Our Life - Travel Guides & Photography » Mountains & Valleys

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:57:45 +0000

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the United States. It is situated in both Tennessee and North Carolina. It encompasses the ridge line of the Great Smoky Mountains – a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park. The park is well known for its Black Bear population. The park has ample opportunities for hiking, camping, sightseeing, fishing, bicycling, horseback riding, wild water rafting, water tubing and motor touring. There is no entry fee to the park. The park also has a number of historical attractions, rivers and waterfalls.

The main park entrances are located along U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) at the towns of Gatlinburg in Tennessee and Cherokee in North Carolina.

Sugarlands Visitors Center, Gatlinburg
Oconaluftee Visitors Center, Cherokee

US 441 – Newfound Gap Road is a very scenic highway through the park with access to many trail heads and scenic overlooks. New Found Gap is the lowest gap in the mountains and is situated near the center of the park on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, halfway between the border towns of Gatlinburg and Cherokee. On clear days, Newfound Gap offers the most spectacular scenes accessible via highway in the park.

The most popular attractions of the park include:

Cades Cove – Historic Buildings, Sightseeing, Trails, Camping, Picnicking
Roaring Fork
Catalochee
Elkmont
Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill at Oconaluftee
Clingmans Dome – Highest point in the park offering spectacular views
Laurel Falls – Beautiful 80 foot waterfall
Newfound Gap

Fall Colors put up a spectacular show throughout the park during Oct and early November. At higher elevations, colors change during the first 2 weeks of October. Good places to view Fall Colors would be Clingmans Dome and New Found Gap. During the last week of October and first week of November, colors would have peaked at lower elevations. Cades Cove, Catalochee and Oconaluftee will be good choices.

Here are some photos taken during our trip on Oct 17th and 18th, 2009. On Oct 17th, it snowed at higher elevations of the park. It was a spectacular sight with beautiful fall colors and snow covered tree tops. We visited Oconaluftee, New Found Gap, Clingmans Dome, Meigs Falls and Cades Cove. NC 441 was very beautiful with fall colors at higher elevations.

Cades Cove (Great Smoky Mountains)

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:39:34 +0000

Cades Cove is one of the most visited attractions of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a lush green valley surrounded by mountains and there are many historic buildings from 18th and 19th centuries. The valley is very scenic and wild life can be spotted, including black bear. The nearest town is Townsend in Tennessee.

You can drive along a 11-mile one-way loop road around the cove. Traffic will be heavy during the tourist seasons in summer and fall and on weekends year-round. It may take up to 4-6 hrs to complete the entire loop. You can park your car at designated areas and visit the historic buildings which include a grist mill, a variety of barns, three churches, and a marvelous collection of log homes. Peak Fall is generally between last week of October and first week of November.

Cades Cove Visitor Center is open daily. There are picnic areas along a beautiful stream and restrooms. A campground with 159 sites is open year round in Cades Cove. Numerous trails originate in the cove, including the five-mile roundtrip trail to Abrams Falls and the short Cades Cove Nature Trail.

We visited Cades Cove on Oct 18th, 2009 and it was wonderful. It had snowed on the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina & Tennessee the previous day. We could see mountain peaks covered in snow and beautiful fall colors beneath the snow covered peaks. It was a marvelous sight and we enjoyed every minute though it took us around 4 hours to complete the 11 mile loop.

Here are some photos from our trip to Cades Cove.

Pilot Mountain State Park

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:03:59 +0000

Pilot Mountain State Park is located between Mount Airy and Winston Salem in North Carolina. It is 1.5 hours drive from Charlotte. It is well known for its distinctive peak “Big Pinnacle”. Pilot Mountain’s original Native American name is Jomeokee. Pilot Mountain has two distinctive pinnacles, named Big and Little Pinnacle. Big Pinnacle is also called “The Knob”. It has 200 feet (61 m) high bare rock walls, and a rounded top covered in vegetation, reaching a height of approximately 1,400 feet (430 m) above the surrounding terrain.

The park is divided into 2 areas:- The Summit and The Yadkin River area. Activities at the park include camping, canoeing, fishing, rock climbing, picnicking, hiking, and environmental education. There are different trails in the park which allow access.

There is a paved road with overlooks and offers views of Big Pinnacle.It is handicap accessible.
Another 0.1 mile long trail leads to Little Pinnacle and Little Pinnacle Overlook offers a close-up view of Big Pinnacle and distant views of the valley below..
The Jomeokee Trail is 0.8 miles roundtrip and is moderate. It goes around the base of Big Pinnacle.

There are 2 picnic areas at the Yadkin River section and 1 picnic area at the summit. Ivy Bluff and Yadkin River Trails originate the River Section of the park.

Here are some photos from our trip to Pilot Mountain State Park. You can read more about other North Carolina Parks here.

Oconaluftee (Great Smoky Mountains)

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:15:52 +0000

Oconaluftee is located inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2 miles north of Cherokee, North Carolina. It is a river valley in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Formerly the site of a Cherokee village and Appalachian community, the valley’s bottom land is now home to the main entrance to the North Carolina section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There is a Vistor Center, Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill. The Mountain Farm Museum contains a fascinating collection of log structures gathered from throughout the Smoky Mountains and preserved on a single site. It includes a farmhouse, barn, smokehouse, apple house, corn cribs and others. The visitor center has restrooms and telephones. There is a bookstore and gift shop with a broad selection of guides, maps and other things.

Mingus Mill is located half-mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Built in 1886, this historic grist mill uses a water-powered turbine instead of a water wheel to power all of the machinery in the building. Located at its original site, Mingus Mill stands as a tribute to the test of time.

If you are traveling to Smoky Mountains from North Carolina, you can enter Smoky Mountains National Park from Cherokee and continue via scenic US 441 until Gatlinburg, Tennessee. US 441 is a very scenic drive through the middle of Smoky National Park with scenic overlooks and trails.

Two excellent walking trails start from the vicinity. The Oconaluftee River Trail follows its Oconaluftee stream for 1.5 miles to Cherokee. Mingus Creek Trail climbs past old farms to the Smokies high country. The easy, 1.5 mile Oconaluftee River Trail begins near the entrance to the museum. It is stroller-accessible and follows the river to Cherokee, N.C.

Here are some photos from our trip to Smoky Mountains on Oct 17th and Oct 18th, 2009.

Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Sightseeing

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:16:40 +0000

Blue Ridge Parkway is America’s most scenic drive and extends from Virginia to North Carolina. Linking Shennandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a 470-mile, linear National Park with many stopping points along the way. Mileposts along the parkway start at zero at the northeast end in Virginia and count to 469 at the southern end in North Carolina.

You can spend days on the Blue Ridge Parkway enjoying the breathtaking panoramas specially during spring and fall. From Milepost 0 to Milepost 217, the parkway lies in Virginia. From Milepost 217 to Milepost 470, the parkway winds through North Carolina. The parkway is extremely beautiful between Blowing Rock (Milepost 290) and Asheville (Milepost 390) with lot of overlooks, parks and hiking trails.

We visited Blue Ridge parkway on Oct 11th, 2009 to view Fall Colors. Our trip started from Blowing Rock and went on till Crabtree Meadows. The fall colors were near their peak on most of the parkway between Blowing Rock and Asheville. We had planned to visit Mt. Mitchell and Craggy Gardens on the same day but we were slowed down by Nature’s Beauty, trails and overlooks, where we spent more time than planned. We will have to go back again another sunny day to view Mt. Mitchell and nearby places on the Parkway. Biltmore Estate is also another place we plan to visit late October.

As you drive south on Blue Ridge Parkway from Blowing Rock to Asheville, these are some of the attractions you get to see:-

Julian Price Memorial Park (Milepost 296) – An amazing place with miles and miles of greenery, a beautiful lake and good fall colors. There are restrooms, picnic tables and campgrounds. There are some beautiful streams and creeks which flow through the park.
Rough Ridge (Milepost 302.8) - A short trail to the summit offers beautiful views of Grandfather Mountain and Linn Cove Viaduct.
Linn Cove Viaduct (Milepost 304.4) - There is a visitor center with restrooms and a short trail leads you beneath the Viaduct.
Grandfather Mountain (Milepost 305) – The highest peak in the Blue Ridge mountain range and one of the most visited attractions on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Grandfather Mountain Overlook (Milepost 306) – A scenic overlook with great views of Grandfather Mountain.
Linville Waterfalls and Gorge (MilePost 316.4) - Beautiful waterfalls and gorge with picnic area and lot of trails.
Chestoa View Overlook (Milepost 320) – Scenic overlook offering views of Linville Gorge and Table Rock Mountain and a 30-minutes loop trail with good views.
Orchard at Altapass
Crabtree Meadows and Waterfall (Milepost 339.5)
Looking Glass Waterfalls (Milepost 412) – Take US 276 from MP 412 to view the beautiful waterfalls.
Mt. Mitchell
Craggy Gardens
Biltmore Estate
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Milepost 469.1)

Blue Ridge Attractions

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:16:36 +0000

Blue Ridge Parkway is the most scenic National parkway and is known as “America’s Favorite Drive”. It runs for 469 miles mostly along the Blue Ridge mountains, a major mountain chain which is part of the Appalachian Mountains. The parkway starts from the north at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and goes up to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina. This scenic byway is especially beautiful during Fall and Spring. Check out Fall Photos of Blue Ridge Parkway here.

Fall Colors Blue Ridge Parkway

Mileposts along the parkway start at zero at the northeast end in Virginia and count to 469 at the southern end in North Carolina. Major towns and cities along the way include Waynesboro, Roanoke, and Galax in Virginia; and in North Carolina - Blowing Rock, Boone and Asheville, where it runs across the property of the Biltmore Estate.

Blue Ridge Parkway

These are some of the beautiful places you can visit during your drive through Blue Ridge Parkway in the North Carolina region.

Blowing Rock
Grandfather Mountain
Linville Waterfalls
Linville Caverns
Chimney Rock State Park
Lake Lure
Julian Price Memorial Park
Rough Ridge
Linn Cove Viaduct
Grandfather Mountain Overlook
Chestoa View Overlook
Crabtree Meadows and Falls
Looking Glass Waterfalls
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Pisgah National Forest
CumberLand Knob
Doughton Park
E. B. Jeffress Park
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park
Mount Mitchell State Park
Craggy Gardens
North Carolina Arboretum
Biltmore Estate
Mount Pisgah
Graveyard Fields
Looking Glass Rock
Waterrock Knob
Black Balsam Knob

Blue Ridge Parkway in NC

Hanging Rock State Park

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:02:49 +0000

Hanging Rock State Park is a part of North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. It is located in Stokes county, 4 miles north west of Danbury, North Carolina. It is around 2 hours drive from Charlotte, NC.

The park is open from 8am – 9pm in Summer (Jun-Aug) and 8am – 6pm in winter (Nov-Feb) and 8am – 8pm for rest of the year.

The visitor’s centre features many exhibits and you can grab maps of trails and other interesting brochures.
There are lot of trails which provide spectacular views of cascades and waterfalls.
There are cliffs for rock climbing for the experienced climbers.
Family Camping (73 camp sites) and Group Camping (9 sites) have picnic tables, grills and tent pads.
Vacation Cabins are available for rent and require advance reservations. Each cabin included 2 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen.
There are 2 picnic areas in the park with 15 grills each and 60 picnic sites in total. The first picnic area is near the trail heads for Hanging Rock, Window Falls, Indian Creek and Upper Cascades Trail. The second one is on a shaded hillside near the lake.
The 12 acre lake is the centre of attraction for swimmers, boaters and fishermen. There is a stone and timber bath house which includes restrooms, dressing rooms, snack bar and a lounge area.
Visit www.ncparks.gov to learn more about Hanging Rock State Park.

We visited Hanging Rock State Park on the 4th of July, 2009. We had a wonderful time at Hanging Rock State Park. We started our visit with the trails to Hidden Falls (easy trail 0.4 miles) and Window Falls (moderate trail 0.6 miles). After a picnic lunch, we went to the lake for wonderful 2 hours of swimming. Though the weather was hot, surprisingly the water was cold. While returning, we visited Upper Cascades Falls (easy trail 0.2 miles) which is Wheelchair Accessible.

Here are some photos from our Day Trip to Hanging Rock State Park.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos.

Chimney Rock State Park

admin — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:37:34 +0000

If you like trips to Mountains, then Chimney Rock State Park is definitely a place to visit. The Park is located 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina. It offers the best of the mountains in one place – spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, and much more. We covered the following points of interest during our visit to Chimney Rock State park.

The Chimney
The Chimney Rock is a towering 315-foot monolith located on the very edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, high above beautiful Hickory Nut Gorge. At a soaring elevation of 2,280 feet with its 75-mile views, this mountain top experience will take your breath away.

The Opera Box
This special place is covered by a rock overhang with a narrow horizontal opening that presents panoramic views of Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge.

Devil’s Head
At the start of the Skyline trail just above the Chimney, there is a rock face peering out over the Gorge. The rock has formed itself into the shape of a Devil’s head.

Hickory Nut Falls
Hickory Nut Falls is one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. The falls can be reached by taking a gentle walk via the Hickory Nut Falls trail to a platform at its bottom.

For more information, please visit http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/index.php

Here are some of the photos which we took during our Trip. Chimney Rock is around 2 hours drive from Charlotte.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos. Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.

Blowing Rock

admin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:20:19 +0000

The Blowing Rock is one of North Carolina’s oldest travel attraction, since 1933. It is an immense cliff 4,000 feet above sea level overhanging Johns River Gorge 3,000 feet below. The Cliff gets its name “Blowing Rock” because the rocky walls of the gorge form a flume through which the northwest wind sweeps with such force that it returns light objects cast over the void. It is situated near Blue Ridge Parkway of North Carolina.

Visible from “The Blowing Rock” down the gorge to the southwest are Hawksbill Mountain and Table Rock. To the west are Grandfather Mountain (the highest peak in the Blue Ridge chain) and Mount Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Mississippi).

There is an entrance fee for viewing the attraction. Please visit http://www.theblowingrock.com/name.html, to know more about visiting Blowing Rock and planning your trip.

Our Trip to Blowing Rock started around 8:00 am on Nov 8th, 2008. It was the first place we had planned to cover that day. The View from Blowing Rock was spectacular and most of the trees had colors at the lower elevations. If you are planning to visit Blue Ridge Parkway, you can easily cover Blowing Rock as well. Blowing Rock is about 2 hours drive from Charlotte.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos. Click on the Thumbnails to view larger Images.

You can easily go for a One Day Trip to Blowing Rock, if you are staying in Charlotte or Asheville Area. Pack a picnic lunch and drive to this beautiful mountain get away. Be sure to cover other interesting places on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fall is the best time to visit these places in North Carolina.

Grandfather Mountain

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:25:24 +0000

Grandfather Mountain is a privately owned mountain 5,946 ft above sea level, located in North Carolina, USA. Our first trip to Grandfather Mountain was on Oct 4th, 2008. It was a lovely experience as we drove through the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. We were lucky enough to see early fall colors. Oct 1st and 2nd weeks are the best time to visit Grandfather Mountain to view fall colors.

Blue Ridge Parkway is known as “America’s Favorite Drive”. It’s extremely scenic and there are lot of OverLooks where you can stop your vehicle and enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Linking Shennandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a 470-mile, linear National Park with many stopping points along the way.

Visit the website of Blue Ridge Parkway for more information. You can view more photos of Blue Ridge Parkway here.

Grandfather mountain is a very beautiful place with lot of nature walks and hiking trails. The Mile High Swinging Bridge is a 228 foot suspension bridge and is the major attraction. Grandfather Mountain has a natural wild life reserve where you can view a few wild animals in their natural habitat. There are seven environmental habitats for black bears , river otters , cougars , bald eagles, golden eagles , and white-tailed deer. The admission fee is $15 for adults. You can easily plan for a day trip to Grandfather Mountain if you are staying in Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh etc. It is 2 hours drive from Charlotte. There are many trails for trekking and beautiful picnic spots.

To learn more about Grandfather Mountain, visit the official website http://www.grandfather.com

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos.