Twilight at the Smokies

One of several overlooks along the trail to Laurel Falls

Clouds Approaching

Huge cumulus clouds rolling into Cades Cove

Peaceful Evening

Bears in Cades Cove

On the drive into the Abrams Falls trailhead through Cades Cove, I (and many other people) encountered a mother bear and her cub who had climbed a tree over the road for a nap. It was unexpected, to say the least.

Atop Mt. LeConte

View from The Cliff Tops (6593'), one of several subpeaks that form the LeConte massif.

Day's End

Grotto Falls

Grotto Falls is a 25' plunge falls (where the water goes over the falls' brink and falls through the air into a plunge pool).

Mingo Falls

(Big Bear Falls in the Cherokee Language) Though not technically in the park (the falls lie in Qualla Boundary, the nearby Cherokee Reservation), the 180 foot falls are a spectacular site as the water cascades down the rock face.

Deep Creek

The picturesque Deep Creek flows through the woods along the Three Waterfalls Loop

Indian Creek Falls

A beautiful 45' slide along Deep Creek

Tom Branch Falls

Tom Branch Falls as it plunges into Deep Creek

Woodland Beauty

West Prong of Little River on the ascent to Mt. Bote

Ramsey Cascades

The Ramsey Cascades (4269') are located in the woods outside Gatlinburg down a couple of (somewhat) sketchy forest roads and at the end of the Ramsey Cascades trail. The trail itself, which rises 2200' over four miles, is unusual in that it has no spurs nor does it intersect with other trails (the A.T. runs atop the nearby Greenbrier Pinnacle); the waterfall is the only reason to hike this particular trail and it is worth it. The waterfall cascades down 105' of thunderhead sandstone, which looks similar to granite, into a small plunge pool before continuing further down into Greenbrier Cove.

Abrams Falls

Abrams Falls, though only 20' tall, is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Smokies. The sheer volume of water cascading down the unevenly tiered rock face makes for a spectacular display. The falls are named after a Cherokee chief whose village once stood in the area.

Abrams Falls

Little River

The Little River Trail runs parallel to Little River. The river runs through a thick forest and has large boulders strewn through out its riverbed

Smoky Vista

Clingmans Dome (6643') has spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.