Is a visit to Great Smoky National Park worth a trip across the country?

If you live in the western United States, is a visit to Great Smoky National Park worth the trip across the country? In my fifth letter to my son, I wrote about the fun and not-so-fun things about “The Smokies” and the surrounding area.

Water flows down Abrams Falls in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — “The Smokies” are teeming with awe-inspiring sights like Abrams Falls, but is a visit worth the flight across the country?

Dear Kid,

A few months before you were born, your mom and I journeyed east to Great Smoky National Park in Tennessee.

As your mom generally prefers warm weather, a March trip into a painfully-cold climate was definitely not her ideal vacation. We chose the location because I had the opportunity to shoot a Lonely Planet photography assignment at the park. Your mom sacrificed her dream tropical babymoon so that I could pursue my passion. I can’t thank her enough!

Great Smoky National Park is the most visited National Park, but it’s not necessarily worth flying across the country to visit. The park sees a lot of traffic in large part due to its proximity to several heavily-populated areas.

If you live in the western United States, is a visit worth the trip across the country, or are you better off visiting one of the many National Parks located closer to home? In this letter, I break down the good and the bad of a trip to “The Smokies”.

THE GOOD

Mother nature comes through again

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act creating the National Park Service, a federal bureau responsible for protecting areas deemed National Parks. The bureau’s purpose included, “…to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein…”. Over a century later, as urbanization spreads throughout the United States like wildfire, National Parks offer much-needed escapes into [mostly] unspoiled nature.

The Great Smoky Mountains are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, rising along the Tennessee – North Carolina border. Thanks to its towering mountains, lush forests, and winding rivers, Great Smoky National Park is packed with postcard-worthy views. Often while in the park, I stopped to soak in the peaceful majesty around me, thinking, “I’m so glad that I’m not at work right now. This place is dope.”

Snowcapped Great Smoky Mountains are a gorgeous backdrop in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — We didn’t see any bears, but snowcapped mountains ain’t a bad consolation prize

Waterfalls are aplenty

A key reason as to why I chose Great Smoky National Park for my Lonely Planet assignment was because of the quantity and variety of waterfalls in “The Smokies”.

Waterfalls are my favorite subject to shoot (besides you and your mom, of course), and the park contains over 100 of them. During our trip, I powered through the cold weather and hiked to seven waterfalls.

Cue section of photos in which I barely have to write anything!

Cataract Falls flow down the river in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — After seeing so many waterfalls over the past three years, I’ve almost become desensitized to the beauty of small, basic waterfalls like Cataract Falls – I mean, it was alright…wait, have I become a waterfall snob?!

Water streams down Meigs Falls in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — Meigs Falls teased us from across an uncrossable river, but it did afford me the opportunity to shoot a waterfall from inside a car (due to the rain) for the first time

Two tiers of water flow in Mouse Creek Falls, Great Smoky National Park, North Carolina — Located in North Carolina, Mouse Creek Falls marked the first time that I visited the Tar Heel state – **Petey Pablo**, and grade-schooler me that did a state report on North Carolina, would be proud

Water gushes along Lynn Camp Prong Cascades in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — While I explored Lynn Camp Prong Cascades, your mom waited at the car for over an hour occupied only by her legal work, sleep, and you tossing and turning in her womb – What a trooper!

The bottom of Laurel Falls crashes down in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — Your mom hiked almost three miles (much of which was uphill) to and from Laurel Falls – It was a challenging-enough hike for me; she went straight-up beast mode to do it while carrying you!

Due to subfreezing temperatures, the scene at Ramsey Cascades is frozen in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — Ramsey Cascades was the first partially-frozen waterfall that I had ever seen – It was surreal to watch huge chunks of ice and snow break off and tumble down (where’s the Night King at?)

By the way, as I write this, you still have never seen a waterfall! I’m really excited to see the wonder and awe on your face when you see those streams of glory for the first time.

The old buildings are fascinating

While all National Parks showcase nature at its finest, Great Smoky National Park is unique in that it contains over 90 historic structures. Built in the late 1800s / early 1900s, these cabins, churches, schools, and farm-related buildings have been preserved and rehabilitated. The best part is that you can go inside most of them.

The cabins look like giant Lincoln Log creations. The interiors are mostly bare, but I enjoyed exploring them, looking out the windows, and imagining what it would have been like to live out there in the wilderness over a century ago. I probably would have enjoyed living that simple 19th-century life, except for nuisances such as bear attacks (I’ll touch more on this later…) and slavery (…I will not be touching more on this later).

A historic cabin sits unspoiled in nature at Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — Throw a few Ikea pieces and some WiFi access into this cabin, and I could definitely see myself living there

The view of nature from a historic cabin in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — A view that rivals that one Brazilian local’s **dishwashing view in the Amazon**

A graveyard accentuates the view from a historic cabin in Tennessee — An inferior view to that in the previous photo

The church interiors still contain pews, pulpits, and Bible stands. Upon looking at these old-school churches, I couldn’t help but think of this jarring scene from my favorite Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot (two random thoughts: 1) Why didn’t the townspeople make more of an effort to break through the windows, and 2) Jason Isaacs is one of the most underrated movie villains of the early 21st century).

A historic church still contains pews and a bible stand in Great Smoky National Park, Tennessee — A sample of television shows that churches in “The Smokies” reminded me of: Westworld, The Walking Dead, and **Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman** (the latter of which I am proud to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching as a kid with your Lola)

Let me take a moment to berate the thousands of imbeciles that feel the need to carve their initials into these historic structures, despite numerous signs instructing them not to do so. Don’t be one of these foolish, vandalizing, initial carvers, kid!

A sign dictates that hogs are a threat to the Circle of Life in Tennessee — Pumba would be appalled by this sign (…or not, because he’s not a hog?)

A bunch of other good stuff

Southern food is devilishly bomb – Is southern food healthy? Hell no, but as your mom would say, it’s BOMB.com. Throughout our trip, we feasted on top-notch barbecue, finger-licking-good fried chicken, and FRIED cinnamon rolls. One restaurant served us funnel cake as an APPETIZER, for ~~Heaven’s~~ Hell’s sake!

A tasty grits dish is showcased at a restaurant in Tennessee — Again, my food photography skills [or lack thereof] leave much to be desired, but I needed to show this because it’s the first GRITS dish that I actually enjoyed (turns out all you need to do is lather the grits in a crapload of spices, sauce, and cheese…)

Southern hospitality is real – I found the waitstaff / customer service in Tennessee to be genuinely friendly in a way that made me feel right at home. Also, as I said in my previous letter, I’m a sucker for a good accent, and that southern accent is my favorite accent in the U.S.

The winter weather scares the crowds away – An obvious con to visiting a National Park during high season is the crowds. Nothing eliminates the serenity of the great outdoors like traffic-clogged roads, droves of aspiring Instagram models, and hordes of inconsiderate tourists. Thanks to the chilly March weather, this wasn’t a problem for us during our trip to “The Smokies”. The park’s hiking trails and roads were mostly empty.

Country music is a wonderful complement to that Appalachian life – Country music provides the perfect soundtrack for cruising “The Smokies” chasing waterfalls and slamming diner food. I would be remiss to omit a shoutout to Florida Georgia Line! I hated country music growing up, but back in 2012 (right before FGL blew up into the mainstream), your mom introduced me to their hit Cruise, which ended up being my gateway song into the world of country. I love me some FGL because it’s basically rap with a twang!

There’s a lot to do in the surrounding area – Outside of Great Smoky National Park, there are multiple towns bursting with shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. One moment, you can be staring down a deer amidst the peacefulness of nature, and an hour later, be surrounded by tourists while watching a dinner show featuring a redneck-accentuated reenactment of a historical family feud and a spread suspiciously similar to a Kentucky Fried Chicken family meal. A sample of other entertainment options include moonshine tasting, mountain roller coasters, and other rambunctious dinner shows like Dolly Parton’s Stampede.

Jars of moonshine line the shelves at Ole Smoky Moonshine in Gatlinburg, Tennessee — Carrying precious cargo, your mom couldn’t partake in moonshine tasting at Ole Smoky Moonshine Gatlinburg, but I drank enough for all three of us – Let me tell you, that stuff hits HARD

It’s a great excuse to visit other cool places in the region – During our trip, we visited Knoxville (solid theater district) and Atlanta (killer museum scene). Nashville, a hot spot for bachelor/bachelorette parties, is just a few hours away from “The Smokies.” I count at least a dozen major cities within a handful-of-hours drive away from the park, so plan wisely and supplement your nature fix with some city action.

THE BAD

“The Smokies” are relatively far from the western U.S.

This is a con assuming that you are living in the western U.S. There are dozens of National Parks closer to you than “The Smokies”. Since airfare cost is tied to distance, you can visit most other National Parks for a fraction of the cost that you would pay to visit “The Smokies”.

I’ll dive into other National Parks in future letters, but in my opinion, Great Smoky National Park isn’t as cool as many of the National Parks out west (e.g. Yellowstone National Park, which, spoiler alert, has BISON hanging out all over the place!)

The winter weather in Tennessee is harsh

March weather in Tennessee is characterized by subfreezing temperatures with occasional rain and snow. People around the world live in harsh weather for their entire lives, but as I mentioned in my previous letter, your mom and I have been spoiled by that California and Hawaii weather!

Icicles line foliage in a North Carolina forest — One of my favorite things to do during hikes in “The Smokies” was to kick icicles – They’re just begging to be messed with; I couldn’t resist!

Ideally, we would have visited “The Smokies” closer to summertime. That wasn’t an option given your due date, so we geared up for the frigid weather.

Perhaps my most important investment for the trip was photography gloves, as I had learned the hard way that handling an almost-frozen metal tripod with bare hands is legitimately painful. It’s what I imagine it would be like to hold an ice javelin.

As a born-and-raised California boy, I can say that it was pretty uncomfortable to walk outside in the cold, Tennessee air. Wearing layers help, but the air feels like daggers of ice stabbing your face.

Your mom was particularly “vocal” about being agonizingly cold following a awesome evening at Blake Shelton’s Old Red Gatlinburg restaurant. The natural high that we got from quality food and live music was quickly destroyed by a rough walk back to our car.

I wasn’t bothered much by the cold while hiking. With my body temperature elevated as I walked quickly to and from waterfalls, it actually felt good to breathe in and feel the crisp, refreshing air. The real challenge was when I arrived at the waterfalls and had to unpack my gear, setup the tripod, and take photos. Sensing my vulnerability and decreased body temperature, the brisk air resumed its attacks on my body while I fought to carry out my artistic visions.

Ice is dangerous

With cold temperatures comes ice, and with ice comes danger on multiple fronts. First, icy roads can cause car accidents. You can take precautions with four-wheel drive, tire chains, and driving slow, but losing control of your vehicle is still a risk. When I was a kid, I actually experienced the danger of icy roads firsthand.

One winter, on the way back from Lake Tahoe, I was in a car that spun out, presumably due to a patch of ice. Our car did a full 360 degree spin, but luckily, there were no other cars around and no one was hurt. As a result of that incident, I drive very cautiously on icy roads.

A second safety risk caused by cold weather is that icy hiking trails can cause slips and falls. All it takes is one slip to send your body flying. If your head hits the ground, it could very much be game over.

What makes both of these risks even more formidable is that, oftentimes, you can’t see ice. In icy weather, watch where you step [and drive], kid!

A bunch of other bad stuff

Bad weather causes closures – Another negative stemming from harsh winter weather is the closure of roads and hiking trails. It’s great that the National Park Service acts in the best interest of the public’s safety, but it’s a bummer when major hikes and waterfalls are closed due to the elements.

Bears loom – The risk of a bear attack in Great Smoky National Park is extremely low, but it’s enough of a risk that the National Park Service links to a video containing tips to avoid bear aggression. I wasn’t trying to have you grow up without a father (though how crazy of a conversation starter would it have been to tell people that your father was mauled by a bear?), so I invested in an air horn to carry during my hikes. I’m glad that I didn’t find out whether the air horn is actually effective in scaring off bears. I did test it in our hotel room and let’s just say that you probably heard the horn loud and clear from within your mother’s womb.

Tennessee is a red state – Who knows, kid – In the off chance that you grow up to be a gun-toting bigot, you might consider this bullet (pun intended) a pro. If you’re comfortable being surrounded by mostly Trump-lovers and catching occasional glimpses of the confederate flag, you’ll be fine in Tennessee.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Assuming that you’re living in the western U.S., is it worth it to spend the extra money on airfare to visit Great Smoky National Park, considering that there are dozens of National Parks in the west that would cost you less to visit?

Let me make this easy; you should visit Great Smoky National Park if:

A combination of things that I wrote above under “THE GOOD” (e.g. volume and diversity of waterfalls, historic buildings, southern food, etc.) sounds just like Heaven to you

You’re an outdoors fanatic that has been to many of the National Parks in the western U.S. and are looking to change it up

You find a great deal on airfare to Tennessee

You’re traveling to the southeast U.S. and have spare time to kill or tack onto your trip

You own a private jet and have grown tired of your mansion

You’re big into symbolism and want to visit the place where your mom and dad took their final vacation together before you were born

If we don’t make it to “The Smokies” together, I hope that this letter helps you decide whether to make the trip on your own!

Love,

Dad

P.S. I worked on this letter during your first holiday season! As I write this sentence, you’re buckled up in your carseat next to me, on your way to San Francisco for the first time. You’re slumbering peacefully, clutching your Hungry Caterpillar toy like there’s no tomorrow.