Exploring Clingmans Dome: The Ultimate Guide to Visiting the Smoky Mountains
Clingmans Dome, located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a popular destination for nature enthusiasts and hikers alike. As the highest point in the park, it offers breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. When planning a visit to Clingmans Dome, it is essential to know about the access points, driving directions, and parking availability to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Picnic Perfection
With its awe-inspiring mountains, scenic landscapes and abundance of wildlife, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the ideal spot to have a picnic. Whether you're looking for a place to enjoy an outdoor meal with family or perhaps a quiet spot for two, the park's many designated picnic areas are fine choices when it comes to dining in the fresh air of the great outdoors.
Summertime Is Lake Time
The Great Smoky Mountains region is best known for its-well, its mountains. Nearly 12 million people from all over the world travel here each year to experience the beauty and the wonder of some of the tallest peaks east of the Mississippi River, not to mention the natural playground that is Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For most visitors, it's all about mountains, forests, streams and pasturelands-a natural setting where they can ground themselves in a peaceful place and reconnect with their inner selves or enjoy recreational activities like camping, fishing, hiking and picnicking.
There's Snow Time Like The Present...
A few weeks ago, we mentioned Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort as an option for having wintertime fun in the Smokies. This week, we thought we'd go into a little more detail about what that Gatlinburg attraction has to offer visitors in search of cold-weather recreation. January and February are peak season for the resort, so if you've never been there, or if you have but not actually been on the slopes, we can tell you a little more about what's in store on top of Mt. Harrison.
Three Great Fall Hikes In The Smokies
It finally feels like fall around here! Folks in the Smokies are getting a charge out of waking up to a chilly morning and then heading out to make the most of a crisp, sunny autumn day. If you're going to be staying in one of our Tennessee cabin rentals in the next few weeks and are still planning your activities, you should know that days like this are made for hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Choosing A Hike In The National Park
Hiking inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park is probably one of the most popular outdoor activities among the park's nearly 10 million annual guests. And it's one of the easiest things to do, considering that there are more than 800 miles of maintained trails within the park's borders, covering portions of both Tennessee and North Carolina.
Partner Organizations Enhance National Park Experience
When you think about visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you're likely to think first of the most obvious ways that most of us utilize the most visited national park in the nation. The park's hundreds of square miles are a place of beauty and majesty where visitors of all ages can play, relax, explore and learn. On any given day, you'll find park guests hiking trails, visiting historic structures and locations, fishing, picnicking, cycling and camping.
Ski Season Is Here!
The months of January and February are generally considered the off season here in the Great Smoky Mountains. But for the folks who work and play up at Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort, the next two months are peak season for winter fun! The cold weather that comes on the heels of winter means the conditions are ideal for all the fun that this long-time Gatlinburg attraction has to offer.
Five Great Fall-Break Hikes In The Smokies
A lot of schools are already getting their fall breaks, and when you also consider the fact that the turning colors are making the Smoky Mountains more beautiful than ever, you can see why fall is one of the most popular times of year to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Great Smoky Mountains Of Tennessee Are Runner-Friendly
Not everybody is into running. You know – the kind of running you do when you're not being chased by a lunatic or a wild animal. But for those who enjoy the activity, running is more than just a form of recreation and exercise; it's a way of life.
Cades Cove Highlights
Great Smoky Mountains National Park received a record 10 million visitors in 2015 and is on pace to meet or top that mark this year. But did you know that the Cades Cove section of the park alone saw more than 1 million visitors last year? That shouldn't be surprising; the 11-mile one-way auto loop of the historic mountain community is one of the top attractions within the national park.
7 Places To Find The Best Views In The Smokies
People enjoy coming to the Smokies for things like attractions, shows and outlet mall shopping. But if it weren't for the Great Smoky Mountains themselves, none of those other things would exist. After all, it's the mountains that have been attracting visitors to this area for decades.
Park Visitor Centers Are Great Resources
If you plan to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park this spring, summer or fall, you'll have hundreds of acres of unspoiled wilderness and native wildlife to explore. From hiking trails and campgrounds to historic sites and observation towers, there's a lot to see and do. After all, there's a lot of geographic territory to cover, and for those who may have never visited the park before, it can almost be intimidating trying to focus on the areas that might be of most interest to you.
The Bear Facts
It's the brass ring of any trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park – seeing a black bear, live and in person. Often, you can just be motoring through one of the park's thoroughfares or maybe hiking along a trail and see a mother bear and her cubs venturing out of woodland's cover and into areas that are occupied by humans.
Golfing In The Smokies
With its mountainous backgrounds, green forests and abundant streams, the Smokies region is a golfer's paradise. That's why so many visitors each year make sure to pack their clubs when they head here on vacation. With so many scenic and challenging courses to choose from, a golf fanatic could play a different 18 holes every day of the week and never see a repeat.