I never met a waterfall that I didn't like. We did a driving tour along Little River in Great Smoky…read moreMountains National Park to see if we could spot some wildlife. The Sinks is a lovely waterfall along the river. There is a small parking lot with about a dozen spaces where we found parking. An observation area is a short walk from parking. A sign describes the area and that the falls were manmade. During the late 1800's the river was used to transport logs/timber to the nearby town of Elkmont. After a storm, flood waters caused a jam in the river. Dynamite was used to restore water flow. The blast resulted in a twist in the river and creation of the waterfall. A set of stone steps leads up a hill, offering lovey views of the falls. There are dozens of waterfalls in the Park. Sinks is one of the few that is drivable, which is great for people that cannot hike. I picked up a Waterfalls map at the visitor center that I found interesting and informative. Parking passes are required to park in the lot. There are no amenities at the falls. Plan 15-30 minutes for a stop and photos.

The Sinks is such a fun outdoor experience! Our boys, ages 11 & 13, loved it! The parking is not…read moregreat though, with only about 15 spots in the parking lot and nowhere else to go. It's super busy in the summer, so just be prepared for that. We had to wait about 15 minutes for someone to leave so we could park. That wouldn't keep us from going back, though.

Best caverns we've ever toured! Barbara, our tour guide, was incredible. Extraordinary beauty and…read morenever felt claustrophobic. Huge inside. Absolutely beautiful. This was our most favorite part of our trip so far.

We really enjoyed this visit. It's a family owned establishment with a pretty cool origin story…read more And it's huge - so much larger than we imagined. Our young guide was great and shared so much information about the caverns. The tour is about an hour and a half and you'll def gets some steps in, along with some fairly steep staircases. But the views and the experience of being so far underground with all the natural beauty is absolutely worth it. Bring a sweater. Oh, and grab some fudge on your way in or out. Such a fun day!

Beautiful short hike that is around 2 miles total roundtrip in Townsend near the Smoky Mountains…read more A lot of uphill climbing, but worth it for the waterfall. When we were here this trail was still quite crowded and parking was limited/hard to find so be mindful of that. Otherwise, it's a beautiful site to see.

Looking for short, less populated, but still fabulous waterfall hike while visiting Gatlinburg or…read morethe Great Smoky Mountains? This is it!!! SPRUCE FLATS FALLS is a very short hike that begins at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute @ Tremont. The waterfall trail begins at the exact same point as the Lumber Ridge Trailhead, but the Lumber Ridge Trail goes left while the Spruce Flats trail goes right. The trail is easy to follow for the most part due to the Institute providing additional signs along the way to help guide you. Various hiking websites have differing difficult ratings as well as differing distances to the falls. My personal hiking experience would rate this as mildly moderate and the distance, according to our tracking systems was around .8 miles to the falls for a grand total of about 1.6 miles round trip. ~ MILDLY MODERATE HIKE The distance is easy, and while there are some steep uphill and downhill sections, my heartrate was never elevated to the point of heavy breathing. Experienced hikers would likely rate this trail on the harder side of an easy scale, primarily because of the difficulty of the terrain. It is heavily laced with exposed tree roots and/or embedded with jagged stones making it important to watch your step and balance. ~ OUR EXPERIENCE Our primary reason for visiting the Smokies was to hike Mount LeConte, which we successfully did the day prior to hiking here to Spruce Flats Falls. LeConte is a beast of a hike with an elevation gain of just under 2,900 feet over 5.5 miles. Comparatively, Spruce Flats Falls trail was a delight, but our legs were still extremely sore from our LeConte hike! The pain made our this hike less joyful, but each painful step was well rewarded with a gorgeous waterfall. Our group included myself, an experienced hiker, a grandmother (64), two single moms (29 & 31), their two kids: Adorable 3 year old Jojo and 10 year old Zeke + my yelp daughter Jess (30). My wife was still sore from the LeConte hike and opted to stay back in Gatlinburg. *** LET ME JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY HOW INCREDIBLE MOTHERS ARE!!! Little 3-year-old Jojo's mom carried her probably more then 1/3rd of the hike, particularly over some of the tougher terrains and didn't break a friggin' sweat!!! I carried her tiny 30 pound body up one of the steeper parts of the trail for about 5 minutes and thought I was gonna die! Jojo's 64 year old grandmother who does not hike at all handled the trail like a champion, even leading the way on occasion. Truthfully I was worried by some of the hiking reports for this trail saying it may be difficult for children, seniors and inexperienced hikers, but our group had all of those and it was not a problem. PLUS it had been raining most of the morning (wetting the trail) and continued with a light dewy drizzle most of our hike. ~ FINAL THOUGHTS Yep, my group included three generations of women on a rainy, misty Saturday and we all had a great time! The falls are beautiful! One of the more beautiful ones I've seen in the area, but hard to see in full from the base. This is definitely a waterfall where the pictures are best if you have a drone that can capture it's full grandeur. My difficulty scale: 0 = no effort required 1-3 = easy 4-6 = moderate 7-9 = difficult 10 = extremely difficult WATERFALL ATTRACTIVENESS: 8 out of 10 OVERALL DIFFICULTY: 4 out of 10 (mostly because of terrain) OUR TRACKING DISTANCE: 1.6 miles round trip from parking area across from the Institute @ Tremont. 2020 / 68

Cades Cove is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a wonderful 11 mile scenic…read moredrive with lots of history and beautiful stops. If your lucky you may even see some wildlife like bears. We did also see many birds, deer, and some chipmunks. I loved my visit and we did stop at most of the spots and did the Abrams Falls hike (gorgeous!!). Be aware that you should purchase parking tags if you do plan on stopping at select stations. Once you get to your stop or hike, there are usually not parking tags for purchase, so purchase them online or upon entering. I had no wifi service in the park so purchase them online before coming if you plan to purchase that route. On the drive, people pull over and stop a lot. So go slow, pay attention, and be mindful. It's a beautiful time.

Cades Cove is a, 6,800-acre lush valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known for its…read more11-mile one-way loop road, historic 19th-century cabins/churches, and abundant wildlife, including black bears. It is the park's most popular destination, attracting millions annually for sightseeing, hiking, and biking.

This is a neat/small not-for-profit museum that gives the history of railroad and lumber industry…read morein Townsend, TN. There's a lot of photos and info, old machinery and equipment in two small buildings. Great way to spend 30 mins on a hot day. Very interesting too!

Very historical and a must to remember and learn the history of the railroad…read more Thank you for keeping the history alive and sharing with all.

Carolina Bound Adventures basically made our trip to North Carolina. They provide any adventure you…read morecan think of. I only wished I could do them all in our vacation! Mark and Dave were our guides for a Jeep Tour and a Canoeing tour. They were both very accommodating and very knowledgeable about the cultural and environmental history of the area. This really was one of my favorite birthday trips I've taken in a while and North Carolina will always have a special place in my heart because of this. I usually try to travel to different places I've never been to before but I really want to go back to NC! Definitely do not hesitate to book with Carolina Bound Adventures! You will have the best time!

My husband and I went kayaking on Fontana Lake. Great experience from start to finish! Owners…read morewere very friendly, had everything organized, and gave great directions on where to meet up. Kayaks, paddles and vests were all in great shape. Kayaking on the lake was quiet and peaceful. Highly recommend this company if you are looking to kayak or paddleboard!

We bought a souvenir mug at the Cades Cove Campground Store for $24.99. Later we discovered that…read morethe exact same mug at all other national park stores sells for $16.99 only. A little bit too greedy.

I had such an amazing time at the Cades Cove Riding Stables. It was my first time on a horse. I was…read morea bit nervous but once we were in the trail it was so much fun. I felt like a pro! Our tour guide was Sydney (spelling??) she was amazing. She would get on and off her horse to check on everyone to the back. She was incredibly kind. Front office was nice to us when we came in to check in. There's no reservations, you just come in, sign waivers, and get set up to ride. There's plenty of parking. Please make sure you remember to bring some cash to tip your guide. They work really hard to make sure you have a great experience.

Little River Outfitters is a bit of a hidden gem. We decided to visit while we were staying in…read moreGatlinburg, since I've gotten the itch to get back into fly fishing after a 20+ year hiatus. Dennis welcomed my wife and I as soon as we walked in the door and after I explained my situation and target types of waters he took me straight to the perfect affordable setup. He expertly answered my questions and refrained from trying to upsell me to the readily available much more expensive options. Once we'd made our choices he left us to wander the store browsing. In the end I walked out with a nice rod and reel combo, a few extra leads and tippets and a big smile on my face. If you a tired of the big stores where they treat you more like money bags than fellow anglers, check out Little River Outfitters. It's well worth the drive and the personal and very knowledgeable service.

First of all, this shop is AMAZING!!!!!!! I am 10 years old just starting fly fishing and fly tying…read morethey are very very nice, respectful, and knowledgeable! They gave me a bunch of stickers and even fly tying materials! And even a trout stuffed animal and they put Velcro on it so I could practice casting!!!! They were very kind to me and my dad VERYY GOOD SELECTION from reels and rods to fly tying materials they have benches and fly vises and bobbins and tools very good selection honestly they have whole floor of fly tying materials and a trout hatchery very good prices too!!!!!! Over all just a great shop with amazing employees!! I love em and can't wait to go back