my travels in pixels

Smokemont NP Campground Campground Road A, Cherokee, NC Site A6 Smokemont Campground Why we chose here? It’s in the southern part of the Great Smoky Mountains Location: North Carolina, just north of Cherokee Peak Season: 15 May to 15 Oct Sites: 142, they say it accommodates 35-40’ RV’s but there are limited spots for these sizes, especially for 5th Wheels as we need to fit a truck on the site as well, unhooked. There are a number of loops, F loop which is for RV’s was closed as it doesn’t open until the 15th May. The campsites are tight. Facilities: Restrooms, Dump Station with drinking water, Garbage bins Groceries: Cherokee is 8 miles away, the Lion grocery store is next to McDonalds on the 441 Reservations: Yes, but not before 15 May Cell Coverage / WiFi: No, you will get it in Cherokee Price Paid: $17 off peak, $20 in peak season Date of visit: May 2016, we camped in A6 Other: There are some trails accessible from the campground. No generator...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC Moving campsites The Great Smoky Mountains NP is half in Tennessee and half in North Carolina. After four days in the Tennessee section we moved to the Smokemont campground which is in the southern part of the park. As went over the Appalachian Trail which marks the state border there was snow on the ground and sleet was wetting our windscreen. A little bit different to 4 days ago when it was a humid 80°F. Just as we were leaving Cave Cove we met an Australian couple from Caloundra. They are travelling around America just like we are. They found a 27’ RV within two days of arriving in LA for $6k. While it might not be the fastest thing on the highway and needs patching up every now and then, it’s getting them to where they want to go. They came to Smokemont campground the day after us and so we met up for drinks. It was great swapping travelling stories and talking about home. There's something about catching up with people from your ...

Smoky Mountains NP TN Rainbow Falls Trail The Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the USA and was acquired with donations from the public - which might explain why it has free entry. I’m not sure how they count the number of visitors though, as Yellowstone seems a lot busier to us. The temperate climate supports more tree species than Europe, 1,500 flowering plants, 200 species of birds and 60 species of animals including red fox, black bear, bobcat, turtles, white tailed deer, wild hog. The smell of the scented trees as we were walking up to Laurel Falls was exquisite. Everything is green because it rains a lot and we missed a torrential downpour by five minutes. John Oliver's Cabin We came in through Townsend and stayed in Cades Cove campground which is in the north west section of the park. There are a number of excellent brochures for motor trails, waterfall trails, hiking trails, wildflower trails and wildlife trails that you can purchas...

Cades Cove Campground 10042 Campground Drive, Townsend TN Why we chose here? We wanted to explore the northern part of the Great Smoky Mountains. Location: Near Townsend TN Sites: There are two loops B (85 sites) & C (76 sites) and four group sites (2 x 20 & 2 x 30). Maximum size is supposed to be 40’, we are only 35’ and we had trouble getting into a few spots in both sections. In section B, the driveways are narrow, many with trees right on the side so you wouldn’t be able to put your slides out. Section C has a couple of old sites with gravel driveways that slope, so these really only cater for tents. The rest are concrete slabs, each with a tent area. Many were just too short for us. Backing into all the sites in this park is difficult as the roads are too narrow to turn without the truck running out of road. These sites are not very old, I cannot believe they are not catering for larger rigs. Sites C17-20 are the easiest for our size and we had to park our tru...