Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains
Tom and I have always wanted to visit the Great Smoky Mountains. We settled on spending Tom’s birthday on a short excursion in Tennessee. We flew in on a Thursday night, and planned to camp through Monday.
Immediately upon arriving, we were impressed. Knoxville was beautiful and the main portion of town was clean and lively. It probably goes without saying, but the food was exceptional and every person we met laid the southern charm on heavy for us.
On Friday morning, we wandered around Market Square in downtown Knoxville. One of the first things that we spotted was an alley-way that was covered in rich, colorful murals.
We sat down for breakfast at OliBea and enjoyed a delicious meal and perfectly prepared Americanos to get us moving for our hike through a nature center that was just on the outskirts of the city.
We headed to Ijams Nature Center to check out the Boardwalk Trail.
The trail was well maintained and we enjoyed the easy stroll on this beautiful, warm morning. The boardwalk runs along the river and the rocky cliffs. It was quiet and peaceful and for the majority of the trail, we had it all to ourselves.
We headed back to Market Square for a heavy lunch of burgers and bourbon at Stock and Barrel. The food and whiskey were delicious and filling.
After stopping to grab a few groceries, we headed to Great Smoky Mountain National Park to find our site at Elkmont Campground.
Although our site was close to other campers, it was nestled in a forest full of brightly colored changing leaves. For being such a large and heavily trafficked campground, it remained a quiet retreat for us throughout our trip.
We quickly set up and left to make our way to Morton’s Overlook.
Traffic had begun to build intensely along Rt 441 in the opposite direction. As we were driving, we came to an overlook that looked like the one we were aiming for, but without being sure, we continued forward.
Unfortunately, we passed by Morton’s Overlook and with traffic so heavy we had no choice but to continue to Clingmans Dome for sunset.
Finding a location with pine trees reaching into the dusk sky, we posted up to wait for the sun to set.
The sky was full of heavy clouds which cast beautiful deep colored lines through the sky. The sun reflected from these clouds and turned a deep orange color.
As soon as the sun set, the temperatures dropped and we headed back to our campground.
Apparently, every other sunset watcher had the same idea and we were in bumper to bumper traffic the entire drive back to our site.
The next morning, we rose early to make the drive back up the mountain to Clingmans Dome for sunrise. Arriving by 7am in time for the sun rising meant leaving our site an hour earlier. Once again, we were not alone in our journey. Following a steady stream of cars, we made our way to the east facing parking lot.
I set up my tripod to wait, shivering in the cold, as Tom brewed us some coffee on the curb behind me.
Slowly, the mountains began to take shape in front of us. Peak after peak rose from the dark blue horizon and pink clouded skies grew intense with color. The sun burst through from behind a distant mountain top and all you could hear were shutters going off.
The rising of the sun brought little warmth to the air as we began the climb up the half mile summit to Clingmans Dome lookout tower.
It was difficult in the cold morning air, but so worth the views at the top. In every direction, all you could see were mountains, with their sun-drenched peaks and shadowed valleys. The sun filtered through the hazy morning air and left pockets of ghostly fog between them.
We continued our drive back down the mountain, stopping to enjoy breakfast at an overlook.
The afternoon was spent hiking along Alum Cave Trail.
The hike to Arch Rock was generally flat and through the trees we would see glimpses of the mountains in the distance as we continued up towards the bluffs.
As we continued, the hiking grew more difficult and rocky, but the views were stunning. Trees speckled in various fall colors in every direction. Intense yellows burst through the branches, intertwined with fiery reds and oranges.
We made our way back to the car and settled at camp for lunch. We decided to head to Gatlinburg as it was only 8 miles away. But, the crowded nature of the park caused us to spend an hour and 20 minutes in the car to make it those short 8 miles. We didn’t stay long, fearing the traffic would be heavy returning to camp.
The next morning, with rain on the way, we made the choice to head back into Knoxville for our last night in Tennessee, instead of driving further south to camp again.
We took the loop through Cade’s Cove and watched as the storm rolled in from the South.
We stayed at The Oliver Hotel which was filled with old school charm and modern amenities. Our room was directly overlooking Market Square and we loved the people watching. Not to mention, the bed and shower felt fantastic.
We set out and had dinner at The Tomato Head. Our meals were both delicious. After a final drink at Stock and Barrel, we headed for our room to relax.
Monday morning, we had breakfast at Cafe 4 and explored the shops of Market Square before heading back to the airport.
Knoxville was great to us. The kindness is infectious and the surrounding mountains are far stretching and beautiful.
