This summer we decided to stay stateside and go on an All American Road Trip. Starting in the The Smokys, we drove the entire Blue Ridge Parkway to Shenandoah and ended with a few days in Washington DC.
We drove, hiked, ate, explored and learned. It was a lot of fun.
We have been to the
Great Smoky Mountains a few times together and I went with my dad as a kid. So, we were in familiar territory & didn't schedule a whole lot of time to explore. In retrospect we should have scheduled more.
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| Clingmans Dome |
We zoomed through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and went straight to the park. Our intentions were to drive the
Cade's Cove Loop, but we arrived later than planned, so we headed up to the top of Old Smoky to check out the view from Clingman's Dome. It was a pretty great view. And we were there at the end of the day so the crowd was pretty small.
Once we had our fill of mountain views and picture taking, we drove back down to Gatlinburg. We were lucky enough to find an oasis of calm in the spectacle that is Gatlinburg.
The Hilton Garden Inn is a new, LEED certified property along the river. It was a pretty spot, but close enough to the main drag that we could walk to dinner, which included a great pizza at the
Smoky Mountain Brewery. Not only did they have great pizza and brews, they put the Reds game on without us asking. We were very impressed with their mind reading until we realized that we were both decked out in Reds logowear! Great wait staff, even if they aren't psychic.
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| Great Smoky Mountains |
The next morning we headed back to the park, took the requisite photos with the park sign and drove through to the south entrance. We made a few stops for views and photos and spent a good amount of time exploring
Mingus Mill, 1/2 mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We thought we were going to see the mill that is on the old National Park posters. The one with the wheel. But that is at Cade's Cove (we will be returning to finally do that loop!). Mingus Mill, built in 1886, doesn't have a wheel. Instead, it has a water-powered turbine, which is pretty cool. The mill is still working and you can go inside to see how it works and buy some cornmeal from the miller.
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| Mingus Mill |
After that we said goodbye to the Smokys and hello to the
Blue Ridge Parkway, our companion for the next 5 days and 469 miles. One thing to note is that we drove the Parkway backwards, so the MilePosts with be decreasing.
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| The Blue Ridge Parkway |
Most folks start at zero, in Virginia. We started at 469 and I am glad we did.
Our first stop was, of course, lunch! We had done our research (via Chowhound, friends, Tripadvisor and lots and lots of Google searches) and got off the Parkway at MP455 to Maggie Valley for BBQ at
Butts on the Creek. It's a little past the main commercial area, but worth the extra miles! Great BBQ in a great spot, along a creek. Duh.
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| Butts on the Creek |
After lunch we retraced our drive past The Shack, and other roadside stands selling everything from dishes to boiled peanuts to frog jam, whatever that is. Back on the parkway we stopped at the Water Rock Knob Overlook (MP 451.2) and hiked a little past the 1/4 mile paved trail. We didn't hike the entire 1.2 mile round trip to the summit, because we were on a fairly tight schedule. We had a couple waterfalls to see before meeting my niece and nephew at Sliding Rock at 4-ish. It was pretty though: sweeping views, beautiful ferns and flowers and a cave!
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| Ferns at Water Rock Knob |
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| View of Parkway from Water Rock Knob |
At MP 431, we made time for a quick stop at the Richard Balsam Overlook, the highest elevation on the Parkway at 6053 ft. The next stop was supposed to be at MP 422 to look for flying squirrels at Devil's Courthouse. It was raining & we figured the squirrels wouldn't be doing much flying, so we kept going to MP 418.8 to check out the waterfall at Graveyard Fields.
There's a trail map in the parking lot. Either way, you walk through a rhododendron tunnel and cross a bridge before turning left to the Upper Falls or right, down a lot of steps, to the Second Falls. We took the shorter, 1/3 mile one way hike to the Second Falls where there were lots of swimmers and photographers.
This a popular spot and for good reason. The falls are beautiful and, in season, so are the rhododendrons.
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| Graveyard Fields |
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| Looking Glass Falls |
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Because of the rain and skipping Devil's Courthouse, we were a bit ahead of schedule, giving us time to check in to
Pisgah Inn (MP 408) and backtrack to Looking Glass Falls before meeting the family at Sliding Rock. Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock are both on Hwy 276. Exit the Parkway at MP 412 and drive about 10 miles, passing Sliding Rock, to the falls. You can see the 60 ft falls from the highway, so it's a very popular, quick stop. Drive a few miles back toward the Parkway to Sliding Rock.
Sliding Rock is another popular spot, but for very different reason. It's a giant, slippery rock that is perfect for sliding down into a deep pool at the base. It's an official recreation area, so there is a $1 fee, a parking lot, restrooms, a long line to slide and lifeguards. Unfortunately, the lifeguards were very busy and the rock was closed when we arrived. A few minutes before, a man had slipped and cracked his head while trying to walk across the top of the rock. It's a pretty cool, natural water slide. So I do recommend checking it out, But if you slide, be very careful. It was created by nature, not man made to specific safety standards! Take it slow and consider scooting out on your butt instead of walking.
Since our time at Sliding Rock was cut short, we got back to the Inn earlier than expected. Luckily. We thought we had dinner reservations for eight, but did not. Pisgah Inn does not usually take reservations, but they claim they will make arrangements for larger parties. This turned out to be a false claim. It wouldn't have been a huge deal to wait out on the deck in rocking chairs enjoying the view, but the kids were hungry and tired. We knew this would be the case, which is why we called and reserved a table. The food was ok, but the view is why you go. And it's worth it, as long as you don't mind waiting.
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| View from our balcony at Pisgah Inn |
After dinner and saying good bye to the family, we watched the sky change from the rocking chairs on our private balcony. I definitely recommend staying at
Pisgah Inn. It's old school, with out being old. The rooms are big and comfortable and you can't beat the view. Be sure to make reservations early and requests a second floor room.
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| View from our balcony at Pisgah Inn |
Click here for
Part 2: Blue Ridge Parkway MP 408 - 294 (Including lots of rhododendrons, waterfalls and three of our favorite meals of the trip!)
