Another Smoky Mountain Adventure

Today we decided to drive over to NC and explore the Deep Creek area of the Smoky Mountains. What a great time we had!  First of all, the weather was great. It was partly sunny (mostly cloudy or shady) with a high temperature in the lower 70's!  Perfect hiking weather. On the way back we stopped at an overlook near Clingman's Dome and the temperature was 61 degrees!  Had to put on the jacket. 

Anyway, we left Gatlinburg and headed to Cherokee, NC. If you ever got an Indian doll or a pair of moccasins from the Smokies when you were a kid, they probably came from Cherokee. We saw lots of interesting things there including decorated bear statues and Indian dancers. Of course, someone in my party thought the sign said "Indian Dangers". I don't know-does he look dangerous to you?

 

We made a point of driving by Harrah's but we didn't stop. (That adventure will have to wait until another day!)  After passing through Cherokee we drove another 10 miles to Bryson City, NC. We went on through Bryson City and headed to the Deep Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains.  We chose Deep Creek because it has three waterfalls and the trail is relatively short. Let the hiking begin!

Our first stop was Tom Branch Falls. As you can see from the sign, we only had to go .2 mile and the trail was wide, paved, and relatively flat. Talk about instant gratification- here's Tom Branch Falls!

There were several nice benches where you could sit and just relax and meditate. I could have stayed there all day, but we've just begun and there are more falls to see!

Our next stop, after only .7 mile of hiking, was Indian Creek Falls. Again, what a beautiful sight!

We turned around and hiked back down the trail towards the path to our third waterfall -Juney Whank Falls. This hike was a little more challenging. It was only .3 mile long but it was all uphill. Tougher, but I made it and here's what we saw!

Quite a lot of wonderful scenery in a relatively short hike!  As we headed back to the parking lot we started to see the tubers. As you enter the park, you can rent a tube for $3 for all day!  I didn't think we'd see many people tubing since it was so cool and the water is very cold, but boy was I wrong!  There were hundreds of people tubing.  There were Church groups, Boy Scouts, family reunions, etc.  They were coming in by the bus load!  And boy, did it look like fun. We gotta go back and try that when the weather is warmer. 

After hiking and watching tubers, we had a picnic by the stream. 

After eating, we packed up and headed back to Bryson City and did some exploring there. 

We particularly enjoyed the ice cream at Soda Pops. It is quite an interesting place with all the Coke memorabilia and the Classic Sodas in an old cold water cooler. 

While we were there we found another opportunity for fun - The Great Smoky Mountain Train Adventures. We'll be taking one of those excursions in the future!

On the way back we stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center where we bought the Deep Creek Hiking Medallion and then we explored the Farm Museum there. 

Finally we headed home and grilled Bacon Cheddar Ranch Burgers. They tasted mighty good after our long day. 

Note:  if you would like to see video footage of our waterfall adventure, check us out on YouTube. Just search for LGoulder. Enjoy!