Photos of the Smokies and nearby wilderness areas

By Mark Lotz

We first fell in love with the Smokies on our first trip as soon as we took our first "quiet walk" off Newfound Gap Road. "Quiet Walks" have no particular destination. You just walk until you want to turn around. This particular walk followed a beautiful babbling stream jumping over moss covered stones. The sound of the cars on the road were completely masked by the lovely sound of the water.

We like to drive and hike in roads less traveled. Yes, we love Cades Cove but the mass of people are a distraction. We will take one of the 2 cross roads in the Cove to circle around again and take off down Rich Mountain Road to get out of traffic.

We have also hiked Laurel Falls but we were lucky that we got to the parking lot early enough to miss some of the crowds.

Views from Rich Mountain Road

View from Rich Mountain Road
View from Rich Mountain Road
View from Rich Mountain Road
in fall


Cades Cove view from Rich Mountain

The Big South Fork Recreation Area

A dusting of snow along Newfound Gap Road

The Chimneys Picnic Area

Surrounding Areas

Bald River

Support The Park

You've probably already noticed that there is no entrance fee for the GSMNP. This is due to a clause in the Park's enabling legislation. Other parks such as Grand Canyon and Yellowstone can charge entrance fees of $20 per vehicle and earn millions of dollars in supplemental funding as a result. Please consider making purchases at the Visitors Centers where proceeds go toward funding worthwhile projects in the Park. Additional financial help is provided by the Great Smoky Mountains Association and the Friends of the Smokies organizations. Please consider joining these organizations in their effort to help the Park. There are also donation boxes along side some of the roads in the park.

For more travel links on the Smokies, visit our Smoky Mountains Page.