25 August 2009 3:59pm
Wildflowers and pink taffy: The Great Smokies
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Where else but the Great Smokies would give you such an intoxicating blend of ancient forests and full-blown kitsch?
Start your pilgrimage by heading into the vast, cool wilderness of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Established in 1934, the park attracts as many as 10 million travelers a year, making it the most-visited national park in America. To beat high-season crowds, merely wander off the main trails to find yourself deep in the damp, earth-scented wilderness.
Newfoundland Gap Rd/Hwy 441 is the only thoroughfare crossing the entire 521,000-acre park. And what a drive it is, traversing 33 miles of deep oak and pine forest, and wildflower meadows. Stop first at the Oconaluftee
Visitor Center, with interactive exhibits on the park’s history and ecosystems.
Pick up a map and stroll the Oconaluftee River Trail, which leaves from the center and follows the river for 1.5 miles to the boundary of the Cherokee reservation. Don’t forget to pick up a free backcountry camping permit if you plan to go off-trail.
Driving out of the park on the Tennessee side is a bit disconcerting. All at once you pop out of the tranquil green tunnel of trees and into a blinking, shrieking welter of cars, motels and mini-golf courses, all blaring Christmas music and smelling of fried dough. Welcome to Gatlinburg. It’s Heidi meets Hillbilly in this vaguely Bavarian-themed tourist wonderland, catering to Smokies visitors since the 1930s. Turn off your cynical side and let the kitsch work its magic. Most of the tourist attractions are within the compact, hilly little downtown. Don’t forget to have pancakes: pancakes are to Gatlinburg what pizza is to New York.
Not got your fill of kitsch yet? You will when you set foot in Dollywood, an enormous, gushy love letter to mountain culture. Minivans full of families pour in each morning to ride the hee-haw themed thrill rides like the Mystery Mine Coaster and the Tennessee Tornado; see demonstrations of traditional Appalachian crafts such as wagon-making; and browse a plethora of shops hawking Christian-themed T-shirts and pink taffy. You can also tour the bald eagle sanctuary, attend Sunday services at the country chapel or worship at the altar of Dolly in the Chasing Rainbows life-story museum. The adjacent Dollywood’s Splash Country takes the same themes and adds water. Ride the Mountain Scream waterslides and the ‘whitewater rafting adventure’ of Big Bear Plunge.
This article is an excerpt from the Great Smokies section of our The Carolinas, Georgia and the South Trips book. Want more Great Smokies goodness (including waterfalls, odditoriums, a skylift and an underground lake)? Download the whole section - free!
