The Great Smoky Mountain national park is only about 40 miles from Knoxville. This is an excellent location for hiking, kayaking and other activities. A lot of hikers avoid the Smokies in favor of other places, probably because of the crowds, or perception of crowds, but these can usually be avoided, especially in the winter, which is possibly the best season for hiking there.

For these pages, the park has been divided into three regions, central, western, and eastern. This park map will help with orientation.

The park is bisected by Rt. 441, the only major road through the Smokies. The central region of the park along 441 is also the most crowded, but is worth a visit because it is the location of Mt. Leconte and other fine hiking destinations. The tacky commercialism of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg can be mostly avoided if one takes the time to study some maps.

Those searching for quiet should consider the eastern region of the park, near Cosby. This area gets far fewer visitors than the other parts of the park, but is still very accessible. Prime destinations here include Mt. Cammerer, Mt. Sterling, and Cataloochie Cove.

The western region of the park includes the popular Cades Cove, which can be uncomfortably crowded on weekends. The Appalachian trail follows the ridge between Cades Cove and Fontana Lake, crossing numerous high, scenic balds. The azaleas at Gregory's Bald are spectacular when they bloom in June. The North Carolina side of this region is very remote and gets relatively few visitors, except along the lake.

Wildlife is a major attraction of the Smokies. Looking for bears is a popular activity. There are numerous deer in Cades Cove and elsewhere. Red Wolves have also been released in the park. There are wild boar in the park, but they are considered a nuisance, since they don't belong there. Bobcats are present as well. I also saw a mountain lion near Newfound Gap one winter, though the rangers will tell you there aren't any, because none of them has seen one yet.

The Smokies were mostly populated before the park opened, so there is a lot of history in the park, including old cabins and mills, and an occasional old car along the trails. Some relatively recent ruins can be found at Proctor, on Fontana Lake. Sometimes you can come upon people who used to live in the park. I met some playing music by a creek once, and the park sponsors Old Timer's Days in Cades Cove for bluegrass music and reunions.

The Smokies have special attractions in each season. The blooming balds of the spring and the changing colors in the fall are perhaps the most spectactular. In the winter, one can drive up and visit the snow, which is a rarity in Knoxville. Swimming holes such as the Sinks and the Townshend Y are popular for cooling off in the summer. Any time of year, you may catch a spectacular sunset.

The most popular climbing spot in the Smokies is at Look Rock, on the Foothills Parkway west of Walland. Numerous ropes will be seen here any weekend when the weather is reasonable, for both climbing and rappeling.

Kayakers will find Little River an attractive run when the water is adequate. Difficulty levels vary widely by section and water level. Various forks of the Little Pigeon can also be run, though some are quite difficult. The branch coming from Greenbriar is quite popular members. Big Creek is rather difficult and requires a long carry, but is run as well.