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!

Our Smokey Mountain Vacation - Day Five, Part Three: Clingman's Dome

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, and HERE!

On Day Five, after visiting the Farm Museum and Mingus Mill we headed up to the highest point in the Smokey Mountains:  Clingman's Dome.  If you're planning a visit to the Smokies, be sure to check the weather before heading to Clingman's Dome as it can be drastically different "up there" than it is in Gatlinburg.  We actually tried going up to Clingman's Dome the day before and we got caught in a horrific rain storm.  There were so many clouds, we couldn't see more than four feet in front of our car.  It was actually very scary, so we decided to turn around and try again the next day.  But even turning around was terrifying because it's a mountain road, and very narrow, and we hoped and prayed a car wasn't coming back down the mountain as we were trying to turn around.

The next day however, was a beautiful, sunny day so we got a second chance to see the views!

Clingman's Dome is a beautiful structure located on top of the Smokies.  At 6,643 feet it is the highest mountain in the park and one of the highest peaks in the eastern part of the United States.

There is a very large, spacious parking lot to Clingman's Dome but as a warning, get there early, because parking still fills up fast.  When we got there, parking was just starting to fill, but by the time we were done the entire lot was filled and there were cars lined up down the mountain road for at least 1/2 mile.

You do not want to have to park on the road for the hike to the dome is challenging enough. When I was coming back down from the dome,  I saw one young woman in her 20's who looked like she was about to pass out at the start of the trail.  I was so perplexed how she could be so exhausted already at the start of the trail when she was so young.  Then as we were leaving, and I saw all the cars lined up on the road to the parking lot, I realized she must have climbed a lot just to get to that point.  Poor thing, because this was a tough trail.  It's only 1/2 mile and completely paved, but boy, is it steep!  Everyone, young and old, fit or not fit, seemed to be struggling.  It made me wonder why they didn't put in some type of transportation to the dome, like a ski lift or something, then everyone could enjoy it!  

The views along the trail were just beautiful.  Actually, the views from the parking lot were incredible too!  I don't even think the hike to Clingdom's Dome is worth the effort to be honest with you.  You can see great views from the parking lot.  Perhaps that's why they don't put in a ski lift.  I'm sounding so lazy here aren't I?  😊  Truly, I love to hike, and we do go on a lot of challenging hikes, but for some reason, I didn't really enjoy this one.  Maybe because it's not technically a "hiking trail", but just a steep, annoying, crowded path...with great views along the way and a lookout at the end.

I was relieved when we finally got there, and I was very impressed with the structure itself.  I loved how it curved in a circle going up to the dome (as seen in the very first picture of this post).

You do get above the tree line if you go to the top of the dome, whereas if you don't make the hike and just choose to enjoy the parking lot views you are at tree level.

The next two pictures explain all you can see from the dome on a clear day and construction of the dome itself.

I must admit I was a bit nervous on the dome.  I don't know why, it was very safe.  I just feel a little on-edge when heights are involved.  Perhaps that is why I didn't enjoy my hike up so much.  The crowds didn't help, because I was worried someone would push me over the railing on accident or something.  Stupid, I know.  But when your afraid of heights those irrational fears manifest.

I was very relieved to get off the dome and head back down the mountain.  We didn't spend much time at the top at all.  I immediately felt myself relax as we headed back down, and I was finally able to just enjoy  the views and the experience.

Like I said above, you don't have to climb to the top to enjoy the views.  This beautiful spot was at parking lot level, so if you have a handicapped person in your party, or are very elderly, or have very small children, you can still go to Clingdom's Dome and walk around a bit and enjoy the views.

I think we enjoyed ourselves walking the perimeter of the parking lot more than we did at the top of the dome.  There were less people, and we were able to take our time and get some great photos.

Hubby even found this amazing rock formation and decided to climb it.  He is not afraid of heights at all!

And finally, here is a video of me walking up the Clingdom's Dome structure.  You can sense in the video I'm not thrilled to be up there.  Again, part of it was all the people up there that put me on edge.  All the talking you hear in the video is not us, but all the people surrounding us.  The video is worth a watch because you really get a sense of the scope of the structure and it's height that you can't get in just a photograph.

 

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Our Smokey Mountains Vacation - Day Five, Part Two: Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill

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, and HERE!

One of my absolute favorite things about Smokey Mountain National Park is all the history!  The land on which the park now sits, was once a land filled with homesteads of early settlers.  Many of the log cabins and farms are still there.   Cades Cove and Roaring Fork Motor Trail are both great places to see the old homes and churches.  But if you really want to learn more about the farmer's life in the 1800's, then "Mountain Farm Museum" is the place for you!

The museum is located in the North Carolina portion of the park about 30 miles from Gatlinburg.   I really enjoyed this section of the park for it was far less crowded than the Gatlinburg area.  The Oconaluftee Visitor Center is located right next to the museum but we didn't go inside for we were there to see the farm.

The Mountain Farm Museum is a collection of historic log buildings from throughout the Smokey Mountains gathered and preserved on one site.  Here you can explore a farmhouse, barn, apple house, springhouse, blacksmith shed, corn crib, and hog pen.  Visitors can get a sense of how people lived and survived in the late 19th century.  

Front of corn crib

Every building was labeled with a description like the one below to explain the purpose of the building.  I found the corn crib so interesting because it was the settlers most important crop and they ate cornmeal products up to three times a day.  That is definitely not the low-carb diet most of us eat today.

Back of corn crib

The Farm Museum was so peaceful when we there.  Now granted, it was still very early in the morning, but we so enjoyed getting away from the crowds and being in a more peaceful atmosphere.  We also loved how the entire farm seemed encircled by the Smokey Mountains and a lovely river ran the length of the farm.  All we could hear was running water and birds singing.  It was so tranquil.

The woodshed

The Farm Museum also demonstrates historic gardening and agricultural practices including livestock.  In the picture below are apple trees which are fenced off to protect the trees from the elk.  If you watch the video at the end of this post, you will see the elk that were enjoying breakfast right on the road to the Farm Museum.

The next three pictures are of the barn.

Here is the beautiful river that runs all along the property.  You can see more of this river in the long eleven minute video at the end of the post.  This river is also a trail called the "Oconaluftee River Trail".  The trail follows the river 1.5 miles to Cherokee.  It is a stroller accessible trail, so it would be great for families or the elderly and handicapped.

This is the hog pen.  I was fascinated by the fact that they let their hogs free part of the year so that they don't have to feed them.  How they ever find them again, I have no idea.

 

After our visit to the Farm Museum, we then headed over to Mingus Mill which is only a half mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.  There is a spacious parking for the mill, and then you take a pretty walk across a bridge to get to the mill itself.  As I've said so many times in my Smokey Mountain travel posts, there is water EVERYWHERE in the smokies!  Beautiful rivers and babbling brooks constantly surround you providing the most soothing sounds.

Mingus Mill was built in 1886.  It is a historic grist mill that uses a water powered turbine instead of a water wheel to grind flour.  It is located at it's original site and is still used today to make corn meal and whole wheat flour.  You may purchase the products from the miller inside the mill. All proceeds go to benefit the park, so it's not just a great souvenir and meal, but a great charity as well.  Be sure to watch the Mingus Mill video at the end of the post where we meet and converse with the miller and purchase some cornmeal to take home.

This is the side front of the mill as you are walking down the path to get there.

And here you can see how the water is channeled from the river and into the mill to power the turbine.

Finally, here are all the videos.  The first one shows the mill and the miller.  The second one is just me and my hubby having fun and enjoying the little trail to the mill.  The third one is a long, eleven minute video of the entire Farm Museum, and finally, the fourth video shows the elk we encountered as we entered the park.

Our next stop on this action-packed day was Clingman's Dome!  Wait till you see the views from up there!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!