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If you’re thinking about hitting the road through the Smokey Mountains, here’s my take on what to look forward to. Don’t forget your camera! We drove through the Smokey Mountains to reach Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and wow, what a view! Seriously, it was one of the prettiest places I’ve ever laid eyes on. Plus, cruising through the park in the Fall made it feel even more magical!

There were dozens upon dozens was spots to park your vehicle on the side of cliff areas of the Smokey Mountains to take photos. The photo below is one of many that we took at one of the cliff spots.

What I did not Expect

• Heavy Traffic. I was struck by the considerable congestion we encountered while traveling through the park. We experienced significant delays as we navigated the Smokey Mountains. I now understand the importance of considering the timing of our trip. Our visit coincided with the Fall season, a peak time for sightseeing and family outings in the park. Additionally, it was clear that many other tourists were driving through to reach Pigeon Forge (just like us) and Gatlinburg, TN (another excellent destination).

• Lots of people parked on the sides of roads. I would recommend to be very careful if you also want to park on the side of the road for photos or to sightsee. You will have to watch out for cars if you park and want to get to the other side of the street for photos of bodies of water, mountains etc.

• A sign stated that someone was federally charged for writing on a historic structure. I always knew it was a federal crime to vandalize federal property but I don’t I think I’ve ever really seen officials move forward with it. While visiting one of the visitor centers, we walked around a historic farm near the center and saw a sign posted in one of the old mills that stated a persons name, and stated that the person was federally charged for writing on the old wooden wall in the mill. Near the sign we saw where the person wrote or even craved something with what looked like a pen (I think). I recommend to always be respectful of historic property when visiting National Parks or any historic facility in the Smokey Mountains.

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There are four Visitor Centers at the Smokey Mountains National Park. The Sugarlands Visitor Center located near Gatlinburg, TN, The Oconaluftee Vistor Center located near Cherokee, NC, The Cades Cove Visitor, and The Kuwohi Visitor Center located at the tallest peak of the park.

We stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and it was pretty big compared to Visitor Centers that I’ve visited before. This center was super cool because there were historic mountain farm structures adjacent to the Visitors Center that was once utilized by a real family long ago. Just walking around that farm and seeing all the mountains surrounding it was just absolutely stunning. I could not believe that I was seeing what I was seeing in the Smokey Mountains. I thought to myself, how could anyone ever feel sad looking at beauty like this everyday. There was also a beautiful natural creek in front of the old farmhouse.

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