Smoky Mountain Ideas

There is such a variety of things to do, it's hard to recommend anything without knowing your likes/dislikes.
I live in the area, and please remember just because your gps wants to take you on a back road doesn't mean you should...

If you're looking for a peaceful area then I would hit Townsend, TN as your base. Quiet little town. We enjoy staying at Big Meadow Family Campground. The Little Arrow Outdoor resort looks really good and the KOA doesn't look bad. Townsend is right at the entrance to the National Park, near the Cades Cove area. Lots of great hiking trails around there such as Abrams Falls and Rich Mountain Loop. Nice visitor center as well. Also convenient to the rest of the park. Heading to the North Carolina side is a beautiful drive and brings you past Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park.

Townsend is an easy drive the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg if you're looking for some of that as well.

IB853347201 wrote:
Great Smokey's?
Must see's on my list would be
- Gatlinburg
- Great Smokey's National Park including Clingman Dome, Chimney Top, etc
- Biltmore Estate, Ashville
- Chimney Top east of Ashville
- Pigeon Forge, check out the dinner shows

I think you mean Chimney Rock, Gatlinburg is T shirt shops and tourist junk shops with a few exceptions and traffic is ridiculous.

IB853347201 wrote:
Great Smokey's?
Must see's on my list would be
- Gatlinburg
- Great Smokey's National Park including Clingman Dome, Chimney Top, etc
- Biltmore Estate, Ashville
- Chimney Top east of Ashville
- Pigeon Forge, check out the dinner shows

X2 on the above..

Was just at Gatlinburg last August... Stayed at River Plantation RV Resort.

Clingmans dome is a great hike on paved surface... although it is a good walk..
We really liked Cades Cove, great sights there..
Just the drive through the park couls take all day, its a nice place to stop at each pull off and take in the beauty...

Specifics on what you are looking for and your interests would be helpful.

DrewE wrote:
The Blue Mountains do kind of merge into the Smokies, and both are beautiful. If you have time the Blue Ridge Parkway has some wonderful sights and views and hiking. (Do check the tunnel locations and clearances beforehand; some are rather on the low side at the fog line.)

I found the Cade's Cove loop road very interesting. I would not recommend taking the RV around it, based on my experience doing that; while it's possible, it's tight and there are plenty of relatively low-hanging branches and people parking along the road can make it even more tight. The area is scenic and the historical bits intriguing.

Dollywood is above-average for amusement parks, and offers a good many things besides just rides and fairground games. Most of the rest of Pigeon Forge is...well, touristy in the worst sense. It'd be exciting as all get out if you're about a 4th grade boy, I think.

I haven't stayed there yet, but the views from Mama Gertie's Campground look absolutely fabulous from the pictures I've seen.

Truth is the Smokys are a small section of the Blue Ridge Section of the Appalachian Mountain chain. In the summer. The Blue Ridge Mountains are MUCH cooler than the Smoky Mts. Which is why we camp more on the Blue Ridge. The temps in the Smokys are just as hot as it is where we live, and I go UP to find cooler air. In the summer, we have the 3000' rule. Never camp below 3000'. Don't seem to work in the Smokys

BarabooBob wrote:
We drove through Gatlinburg last summer and could not find anywhere to park. We were driving an F150, suprcrew, pulling a 17' TT. Almost every parking area was passenger vehicles only and we spent about 45 minutes trying to find TT parking. We gave up and headed for the NP.

We don't even like to drive our DRW F350 in downtown Gatlinburg. We will usually park and ride around on the shuttle.

Do you want an RV resort? Do you want amenities, do you want a campground with no services? Do you want to be where there is lots of things to do or do you want to be in the quiet side of the GSMNP? How do you feel about neighbors? If we know the answers to these questions, we can give you some better information.

We drove through Gatlinburg last summer and could not find anywhere to park. We were driving an F150, suprcrew, pulling a 17' TT. Almost every parking area was passenger vehicles only and we spent about 45 minutes trying to find TT parking. We gave up and headed for the NP.

For the Eastern TN side I would recommend staying in the Townsend area if you want to avoid the tourist area of Gatinburg and Pigeon Forge. You are close to Cade’s Cove and some nice hiking.