Explore Knoxville: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Smoky Mountains are actually located in Gatlinburg, TN instead of Knoxville, but they're so close to the city and such an important part of life in East Tennessee that I'm including it in my "Explore Knoxville" blog series. About an hour away from Knoxville, Great Smoky Mountain National Park is an incredible site to visit. With countless trails and unique areas, you could spend days there and still not see everything. Here's a couple highlights of my visit to this incredible place.

Stop #1: Cataract Falls
Cataract Falls is a nice area near the Sugarlands Visitor Center. The rocky waterfall is back among a forest of trees and according to the leader of our photography group, it is a popular site for weddings. During my trip there wasn't much water in the fall but it was just as beautiful. ​​

Stop #2: Clingmans Dome
As the tallest point in both the Smoky Mountains and Tennessee, Clingmans Dome is a must-see spot in the mountains. I spent almost an hour at this spot alone and barely made it past the entrance. The view is absolutely breath-taking and like nothing I've ever seen before. 

Stop #3: Creek off of Little River Gorge Rd
Along the road from the Sugarlands Visitor Center to Clingmans Dome, there are several small pull-outs so visitors can pull over to look at the grand views or go down into some trails and creeks. Along one of the pull-outs, there was a small creek with a couple waterfalls. ​​

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. If you enjoyed these photos, please check out more portfolio for more and head over to my Etsy shop here. I've added several prints from the Smoky Mountains to my shop for purchase.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for another installation of the Explore Knoxville series very soon!