Parks & Peaks with Peter

Get out there and Carpe Diem

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Itinerary-At-A-Glance

Location: North Carolina/Tennessee

7-Day Itinerary for GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NP

Timeline: Saturday, Oct. 10 – Friday, Oct. 16, 2020

For the past several years, my wife and I have celebrated our October anniversary by vacationing somewhere new and different. I’m not sure Kristi’s idea of a romantic anniversary getaway was to visit a National Park, but she knows how important this mission is to me. Now, that’s love!

This was our first flight together since the outbreak of Covid-19, and we had a few conversations about whether we were still game to take the risk. GRSM is the most visited of the National Parks – twice the annual visitation of Grand Canyon, the next most popular park — and October is the most popular time to visit the Smokies.

I can imagine many folks would not have made the decision to travel, but we decided to go for it.

Carpe diem!

Ranked #1 in Visitation and #19 for Size

What’s Special at Great Smoky

  • Driving – A motorist’s delight! Designed to be seen by car – dramatic vistas, wildlife and forests. Highlights: Newfound Gap Road (32 miles criss-crossing the park over its peaks); Cades Cove Loop Road (historic settlement); Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (waterfalls and forests); and Cataloochee Valley Road (vertiginous, not for the faint of heart!).
  • Hiking – 850 miles of trail, including 70 of the Appalachian Trail, with summits both easy and harder, and access to numerous waterfalls (80+ inches of annual rainfall).
  • Settlers Culture – restored (and unrestored) historic villages (Caves Cove and Cataloochee Valley)
  • Fall foliage – October month is peak for colors and visitors
  • Nearby: Asheville & Blue Ridge Parkway; Mount Mitchell (highpoint of the East); Cherokee nation

Lodging and Dining Options

  • There is no lodging or dining in GRSM other than LeConte Lodge, requiring a 3-hour, 5-mile summit hike from the trailhead. Mount Le Conte is a unique and terrific experience if you desire a rustic overnight with unparalleled sunset and sunrise views. We loved it.
  • On the North Carolina side, Asheville is hands-down the best gateway spot from which to visit GRSM, albeit an hour’s drive from the park entrance. It’s well worth it. Asheville offers an extensive selection of beautiful B&Bs, a very hip downtown atmosphere with a wide range of farm-to-table and ethnic dining establishments, craft cocktail bars, brew-pubs and live music venues.

Here’s what we enjoyed:

  • Sweet Biscuit Inn: located in a quiet, wooded neighborhood 1-2 miles from downtown Asheville and The Biltmore. This B&B is beautifully appointed, with particularly expansive front porch to relax and have a drink.
  • The Blackbird Restaurant: farm-to-table Carolinas cuisine, rendered with creativity and flair, in the heart of downtown Asheville. Good wine and known as well for desserts.
  • Limones: French-influenced reinventions of classic Mexican dishes with a particularly creative selection of margaritas. Don’t miss the cinnamon and brown sugar dusted Churros with caramel sauce and hot chocolate!
  • Luellas BBQ: one of several excellent BBQ spots in Asheville, this one known for the homemade sauces. You can’t say you’ve dined in these parts if you haven’t sampled the BBQ.
  • LeConte Lodge: LeConte Lodge is the highest guest lodge in the eastern United States, situated atop Mt. Le Conte. Accessible only by hiking, this is the only place in the Great Smoky Mountains where visitors can stay overnight. If you want a truly unique experience, check it out!

On the Tennessee side, there is no town that rivals Asheville. Avoid the touristy, congested town of Gatlinburg!  Rather, you can find nicer, accessible accommodations around the area such as the B&B outside of Townsend where we stayed – which has the most dramatic view of any I’ve ever visited.

Gracehill B&B – a large home with 4 spacious guest rooms set atop a peak. Our bathroom had the best whirlpool tub/shower combo that I’ve experienced in recent memory. This B&B is winner of “Best Scenic View from a B&B in the U.S.” for three consecutive years from Inn Traveler magazine.
Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro – regionally inspired, farm-to-table cuisine with a wonderful outdoor dining patio set back in the woods. Named one of America’s 25 Most Romantic Restaurants by Trip Advisor. Hey, it was my anniversary there!
Foothills Milling Co. – similar to Dancing Bear, but a bit more upscale in both cuisine and ambience.

Cultural Imperatives to Experience

Asheville

Indigenous and Early American Cultures

Daily Itinerary

Day 1: Exploring Downtown Asheville, North Carolina (Saturday, Oct 10)

  • 7:00 AM: Drive from Rangeley to Boston/Logan Airport, leave car at long-term parking
  • 12:45 PM: Depart Boston/Arrive Charlotte 3:09 PM
  • 3:00 PM: pickup rental; drive to Asheville (2:00 hrs)
  • 5:00 PM: Hotel check-in: Renaissance Asheville, 31 Woodfin Street, 828-252-8211
  • Early Evening: stroll around downtown Asheville: Woolworth Walk, Grove Arcade, take photos of art deco architecture
  • 7:15 PM Dinner: The Blackbird Restaurant, 47 Biltmore Ave, 828-254-2502.
  • Next time: Live Music: Orange Peel or Grey Eagle Tavern and nightcap at The Imperial Life.

Day 2: Exploring Around Town (Sunday, Oct 11)

  • Check out: Renaissance Hotel
  • 8:00 AM – Noon: Latte & Croissant from Old Europe Pastries; explore downtown Asheville on foot.
  • Noon – 5:00 PM: Biltmore Estate – gardens, forests and trails (Fred Law Olmstead); self-guided house tour.
  • Next time: visit the Biltmore winery for tour/tasting; visit the singing blacksmith; take a lesson in falconry (90 min.).
  • Check-in: Sweet Biscuit Inn, 77 Kenilworth Road, 828-250-0170
  • 6:00 PM: Dinner at Limones, 13 Eagle St, 828-252-2327
  • 8:30-10:00 PM: La Zoom Tours: Ghosted Walking Tour followed by a nightcap

Day 3:  Mt Mitchell and Catalouchee (Monday, Oct 12)

  • 8:00-8:30 AM: Breakfast at Sweet Biscuit Inn
  • 8:30-Noon: Drive to Mount Mitchell State Park and up to summit; hike around summit trails
  • Noon-2:30 PM: Drive to Cataloochee Valley in GRSM, stopping in Asheville for roasted chicken at Little Pigs BBQ
  • 2:30-5:30 PM: Visit Cataloochee, hike Boogerman Trail to old homesteads (7.5 mi loop, 3hr.) and/or drive to end of road and take a 2 mi r/t hike to Woody Place and watch for elk (valley open 8AM to sunset, app. 7PM)
  • 5:30-7:00PM: Drive back to Asheville
  • 8:00 PM: Take out ribs and sides from Luella’s BBQ and dine on porch at Sweet Biscuit Inn

Day 4: Blue Ridge Parkway and Cherokee (Tuesday, Oct. 13)

  • 8:00-9:00 AM: Breakfast and check out from Sweet Biscuit Inn
  • 9:00-3:00 PM: Drive the Parkway (lunch in quaint Waynesville) and stops at: Devil’s Courthouse: MP 422.4. 0.5mi., and Richland Balsam Overlook: MP 431, 1.5mi loop, highpoint of Highway (6,052 ft).
  • Next time: Waterrock Knob VC: 4-state view, MP 451.2, 1.2mi r/t
  • 3:00-6:00 PM: Visit Cherokee and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Qualla Arts  & Crafts.
  • Next time: Oconaluftee Indian Village – demos of cooking, pottery, and canoe-making
  • Check in: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
  • 7:00 PM: Dinner at Ruth Chris steakhouse

Day 5: Exploring the Smokies (Wednesday, October 14)

  • Check out: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
  • 7:00-1:00 PM: Visitor Center (get stamped!); Newfound Gap Road; Clingmans’ Dome
  • 1:00-4:00 PM: Hike the Alum Cave Trail to LeConte Lodge (5 miles) at summit of Mount Le Conte (elevation 6500 ft); check into our cabin
  • 5:30 PM: Dinner served to us at our cabin at the Lodge
  • 6:30 PM: Sunset Photos at Cliff Top

Day 6: The Exploration Continues! (Thursday, October 15)

  • Next time: Sunrise photos at Myrtle Point
  • 8:00-9:00 AM: breakfast served to us at our cabin; check out from LeConte Lodge
  • 9:00 AM – Noon: Hike back down the Alum Cave Trail
  • 12:00-3:00 PM: Depart out of the park, stopping at the VC; take-out lunch in Gatlinburg
  • 7 PM Dinner: Dancing Bear Appalachian Bistro, Townsend

Day 7: Relaxing in Tennessee (Friday, October 16)

  • 8:00 AM: Breakfast at Gracehill B&B
  • 9:00-3:00 PM: drive Cades Cove Loop Road; visit historic sites; hike to Abrams Falls (5mi r/t on flat terrain)
  • 3:00-6:30 PM: Enjoy the late afternoon and sunset on Gracehill’s outdoor deck overlooking the mountains
  • 7:00 PM Dinner: Foothills Milling Co. Restaurant, 315 S. Washington Street, Maryville, 865-977-8434
  • Next day – home!

Resources

Jason Frye, Asheville & The Great Smoky Mountains, Moon Guidebooks, July 2019
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Lonely Planet, March 2019

About Peter Hinman

National Parks lover and adventurer