Paul Bieniek
pbb001@marietta.edu
As you cruise southward down the wide Winfield Dunn Parkway into Pigeon Forge, Tenn., it can be easy to forget the main attraction is the towering Smoky Mountains that cover the horizon directly in front of you. On both sides, you are bombarded by tacky billboards and buildings advertising Magiquest or Hollywood Wax Museum or The Hatfield-McCoy Dinner Show. Presumed rival Biblical Times Dinner Show implores you to ask about their “Joseph-Elijah double dinner deal.” There’s a Wonderworks indoor amusement park constructed with the roof on the ground, and to top all the randomness off a half-size replica of the Titanic rises in to view and proclaims itself the “World’s Largest Museum Attraction.” There are also the more generic shopping plazas, hotels, and restaurants one would expect to find in any touristy location. The service economy is in full force here.
Once you get west of town, some more toned-down advertisements inform you of the booming tourist cabin industry in Sevier County. It was one of these cabins that some friends and I stayed in for six nights last week. To reach it, you had to drive on one of those stereotypical thin, twisty mountain roads with no guard rail and a forbearing drop-off. We were just a few miles from the national park and had a great back porch view of the ridge tops. Almost every morning and often even during the day, the clouds twisted around the summits and the Smokies lived up to their name.
With 9 million annual visitors, Smoky Mountains National Park is by far the most visited park in the United States, drawing twice the number of the closest competitor. Judging from experiencing the park during a relatively dreary March week, this comes as little surprise. The waters of Little River are amazingly clear, and even emerald-tinted in some locations. Rapids and waterfalls emit unceasing bear-like growls that can be heard far away. You have to watch out for real bear growls too-there are at least 1,500 of them in the park.
Meigs Creek trail is 3.5 miles long, has some ascents but also many forgiving downhill and
flat areas. However what makes it stand out are 18 water crossings-the most of any trail in the park. These can be somewhat challenging, though more experienced hikers probably would not have too much trouble. The important thing seems to be testing rocks for slipperiness before stepping and trying not get too fancy. Often wading through was the safest strategy for the more balance-averse of us, though the March water did make your feet temporarily freezing.
Jeigs Creek trail is a hilly to flat hike surrounded by dense forest, but it’s notability comes from the dilapidated cabins of Elkmont that are scattered on the trail side. According to an informational sign, Elkmont was a rural escape for wealthy Knoxville families in summer. When the park was being created in the 1930s these families were able to negotiate lifetime leases on the cabins and were permitted to stay. The last leases expired in the 1990s/early 2000s. The cabins are now technically park property, but for the past decade they have sat untouched and begun the slow process of turning from home to ruin with broken windows, sinking roofs, rusty and moldy walls and appliances. Vines grow up the sides and tree branches close in on roofs. Just like the whole forest was many decades earlier, they are slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Whether you are looking for entertainment, a country get-away, or outdoor adventure, Sevier County, Tennessee has something to check out. The town of Gatlinburg, (which I did not make it too) is also nearby and is known for its touristy down-town shops and restaurants. Country music fans will also know that this is Dolly Parton country, and there are many attractions related to her (most notably “Dollywood”). This area is definitely worth investigating for anyone planning a future family or Spring Break trip.
