The Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina Part 1
When we realized there was little chance our original summer plans were going to hold up, we pulled up Google maps and Airbnb to scope out where we would want to spend time here in the good ol’ US of A. We wanted to minimize the amount of flying we would have to do but still spend our time in places with cooperative weather and plenty of interesting things to keep us occupied without crowds. I'm not a shopper so whether stores are open, masks are required, or any other hot issue didn't matter. I googled “best hiking towns” and found Bryson City, NC.
Why not get an RV?
Many people suggested that we rent or buy an RV and travel the US in the comfort of our own mobile home. This seems even more apt if we’re planning to spend a lot of time in parks hiking. When we were originally making plans to sell our home and become perpetual nomads, long before Covid-19, we seriously considered traveling the US and Canada in an RV. However, we quickly determined that this wasn’t a good fit for us then, and even less so under the current circumstances.
For one, traveling by RV is nowhere near as cheap as you might think. Renting an RV can easily cost $150 per day or more for even a modest-size RV. That doesn’t include the nightly rate for a campground with hookups or the cost of gas. We stay in Airbnbs that are much more comfortable, spacious, and cost half that price or less. Even if we have to rent a car when we stay in an Airbnb (which we rarely need to do overseas, but in the US is a necessity almost everywhere) it's still much cheaper and more convenient.
Buying an RV doesn’t reduce the expenses much, especially for a relatively short period of time. Besides the cost of buying the RV itself there's sales taxes, registration fees, insurance, etc. There’s also a lot of work and hassle that would go into buying an RV and maintaining it, nevermind the even bigger hassle of having to sell it again in a few months. We sold our home, in part, to simplify our lives, so you can see why dealing with an RV is not terribly appealing to us.
Off to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
We weren’t sure what to expect from a remote mountain town located next to The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Would it be like Estes Park, CO, where we had just come from, nestled snugly up to the national park? Would it be a quaint hippy town or a commercial circus?
If you read my last post about Seagrove Beach and the changes over the last 20 years, Bryson City reminds me of Seagrove Beach back in the day. It's got charm, cute shops and restaurants, and even a grocery store. It also feels like many Appalachian towns: a little worn down and little depressed. There's a glimmer of some near-distant ability to turn into a high-end mountain resort town, but it just needs a few more dollars in the town to make it all come together.
Hike 1: Deep Creek Trail
This trail was only a twelve minute drive from our Airbnb and was a fairly short, easy loop, so seemed a good option for four o'clock in the afternoon on our very first day! We're used to having little oxygen on hikes but we're not used to sweltering humidity. So although the hike wasn't at all strenuous, it was hot. But with lots of humidity, you get some great fungi and streams and waterfalls!
Total miles: 5.3 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 845 feet
Why this hike: three waterfalls, potential for wildlife (we saw a deer near the water), lots of mountain laurel blooming as well as fungi, and it was close to our Airbnb. In fact, it's so close we've been going there for our morning walks.
Hike 2: The Road to Nowhere Tunnel
Some background:
In the 1930s and 1940s, Swain County gave up the majority of its private land to the Federal Government for the creation of Fontana Lake and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.The Federal government promised to replace Highway 288 with a new road. Lakeview Drive was to have stretched along the north shore of Fontana Lake, from Bryson City to Fontana, 30 miles to the west. And, of special importance to those displaced residents, it was to have provided access to the old family cemeteries where generations of ancestors remained behind.
But Lakeview Drive fell victim to an environmental issue and construction was stopped, with the road ending at a tunnel, about six miles into the park. The environmental issue was eventually deemed too expensive and the roadwork was never resumed. And Swain County’s citizens gave the unfinished Lakeview Drive its popular, albeit unofficial name “The Road To Nowhere.”
I was curious about the “environmental issues” that they ran into so I started doing some digging (aka, I googled, “Road to Nowhere NC environmental issues”). Apparently, they found Anakeesta rock. When exposed to the elements, it releases sulfuric acid. They stopped building over concerns that the exposed rock would contribute sulfuric acid through stormwater runoff into creeks and streams and damage plants, fish, and other wildlife. Read more about it here. Oh that pesky stormwater runoff 😂
I expected this trail to be filled with people since it's just fifteen minutes from town and is a pretty short, easy hike. Plus it was a Friday in the middle of summer… but we saw almost no one on this hike! We found a perfect spot to eat lunch at Forney Creek. Not only were there few hikers for such a nice summer day, but also none of the back-country campsites were being used.
Total miles: 6 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 1000 feet
Why this hike: the history of the tunnel is cool, many picnic spots along the water, blackberry bushes, close to town for easy access.
Hike 3: Shuckstack Fire Tower from Fontana Dam
So far, this has been my favorite hike in the Smokys—not just for the views, but for the quiet of the hike. We saw twelve people over the almost seven miles and the quiet of the hike gave us an opportunity to see some wildlife.
We started out playing tag with a family from New Jersey, passing each other as we took breaks to catch our breath and enjoy the views. They were a friendly group and we spent some time chatting and eating lunch together at the top.
As we rounded the last bend in the trail and got our first glimpse of the fire tower, we saw a big black German Shepard hanging out at the bottom of the stairs. Well, that lucky dog gets to live a nomad life too! His owner retrofitted a van and Indy the dog gets to adventure around the USA and Canada. He's been to every state except Georgia and Hawaii. Now that is impressive! We had a great time hiking down the mountain with them and learning about her van life and the retrofit.
But wait, there's more! As we were hiking down… We saw a baby bear. We could hear mamma bear somewhere nearby, but didn't see her. We also scared a deer grazing on the trail and Indy and his mom had a fox run out in front of them.
It was so fun randomly meeting a different kind of nomad. I've heard a lot about #vanlife, but this was my first actual conversation with someone living the life.
Total miles: 6.6 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 2600 feet
Why this hike: views and solitude. Also, if you like a good steady climb to get your heartrate up, which I do. Chances to see wildlife
