Camping in the Smoky Mountains with kids: a trip report

[Noah's Helper]

Our family enjoyed a quick trip to the Smoky Mountains for our school’s fall break in early October. We spent several days camping and hiking, and finished with a day at Dollywood.

Cast
Ben (Dad, me)
Tina (Mom)
Julianna, 10
Noah, 7

Day 1
We drove to the Smoky Mountains taking 321 through Maryville and Townsend, arriving mid-afternoon. We weren’t expecting much in the way of fall color, but there were a few splashes of yellow along Little River. There were a number of brown trees too, evidence of the drought. The river was running low as well.

Before heading to the campground, we stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center to pick up Junior Ranger booklets. Julianna had done the Junior Ranger thing a few years ago, and we wanted to do it again with both kids. (Actually, the adults were more enthusiastic than the kids.) The program has changed a bit -- the books have to be purchased now; they have more activities; the booklets are more professionally done; and there are more age divisions.

The kids both wanted hiking staffs, so we bought them one each -- even though I had planned to make some this winter. :unsure: We also bought a book called "Scavenger Hike Adventures" to add some kid-friendly interest to our hikes. On the way out, I asked a ranger about the water level at Grotto Falls. She even showed me a picture on her digital camera, taken that same morning. :thumbsup: The falls were obviously low, but still looked interesting enough for a visit.

We drove to Elkmont and checked in at the campground. We didn’t make our reservations soon enough to get a spot by the river, but we did get a walk-in spot by a small (almost dry) creek. The tent site was about 30 yards from our parking spot, but that was fine with us. While setting up the tent, we realized Julianna was not wearing the tennis shoes we expected her to wear, but Crocs. This presented a problem, as we had not packed anything else for her to use for hiking. We made a call to the Happy Hiker in Gatlinburg, but they had already closed for the day. Looks like we’ll be shopping in the morning. :(

We started a fire and roasted hot dogs for supper, then walked over to the amphitheater to learn about black bears from a ranger. Back at camp, we made s’mores :camp: then turned in for the night.

Day 2
We made pancakes for breakfast and had a leisurely morning in camp. We still couldn’t reach the Happy Hiker by phone, so we decided to drive over and see if their hours were posted. Since today was Sunday, we weren’t sure if they’d be open at all. We lucked out and got there just a few minutes before they opened. The staff was very helpful, and Julianna ended up with a nice pair of hiking boots that will hopefully last her through next summer’s trips.

We got out of Gatlinburg quickly and headed up the mountain to Clingmans Dome. There were plenty of people there; the parking lot was almost full. The air was not chilly at all, visibility was good, and the fall colors were strong at this elevation. We made it up the steep half-mile trail to the observation tower, with frequent rest stops for the kids. We identified some of the trees the kids needed to find for their Junior Ranger books, and also took a short diversion along the Appalachian Trail.

By the time we returned to our car, the parking lot was overflowing. We made a quick stop at the spruce-fir nature trail to identify more trees; we never did find a Fraser magnolia. For lunch we stopped at the Chimneys picnic area, which was also crowded; we were lucky to find a table. After lunch the kids enjoyed rock hopping in the stream.

We made it back to camp and relaxed for the rest of the day.

(Continued...)

[Noah's Helper]

Day 3
The plan was to wake up before dawn and be at Cades Cove before the loop road opened. My cheap watch alarm didn’t wake us, though. We made it to the cove about an hour later than we hoped, but we still beat most of the crowd. We enjoyed seeing the horses running across the fields, being rounded up for their day’s work at the stable. There were a number of wild turkeys in the fields, but unusually few deer. We stopped briefly at the Oliver cabin and one of the churches, then stopped for a hike to Abrams Falls.

The trail to the falls follows Abrams Creek almost the entire way. The net elevation change is small, but there are several hills to cross. The kids did pretty well, but they did need some encouragement and occasional rest stops. The "scavenger hike" book helped by providing smaller goals along the way. When we got to the falls, they both agreed it was worth the hike to get there. There was a crowd of people at the falls, and the sun was high in the sky with the falls partly in shade, so the conditions were not so good for photography. I did use the tripod and remote to take some pictures of the family in front of the falls, just to document our achievement; one even turned out better than I expected.

The hike back to the van was a bit rougher, as the kids were wearing down. We were very proud of them for making it the full five miles. We stopped at the visitor center for the restrooms, but the kids were too tired to do much exploring. We continued driving around the loop, making only one more stop when we encountered a "bear jam." There was a black bear lying in the woods eating (acorns, probably), not far from the road. We drove past then pulled off the road and walked back for a look. I’ve only seen bears in the Smokies twice before, and both times I only got a brief look. This bear was so involved in fattening himself up for the winter that he didn’t seem bothered by all the people around. Still, we kept our distance, more so than a few of the other people around. Regulations require that you stay at least 50 yards away. When one guy obviously got closer than that, :eek: we decided it was time for us to leave.

At the end of the loop, we stopped in the campground store for ice cream, which perked the kids up a bit. Leaving the campground area, we ran into some friends from church who were just checking in. We moved on to the picnic area, to let the kids play in the stream and kill some time before our hayride reservation. We had a light picnic supper before the hayride.

We opted for the hayride with narration by a ranger. What I could hear of the narration was interesting, but there were times when it was difficult to hear her. The kids didn’t even try to listen, but I think they enjoyed the other aspects of the ride. Their favorite part was handling all the animal pelts that were passed around. The cove at sunset was beautiful, and we saw lots of deer.

We were all tired when we made it back to Elkmont, and were ready for bed.

Day 4
I got up early to go photograph the sunrise, while the rest of the family slept in. I had learned of a good spot for sunrise shots when I attended a photography workshop in the Smokies about 14 years ago. I drove to this spot, which is just below Newfound Gap on the North Carolina side. There were already several photographers there, including a crew who were filming a program for PBS. One of the photographers with their crew was also one of the instructors from the workshop I had attended!

We had a glorious sunrise -- even the pros were excited about it. I even picked up a few tips from them as I eavesdropped on what they were saying to the camera. I left soon after the sun was up, since the campground regulations required that I keep all our food in the van. I had to get back to the campground so the family could have breakfast.

We had a quick breakfast then cleaned up and broke camp. We discussed several options for the day; we settled on Grotto Falls, although the kids were not too keen on another hike. I bribed them by offering to buy medallions for their hiking sticks for each of the hikes they completed on this trip.

After a stop at the Noah Ogle cabin, we drove on to the Grotto Falls trail-head. This trail is almost a constant uphill climb, but it’s only 1.5 miles to the falls. The kids did pretty well, and the scavenger hike book kept them interested. I was saddened to see the impact of the hemlock woolly adelgid on all the hemlock trees. With the sickly evergreens, the trail was not as dark and cool as I remember it.

There were a few people at the falls, but they soon left and we had the place to ourselves for a short while. Julianna got a kick out of walking under the falls, but Noah was wary of the wet rocks and wouldn’t try it. We had a picnic lunch, then the sky started turning a bit dark. It started sprinkling, so Tina and the kids headed down the trail while I hung around to take another picture or two. We had packed rain gear but left it in the van. We should have known better, but there had been no rain for the past few days and the sky was clear when we started the hike... Fortunately the rain was not heavy. Tina and the kids made good time going down the trail; I didn’t catch up to them until we were nearly at the bottom.

We finished the Roaring Fork loop driving behind a car going dreadfully slow. There were other cars behind them too; I don’t know why they wouldn’t pull over. I may have trouble getting Tina back on that curvy road after that.

We drove back through Gatlinburg to Sugarlands to pick up the hiking medallions for the kids. I had hoped the kids would have finished their Junior Ranger tasks by now, :drill: but I think we kept them too busy doing other stuff. From Sugarlands we drove to Pigeon Forge to check in to the Twin Mountain Inn, where we would stay for the next two nights.

The Twin Mountain Inn is sort of a cross between a hotel and a condominium. We checked in at their office on the main parkway, then drove a couple of blocks to get to the inn itself. The room was spacious, very nice for the price, sort of a suite with the bathroom area between the two beds. This provided some privacy, but the sink area was open to both bedrooms. This was fine for our family, but might be awkward for friends sharing a room. The kids got a kick out of having two televisions. They each claimed a bedroom and TV, and they usually had both TVs tuned to the same show.

We all got cleaned up, then met up with some friends for dinner at the Apple Barn in Sevierville. Our friends, Brian and Elaine and their two daughters, had spent the day at Dollywood. We enjoyed visiting with them and getting the scoop on Dollywood. The food was excellent too.

(Continued...)

[Noah's Helper]

Day 5
Breakfast was at the Smoky Mountain Pancake House, using coupons that came with our room. We weren’t overly impressed with the place, but the price was good.

We arrived at Dollywood before they opened, driving through a very convoluted parking area. Julianna assisted with the Rainmaker show as we were waiting for the rope drop. We ran into Brian and his family, and went to ride the Thunderhead together. There was barely a line at all. Noah sat out with Elaine. This was a wild wooden roller coaster, lots of fun but just a bit jarring. Brian and his girls got in line again, while our family went on to Lumberjack Lifts. This was a ride our whole family could do. I couldn’t get anyone to ride the Mystery Mine with me, so we moved on to other areas of the park.

We did the Smoky Mountain Wilderness Adventure Tour, which is a large-screen film and motion simulator. This was a great disappointment; I guess I was expecting something similar to Soarin’. The motion was much too aggressive and the film was more silliness than tour. Noah was scared during the whole thing, and I felt nauseous for a while afterwards.

After this we all took a drive on the Rockin’ Roadway, then we split up so Noah could do some kiddie rides while Julianna and Tina rode the raft ride. We met up to see the Dreamland Drive-In show, which Tina and I enjoyed but the kids seemed to just tolerate. We grabbed a quick lunch in Craftsman’s Valley, then let the kids play on the playground there. We all rode the Ferris Wheel, then Julianna and I did the raft ride together (and got soaked!).

Julianna wanted to ride Thunderhead again, but the line was too long, even near closing time. We did some shopping and left the park right at closing. The line for the tram was so long we just walked to our van.

Overall, we were disappointed in Dollywood. Our kids aren’t into thrill rides or shows, and they are too big for the kiddie rides. There just wasn’t much that we could all enjoy together.

Dinner was at Mel’s Diner. It was a fun atmosphere, although none of the references meant anything to the kids. They did enjoy the jukebox. The food was ok, but the servers could have been friendlier.

Day 6
Julianna wanted to have breakfast at IHOP, but it was closed due to a water problem. A local recommended Flapjack’s instead. We loved the rustic atmosphere of Flapjack’s; the food and service were both good; but the price was a bit high.

Then it was time to head towards home. We wanted to make it back in time to pick up our dog from the kennel. This was a fun trip, and we were proud of the kids for all the hiking they did. It was good to be in the Smoky Mountains again, and I’m already looking forward to the next trip.

You can see pictures from our trip at my home page.

[DisneyTwirler13!]

Sounds like you had a lot of fun!
The Smoky Mountains are a wonderful vacation destination! My family and I always go up and stay in Gatlinburg, at the Clarion by the Happy Hiker store! Have you ever been to the Craftsmans fair that takes place in the summer and the fall?

[IloveJack]

It sounds like we were there about the same time! We spent our fall break in the mountains as well, and hiked to Grotto falls. However, it was rather crowded while we were there, and no rain, so I'm sure it wasn't the same day.


[Overall, we were disappointed in Dollywood. Our kids aren’t into thrill rides or shows, and they are too big for the kiddie rides. There just wasn’t much that we could all enjoy together.

I felt the same way when we were there. My brother and I love thrill rides, but more of the Cedar Point style thrill. Mom and Dad (who ride nothing) were relatively happy, but bro and I were bored two hours after we got there. For the cost, I expected so much more. I grew up at Opryland, so I guess I was expecting Dollywood to be much like it. I left very dissapointed. :(

[Noah's Helper]

Have you ever been to the Craftsmans fair that takes place in the summer and the fall?

No, we haven't. Sounds like something my wife and I would enjoy, but I prefer spending as much time as I can inside the park.


I grew up at Opryland, so I guess I was expecting Dollywood to be much like it. I left very dissapointed. :(

Funny, I thought Dollywood was similar to Opryland, especially in the number of shows offered. There were a couple of shows I would have liked to see, but the rest of the family wasn't interested.

I miss Opryland, and it's with reluctance if I go with the family to the shopping center that's there now.

[Carol]

What a wonderful report. I always enjoy reading about your family adventures.

Your photos are absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for sharing them with us. The scenic photos are breathtaking!

Oh - and

Happy Birthday, Ben! :cake:

[Jeff]

Thanks for a report from my families favorite vacation spot on Earth (yes, we even like it more than WDW). We go to the Smokys at least once a year and to read your description of things we have seen many times was great. Thanks for the fantastic report - it made my day.:thumbsup:

[disneydrmr]

What a wonderful trip! I LOVE the Smokies! Growing up my family went there pretty much every summer! We even camped there a few times! I have found that the BEST time to see bears seems to be in early May. My dh and I saw 6 bears this past May when we went. And I'm with you on the shock of how close some people get to them - even more so when it's a mama bear protecting her cubs. You would think when that mama rears up on her hind legs the people would get the idea.. but nope! That's when we made our bee line back to our car! We're hoping to get down there again next November! Thanks for the info on Dollywood, that's one place we had talked about going, but after reading your review on it I'm not sure it would be worth the money for dh and I either. Thanks for sharing your report!

[ibrowse17]

Sounds like you had a good time. I love to camp, and have several times in the Smokies. It really is a beautiful place to be:thumbsup:

[Spaceship Tigger]

That was a good report. I think I've been everywhere that you got went on your trip, so I can relate. We love camping at Elkmont (though the riverside spots are so much nicer than the others). I also enjoy Dollywood, but we always have season tickets to the park and the water park there, so we typically go for a few hours at a time then leave. I can see how some people used to bigger parks would be disappointed after paying for a one day ticket. I guess on the bright side they're making so much money that they build something new every year.