Cade's Cove Camping Trip

June 22-24 2011

Location: Cade's Cove is at the end of Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can also reach Cade's Cove by taking US 321 to TN 73 in Townsend, TN. Then following the signs into the park. Cade's Cove is about 9 miles from Townsend.

Our site: B71

Cade's Cove Campground is just like most of the campgrounds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is pretty big and pretty busy. The store in the campground is much bigger than at the other campgrounds. There is also a snack bar and souvenir shop next to the camp store. Abrams Creek runs along side the campground and while there aren't riverside sites our campsite was very close to the water and we were able to walk down to the Creek and play in the water for a bit. The campground is very nice, it's just not anything really special.

The real draw here is Cade's Cove itself. The eleven mile loop is open daily from sunup to sundown. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, the loop is only open to bicycles until 10 am; other times bicycles, vehicles and pedestrians are welcome. Plan to take 2-3 hours to drive the loop as traffic moves slowly and there's lots to stop and see. We drove the loop several times during our stay and saw hundreds of deer and lots of bears as well. I believe on one trip around the loop we saw 16 bears in about an hour and a half.

There are several hikes in the area. We were going to try one, but by the time we got there exhaustion and whininess had set in (plus

Mommy had a ditzy moment with the baby pack - thought we forgot it, searched everywhere only to find it in the front seat when we got back to the car, sigh...) So we walked a short way down the trail toward Abrams Falls, but didn't make it far before Tot sat down in the middle of the trail, completely done. Bawled her eyes out and refused to get up. Daddy was fishing down below the trail and Mommy walked a little ahead to try to encourage Tot to get up and walk just a little further to the creek. Tot was having nothing to do with this plan and continued to sit and cry hysterically until Mommy came back and took her by the hand to lead her to the water. As Tot got up she saw, out of the corner of her eye a mother bear with two cubs and in between sobs managed to cry out, "Look Mommy, it's a bear!" Sure enough here came momma bear followed by her cubs down to the trail, back up into the woods, down to the trail, back up into the woods, down to the trail and off into the woods for good. We figured she was trying to get the creek but wanted to avoid people even more. And of course, the ever fearless Tot was trying with all of her might to pull away from Mommy and chase after the bear. "I want to take a picture, Mommy!! I want to take a picture!"

For more information or reservations, click here.

Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail

The Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail is a 6 mile, one way loop just outside of Gatlinburg, TN. The road is a beautiful drive and the location of several trailheads including Rainbow Falls, and Grotto Falls. To get there, turn at traffic light #8 in Gatlinburg, TN onto Cherokee Orchard Road. This road turns into the Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail.

The "Place of a Thousand Drips" is at the very end of the road just before you start heading back into town. It is supposed to be amazingly beautiful when the weather has been especially wet.

Laurel Falls

About the Hike


Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1.3 miles each way
Elevation Change: 450 feet
Location: Located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Little River Road between Elkmont Campground and the Sugarlands Visitor Center. You can't miss it; there are cars parked along the road for miles on either side of the parking area. Laurel Falls is a VERY popular hike!

7.8.2011

We hiked to Laurel Falls this morning. It's a very good hike for my fellow tots. The trail is paved the entire way to the falls so there aren't roots and rocks to trip on. Lots of people try to bring strollers on this trail, though I wouldn't recommend that. The pavement is rough in places. Tell your moms and dads to hold you hand at the top though. The water is nice to play in, though cold, and there is a great bridge over the stream to get to the falls, however behind the bridge is a drop off over the lower part of the falls. There are warning signs everywhere telling people to stay back from the edges and parents to hold onto their kids. As long as you stay near the waterfall itself, and don't try to climb up the rocks, you can have a lot of good, safe fun at this waterfall.

On the way back down, several people hiking to the falls told us they saw a mother bear with her cub having a snack just off of the trail. By the time we got there, they'd moved on but you may get luckier and see some wildlife; this is, after all, the Smokies.

Grotto Falls

About the Hike

Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 1.3 miles each way
Elevation Change: 585 feet
Location: Just outside of Gatlinburg, TN on the Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail. From Gatlinburg, turn at traffic light #8 onto Airport Rd. This becomes the Motor Nature Trail. Grotto Falls trailhead is about 2 miles into the one way loop.




7.7.2011



Crossing the river with Daddy.



Hiked to Grotto Falls this evening. The trail climbs very slowly and gradually until the very end and then slopes down toward the falls. A few things for fellow tots to beware of. The trail crosses the Roaring Fork several times (4 or 5, I believe) without a a bridge. The water is not deep, it didn't even completely cover Mommy's foot and there are rocks that bigger kids and grownups can hop across. I was wearing waterproof sandals, but still had Daddy help me over or through the water. The trail is wide and well worn most of the way, with a few rocky patches that made for great climbing and jumping (while Mommy and Daddy held their breaths) . Since the ground is packed down so well however, it gets a little slippery when wet. Also the end of the trail as go down to the falls has a lot of slate and is very wet and slippery, so you'll probably need a helping hand. The waterfall is cool and beautiful however and felt great on a hot, muggy, July evening. It is several degrees cooler at the falls than at the trailhead.

Since we hiked in the evening we saw a couple of bunnies along the trail having dinner. We also saw a tiny golden salamander, no more than half an inch long, in the middle of the trail that scurried away as we approached him.

This is another waterfall that you can go behind, it plummets 25 feet over a rock cliff and is very loud behind the falls. Brother thought it was hilarious! He giggled the whole time we were behind it. It was a tough hike, but worth it!

Almost there!

Behind the waterfall.

Moore Cove Falls

The falls from the front . . .

About the Hike
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 0.7 miles each way
Elevation Change: 160 ft
Location: Pisgah National Forest, outside of Brevard, NC. Approximately 6.5 miles into the forest on US 276 from Brevard. Parking is on the right just over a stone bridge over Looking Glass Creek. The trail begins with a wooden bridge over this creek.

. . . and behind.

6.12.2011

Resting along the trail.

The Traveling Tot, her brother, and her hiking buddy hiked to Moore Cove Falls for a picnic lunch. This is a really nice trail. Areas prone to getting muddy have wooden footbridges and boardwalks built over them, stream crossings have good bridges, and the trail is never very steep. At the end of the trail is Moore Cove Falls. The falls plunge 50 feet over a rocky cliff into a small pool below. The original plan was to do some creek splashing after lunch and while the three made a valiant effort, there's not a lot of creek to splash. What is fun about the falls is that there's lots of room to play behind the falls where a cool mist vanquishes the June heat. Definitely a great Tot hike!

Brother playing behind the falls.