A great way to get a taste of winter Adventuring without enduring over night, alpine camping trips in a snow cave or be bivouacked in a blowing, nylon pup tent in the middle of a blizzard, is to pick the right national park, and just experience a portion of winter wonderland close to warm fireplace and a hot tub.
I’m talking about one of my favorite places on this planet, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We usually go there in the summer or fall but, a better romantic getaway can’t be found.
Gatlinburg has dozens of different venues of “getting-away” quality; from family sports to shopping, to true wilderness trekking, it’s all there. And, like other destinations well known for outdoor fun, there are top rated outfitters and gear outlets, so you could virtually just grab your honey and head out. Make sure to buy a good-sized duffel bag for the return trip to carry home all of your new outdoor gear.
The trail is a through trail (not a loop) and terminates at the Sugarlands Visitor Center in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and near traffic light number 10 in down town Gatlinburg. During June through October, my suggestion is to take an early morning trip the Brown shuttle into the park, and then hike back to town on the trail. This affords an enjoyable late breakfast of hot buttered pancakes, eggs and sausage at trails end.
If you were introduced to these types of getaways via Branson, Missouri, then you will absolutely love Gatlinburg, which predates the Branson experience by many years. Branson is more of a show place than Gatlinburg, claiming fame to many show venues that include the Mandrel sisters and many others including the Osmands. Gatlinburg is a true family getaway with less Vegas glitz.
I’m not attempting to mislead you into thinking that Gatlinburg is not a tourist destination. It definitely is. We started going to Gatlinburg over two decades ago when it had just divested itself of the Best Kept Secret in The Smokys persona. Ever since then, it has added many a T-shirt shop and eatery, and even boasts a world class aquarium. But, Gatlinburg’s outdoor adventure strength lies in its proximity to the heaviest visited national park in America, The Great Smoky Mountains.
Click on picture for larger view. Map by Adventure-Crew.com and Google Earth.
So, here’s your itinerary;
-Make sure to maximize your trip by taking time off during the week.
-Book into one of the area cabins or lodges with a hot tub and a view.
-Plan your hiking day for the day after you arrive or the next so you can spend day one or two getting oriented.
-On hiking day, get up very early, 6 am. Eat nothing but a muffin and some juice, but take a Granola bar or two with you.
-Arrive at the Sugarlands Visitor Center as early as possible; they open at 8am. Even though they have many interesting things to see there, and even have a great local gift and Appalachian heritage shop, the trail is free and all you need to start are your boots. I suggest you clothe yourself better than that, especially this time of year.
Pick a leisurely pace so you can take pictures of the creek, waterfalls and wildlife. Another tip is to walk quietly but at a stead pace so you can see more wildlife. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds and the very occasional bear are to be seen in the Smokys, but bears have not been known to frequent this trail. A good thing.
By the way, if you see a bear, this is not the time to sneak up on them for a once-in-a-life-time photo op. The best position from which to see bears is from your car at Cade’s Cove, not face to face on a trail. As national parks have for some reason seen fit to allow us into the bear’s domain without firearms for self protection, I never advise hiking the more remote trails of national parks. Never. Your life is not worth it. I still am of the old fashioned opinion that the lives of my friends and loved ones are worth more to me than a bear, wolverine or mountain lion.
Continue on the trail past the cascades, old cabins and forest until you reach civilization again and your late breakfast of hot pancakes with maple syrup.
Just in case The Burning Bush Restaurant is closed or moved, be prepared to board the shuttle or take the short walk a couple of blocks to the next restaurant. The only pancake house I can truly recommend is the Log Cabin Pancake House on Airport Rd. I’ve been there many times and have never been disappointed;
Log Cabin Pancake House
327 Historic Nature Trl (Airport Rd)
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(865) 436-7894
For lodging, you need to check on line for what you’re looking for. It’s like being a kid in a candy store for choices. We’ve stayed in large lodges for a week that cost hundreds of dollars. We’ve stayed in a small motel owned by some friends for a lot less. And, we stayed at the big fancy-shmancy hotel that overlooks Gatlinburg during a remodel for really cheap. It was actually one of the nicest hotel rooms we’d been in for about $65. That’ll probably never happen again.
So check out your options. Go there. Walk the trail. Take pictures. Then, get home and log on to Adventure-Space.com and show and tell.
Here’s the Trails.com trail guide for the Gatlinburg/Fighting Creek Trail.
Preview: This walk between Sugarlands Visitor Center and Gatlinburg is not for people who want to experience solitude in the Smokys. As a shuttle or out-and-back hike, there are better short hikes than this. It is, however, a great split-party hike, especially for those staying in Gatlinburg. Have your party drop you off at [ more ]
Stu Marks Field Producer - Team Two