Our Smokey Mountain Vacation - Day Five, Part Five: Roaring Forks Motor Road

This post is part of a travel series of our vacation in the Smokey Mountains.  To start at the beginning, go HERE!  The rest of the posts in chronological order are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE!

I think this first picture if just perfect for the first picture of this post because it looks as if I'm waving goodbye to you.  In a sense, I am!  I am waving goodbye to the Smokey Mountains and to this series, for Roaring Forks Motor Road was the very last thing we did in the Smokey's and this  post will be the end of this series.

I don't think we intentionally saved "the best for last" for we really didn't know anything about this scenic road.  It just so happened that the road didn't even open till the very last day of our vacation, and it also happened to be the very last thing we did on Day Five because we hit it on our way back to our hotel for the night.  But I do believe, driving and exploring the Roaring Forks Motor Road was one of the best things we did in the Smokies.  It was so peaceful.  There were not that many people on this road once you got past the popular trail heads.  We were able to pull over as often as we wished, and just enjoy the tranquil beauty of the Smokies.

 Roaring Forks Motor Road is a one-way 5.5 mile winding, narrow road that takes you through the forests and alongside an exuberant mountain stream:  "Roaring Fork".  It is one of the largest and fastest mountain streams in the park.  In addition to viewing the beautiful forest and stream, you will see lots of historic buildings, similar to what you'd find in Cades Cove Loop Road.

There are multiple stops on the road where you can pick up a hiking trail or explore an early settler's settlement.  Here we stopped not just to check out the cabin seen in the distance, but also so I could take my sneakers off and soak my tired feet in the stream.

The Roaring Forks stream truly is the most spectacular thing to see on this road.  The sound of running water is everywhere, so be sure to drive with your car windows down.

There are quite a number of historic buildings, log cabins, and a grist mill on this road.

The best part of being in the Smokies this time of the year was seeing all the Trilliums in bloom.  They formed a beautiful white carpet in the forest.

History buffs will love exploring Roaring Forks Motor Road for it's filled with information of all the early settlers.

You can access both the Rainbow Falls and the Grotto Falls trailheads from the Roaring Forks Motor Road, but there is also one waterfall you can see right from your car window for it's right on the road.  It's called "Place of a Thousand Drips".  Isn't that a great name for a waterfall?

But the fun doesn't end there!  Right when you exit the Roaring Forks Motor Road there is a little artistic residential/business area.  They had the most beautiful daffodils blooming along the road side when we were there.

Here you can shop for items made by local artists.  I purchased the cutest handmade salsa bowl as my souvenir of the Smokies.

Here you will also find Ely's Mill

I don't know if it was just a relaxing, quiet end to our very eventful day, but we just loved every minute driving the Roaring Forks Motor Road.  I just remember such blissful peace and serenity and I couldn't think of a better way to end our week at the Smokies.

Be sure to check out the two short videos.  The first one shows all the Trilliums in bloom as we drive along in the car, and the second one is the gorgeous Roaring Forks stream.

 Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Our Smokey Mountain Vacation - Day Five, Part Four: Grotto Falls

This post is part of a travel series of our vacation in the Smokey Mountains.  To start at the beginning, go HERE!  The rest of the posts in chronological order are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE!

Hello!  If you missed me last week I am back from a one week blogging break.  I didn't intend to take a break, but the kids and grandkids were all here for the 4th of July holiday week and we were so busy I never had time to blog.  We had so much fun and I can't wait to tell you all about it, but I really want to finish this travel series to the Smokey Mountains first.  I'm almost done with this series, I promise!  I think I have about two posts left.  

This week I am sharing our hike to Grotto Falls.  Grotto Falls is a very popular hike in Smokey Mountain National Park because it is the only waterfall in the park you can "legally" walk behind.  I say this, because my hubby and many others disobeyed the warning signs, and climbed the rocks and walked behind Rainbow Falls.

Grotto Falls is 25 feet high.

The hike to Grotto Falls is rated as "Easy" as it is only 2.6 miles roundtrip with a 565 elevation gain.  However, to get the "Easy" hike you need to access the trailhead from the Roaring Forks Motor Road which is closed in the winter.  You can get to Grotto Falls from other trails, but then you will add another 3.4 miles to your trip.  When we were there it was very early spring, and the road did not open until the VERY LAST DAY of our vacation.  I was so grateful, the road actually opened on our last day, because it was one of my favorite highlights of our vacation.

The hike to the waterfall is very unimpressive.  It did not offer amazing views like Laurel Falls or have constant beauty all along the trail like Alum Cave Trail.  And we actually found the river area leading up to the falls kind of "messy", filled with old fallen timber washed down the mountain.  I know, it's "natural", but not very photogenic.

We did come across our first snake on this trail.  This black snake was just hanging out in a tree along side the trail.

You cross four small streams on this trail without footbridges.

Because we reached this trail in the late afternoon it was quite busy.  I much would have preferred being there bright and early in the morning to have the whole place to myself.  But we were so busy visiting other areas of the park on day five, that we couldn't get to Grotto Falls until late in the day.  I'm sure the crowds affected my feelings about this trail. Perhaps I would have had a more positive feeling if there were less people.

When we reached Grotto Falls, everyone waited "in line" to have their picture taken behind the falls.

It is quite slippery behind the falls as the stone is constantly wet.  There are no handrails, so I was grateful to have my walking sticks.

Below I've added three short videos.  The first one is when we first started driving the Roaring Forks Motor Road.  It was my favorite scenic road in the park.  I liked it more than the Cades Cove Loop...and I really loved that one too!  I will share more about our drive on the Roaring Forks Motor Road next week, but the video gives you just a taste of what's to come.  It is much more narrow of a road than the Cades Cove Loop, and there is also an elevation gain that can be pretty scary on such a narrow road.

The next two videos show Grotto Falls.  The first one is taken from the front of the falls and the second one is taken from behind.

 Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!