanks for all your replies.

bmillersc:
The reason we wanted to visit Gatlinburg and Cherokee is to cover both entrances. Can you elaborate on what you mean by them being night and day different? The kids will not be doing the touristy stuff; they will be content in doing what we can do in that park.

RagtopGirl:
We decided Cherokee because it was close to Bryson City - just another side to enter the park

Starrs:
We are flying into CLT because we got better deals flying into that city.

SAnParis2: Where do you recommend for us to stay?

Gretchen:
Your words comfort me. So the driving on the mountains is not that bad. As I said I had no problems driving in Hawaii (Road to Hana - which generally was considered dangerous - traffic and winding roads).

All:
Yes, our tickets to CLT are booked. We did book hotel in Gatlinburg and Cherokee. We can cancel these hotel reservations. So where do you recommend us to stay? Based on where we stay, I am sure we will find something or the other.

The general consensus seems to be that NC side is better than the TN side. Why?

starrs

The national park is the most visited NP in the country. During "leaf season" the cars are basically concentrated on the north/south route. Gatlinburg is a huge tourist trap. Pigeon Forge is known for their outlet shopping malls. Although the Eastern TN Smokies are really pretty, you will be smack dab in the worst traffic in the mountains. I love Cades Cove dearly, but it will be snarled with traffic at that time of the year.

Contrast that with the NC mtns - just as pretty but many times the route options and place to see and visit. Think of the traffic doing through GSMNP that weekend and divide it by 1/50th, that's what you'll encounter if you choose a NC destination.

I have a place less than 45 minutes from Cherokee and Bryson City. I can't imagine how much you'd have to pay me to get in that traffic flow on an October weekend. The traffic flowing back down 441 towards Atlanta comes by my turnoff and for 4 hours or so on Sunday afternoons, you pretty much can't move. I go down the back side of the mountain to avoid it.

So, although the NP is a really nice place to visit, you are flying into Charlotte and driving past GORGEOUS mountain options to get to a traffic jam in the neighboring state. It just makes sense to stay in NC and do all you say you want to do...rather than sitting in traffic.

IMO anyway.

starrs

Gretchen, the tubing companies don't rent tubes after Labor Day weekend. The end of Oct is just not tubing weather. The water coming out of those deep mountain lakes into the rivers will take your breath away -even in summer. Sitting in a tube going downstream in cool air temps is begging for hypothermia.

CityGuy

Starrs: So if we stay on the NC side, what is your recommendation for place of stay?

starrs

I love the Boone/Blowing Rock/ Banner Elk area. You could stay there for 2 nights or you could stay there 1 night and move on to Asheville. What kinds of things are your boys interested in? How much scenic driving do you want to do? Do you want to do hiking and if so, how much?

I have some ideas and will add some links in a minute.

You can do combos of all of those and spend some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway (maybe for a segment or two), beautiful country roads and interstate highways to make good time if you go on to Asheville.

starrs

Two of my favorite things may not work for you because of your fear of heights. But your boys should love them -

Grandfather Mountain -
http://www.grandfather.com/swinging_bridge/

Your husband could take them on the bridge if you opt out.
Hiking options there too -
http://www.grandfather.com/nature_walks/index.php

The prettiest part of the Blue Ridge Parkway includes one of the most dramatic viaducts. I love it, you probably would not.
http://www.grandfather.com/conservat...ge_parkway.php

All along the Blue Ridge Parkway are trails to choose from. The speed limit along the parkway is 45 mph. It's curvy and gorgeous. You could choose almost any segment in NC and enjoy the drive.
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/

Here's the Linn Cove Viaduct section. Read the "What to do"
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=111