Solo Drive to the Great Smokey Mountains

After being foiled by an unpleasant encounter with the commercialism of Pigeon Forge, TN last month, I took a long drive down US Route 321 this week in a second attempt to penetrate the Smokey Mountains – the second most visited National Park in the US – to see just what all the fuss was about.

Nearing the foothills of the famed mountains, I encountered Maryville, TN. In Maryville, Sam Houston of Texas fame once built a schoolhouse and taught children before fleeing the experience to live among the Cherokees instead. More than 150 years later, Shaquille O’Neil grew up learning how to miss foul shots but otherwise dominate opponents on Maryville’s basketball courts.  With a tip o my hat to the unlikely pair of Houston and O’Neil, I drove through the picturesque town on my way to a pleasant encounter with the history and nature of the Smokey Mountains.

In June, I blogged about passing through another gateway to the Smokies called Pigeon Forge that was so loud, tacky and off-putting that I turned around and never entered the National Park that was just down the road.  This time, I found a more peaceful pathway through a little town called Townsend, TN.

Townsend calls itself the peaceful side of the Smokies and earns up to the nickname when compared to the bustle of its Pigeon Forge neighbor to the north.  The town has a number of low profile 1960s-era motels here and there, a few modern chain establishments and a healthy peppering of unique non-franchise barbeque, country cooking and trout-serving restaurants as well as interesting antique shops.  It also has a colorful collection of campgrounds and businesses enticing tourists to rent bright yellow inner tubes for a leisurely float down the nearby scenic Little River or bicycles to explore the pathways paralleling Rt. 321.

Townsend, founded in the early 20^th Century as a hub for the logging industry that almost destroyed the Smokey Mountain region, has transformed itself in the 79 years since the National Park was established into a friendly welcome mat for the millions of visitors that journey through each year.

A particularly bright Townsend spot is the Great Smokey Mountain Heritage Center – a rustic appearing yet modern facility dedicated to explaining to its visitors the history and culture of the region. A quick movie in a comfortable auditorium explains the origin of the mountains, the culture of the original Native Americans, the way early settlers carved out a living in coves high in the mountains, the conflicts that persisted during the turbulence of the Civil War, and the temporary prosperity and nearly permanent damage wrought by the logging industry.

A separate museum gallery houses Native American artifacts and displays showing how the early settlers lived in the mountains.  Outside, great care has been taken to preserve and restore cabins, blacksmith and wheelwright’s shops, a church, barns and other architectural artifacts from the early days of Smokey Mountain settlements.  

A restored logging saw mill at the Heritage Center

And, of course, there’s a gift shop featuring crafts, books and other souvenirs.  There’s also a bright new outdoor theater in the back that hosts summer concerts.

Armed with my new Smokey Mountain background information, I ventured into the National Park via a shaded windy road and quickly witnessed the origins of the name “Smokey Mountains.” The high green mountains are topped with a natural fog that hangs over the range and looks much like smoke.  The fog is the result of all the vegetation exhaling organic compounds that form vapors at normal temperature and pressure – thus Smokey Mountains.

I headed for something called Cade’s Cove where, at one time, sturdy and spirited people scratched out happily productive lives growing corn; raising, slaughtering and eating pork; and sometimes making “liquid corn” for special consumption.

In the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, a cove is a small valley between two ridgelines that is closed at one or both ends. Cades Cove is not only the most frequently visited part of the National Park, it was also where generations of Cherokees hunted and small populations of settlers made homes. After the park was established, the people moved out but several of their rustic homesteads scattered throughout the cove as well as a few old frame church buildings, were preserved for visitors to stop and visit. Well, of course, some of them are said to be haunted.

I didn't see a bear like this in Cade's Cove but you might.

The homesteads and buildings can be visited on an 11-mile loop drive that is famous for spectacular views and a chance to glimpse wildlife including the Black Bear.  Unfortunately, all I got to see was a lone wild turkey and a couple of deer like I see in my backyard all the time. While there were plenty of spectacular views and the mountain air was truly impressive to breathe, the pace of the drive can tax patience. Caravans of vehicles motor through at a snail’s pace.  There are plenty of pull-offs for folks to use if they see something they wish to photograph.  It took well over a 90 minutes to finish the 11-mile drive.

On the outskirts of the Cades Cove loop are campgrounds and picnic sites.  It is a trip for nature lovers with plenty of time.  Spotting a bear would probably thrill the kids but otherwise, it probably isn’t a trip today’s kids would appreciate unless they have their IPods or tablets for alternative entertainment.