When to See the Leaves Change in the Smokies

Travel & Leisure magazine, REI sporting retail store, and Smoky Mountains - what a great combination!  As a Travel & Leisure subscriber and a REI member, I was excited to see an online article by Travel & Leisure choose the Smoky Mountains as a Top 12 Best Affordable Adventure & quote an REI employee.  The article "Go biking, hiking, and boating among the fall colors -all for a great price" by Diane Mehta (Sept. '09) describes the Smoky Mountain autumn beauty:

"The reds, yellows, and oranges of the Great Smoky Mountains explode all around you as you hike the Appalachian Trail up Clingmans Dome, then ridge-walk through hardwood forests, emerging on top of treeless mountains.  Fog floats among the trees and settles in the valley, adding a mystical feel without diminishing the powerful colors.  Says Tim Loftus of REI Adventures, which operates several fall hiking trips in the area:  It's like a fireworks show out there."

So when should you book your cabin rental at Lightning Bug Lodge to see the "fireworks"?  According to NPS.gov (National Park Service), it depends on the elevation:

Highest elevation:  mid Sept.
High elevation (above 4,000 ft):  early to mid Oct. - drive Clingmans Dome Rd
Mid to low elevation:  mid Oct. to early Nov.

For the full article, visit Travel & Leisure website:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/best-affordable-fall-adventures/1

Catch your own meal in the Smokies, An easy fishing adventure

According to the NPS, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park has 2,115 miles of streams and protects one of the last wild trout habitats in the eastern US.  Fishing is permitted with license except in Bear Creek (NC) and Lynn Camp Prong (TN).

However, if you have young children and want to be certain to catch a fish and eat it too, check out English Mountain Trout Farm.  A friend who stayed at Lightning Bug Lodge (LBL) recommended the experience.  Go for the experience, delicious fish, and friendly service.  Don't go there for fancy facilities or a fast or cheap meal.  Their slogan is "you hook em'. we cook em'".

The kids had a blast, so proud of their catch.  All the cameras came out.  The kids even had interest in watching the fish be prepared for cooking.  It's a great lesson that food comes from our natural environment (vs. a plastic container from Wal-Mart).  Plus the owner Charlie and his wife Angie took the time to sit down with us at the dinner table and teach us about the benefits of fresh fish vs. frozen imports.  Now that's edutainment the kids will remember.

It's difficult to find English Mountain Trout Farm online except for it's #1 rating on tripadvisor.com.  So give Charlie a call (865) 429-5553 and get off the beaten trail to 291 Blowing Cave Road, Sevierville, TN 37876.  Consider making it a day trip and tour nearby Tuckaleechee Caverns.  Search "caves" for my article on Tuckaleechee.

Smoky Mountains, Average Weather by Month

My friends would like to find the ideal time to visit the Smoky Mountains National Park.  It's an ideal place to visit, no matter what the season.  Determine what activity you want to do the most then pick your month.  This article will help give you direction with average Pigeon Forge, TN temperatures per month, thanks to weatherchannel.com.

1.  Go skiing & enjoy the peaceful snow covered mountains - Choose Winter

Smoky Mountains National Park is nearby the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort, offering skiing, ice skating, and tube riding.  Check out the LBLodge Smoky Mountain channel on You Tube for video.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LBLodgeSmokyMountain#p/c/E240D6EF56DF9040/1/SMn4iRxN69E40/1/SMn4iRxN69E

If you would rather watch the snow from a cozy indoor cabin, rent our cabin and enjoy the fireplace.  Just don't forget your boots, winter gear, and can food:

Dec.  27 - 50 degrees (average low/high)
Jan.    25- 46

Feb.  27-51

2.  Enjoy nature's flora, waterfalls, & less crowded hikes - Choose Spring

According to National Parks Traveler, "As Yellowstone National Park is to wildlife, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is to flora", check out the full article for hiking ideas to see spring flowers 

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2009/04/where-look-spring-wildflowers-great-smoky-mountains-national-park; The LBL cabin has quite the variety of plants & birds in the backyard, enjoy it from our wrap-around porch.  Bring a jacket & umbrella, May has more precipitation than any other month on average.  Consider indoor activities too like Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.

March 34-61 degrees

April   43-69

May   53-77

3.  Get wet & wild in the sunshine - Choose Summer

The most visited season of the year when all the roads in the National Park are open and vacationers play in the rivers.  It's a natural playground offering white water rafting and tubing (check out links on right to "Tube down the river" or "Raft down the River").  Also, you'll have more amusement park options including Dollywoods Splash County water park.  Temperatures cool down as you ascend up the mountain, so take a break from the heat in our mountain cabin.  Bring your sunscreen, hat, picnic supplies, and water.

June  61-84 degrees

July   65-87

Aug   64-86

4.  Photograph the foliage & learn mountain history - Choose Fall

Looking for gorgeous pictures?  Shoot the changing leaf colors in Cades Cove and throughout the National Park.  Learn more about the mountain history and culture through local festivals including 1) Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival, 2) Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival, 3) Townsend Fall Festival & Old Timers Day, 4) Sevier County Fair, 5)Old Mill Square Heritage Day, 6) Trout Tournament, 7) Woodcarvers Festival and multiple car shows http://www.smokymountainharvestfestival.com/

Sept. 57-81 degrees

Oct.  43-71

Nov. 35-59

What is your favorite season in the Smokies and why?

I'm Not a Frog, but I'm Thankful & Green

In such a beautiful world, we have so much to be thankful for and opportunities to recognize others.  This article recognizes the employees at rental management companies and hopes to inspire green action. 

We wanted to choose upscale cabin rental management company, so our guests would have the best service nearby.  Cabin management employees manage Lightning Bug Lodge and Indigo Moon Lodge on a daily basis.  Besides reservations, they have a full-time office and maintenance staff, so you can get help any day of the week.

When giving a gift, I also think about how I can help the environment or society.  Our gift this season was re-usable water bottles.  Perfect for hikes and keeping plastic botttles out of the landfill. 

Did you know that only 27% of plastic bottles get recycled in the US (according to Earth911.com)?  And the number of bottles we use keeps climbing.  In 1976, the average American drank 1.6 gallons of bottled water.  By 2006, it increased to 28.3 gallons!  You can make a difference, choose a re-usable water bottle.  For other recycling facts, visit Earth911.com.http://earth911.com/recycling/plastic/plastic-bottle-recycling-facts/

Mingo Falls & 7 More Waterfalls Near the Smoky Mountains

The power and peace of the waterfalls, perhaps that's what draws us to visit them.  If you only go to the waterfalls within walking distance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park visitor centers or the ones on all the postcards, you might miss the peace.  Seek the trail less traveled. 

One I'd recommend is Mingo Falls.  It's a bit difficult to find the entrance to the trail (small country roads & few signs), but once you arrive, you'll note that there's less than a dozen parking spots and there's still room for your car (especially small crowds if during the week).  Once at the Mingo Falls Campground on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, you only need to hike 0.4 miles.  It's considered moderately difficult because it includes 161 rough steps built along a creek, sometimes wet and muddy.  But when you get to the top, it's worth it.  Watch 120 ft. of water cascading down while standing on bridge.  Hear the peace.  Smell the fresh air.  Feel the breeze.

There's many waterfalls near the Smoky Mountains, here's 8 more to add to your "to see" list:
1.  Mingo Falls (as pictured above)
2.  Juney Whank Falls- moderate 0.8 trail to 90 ft. falls, from Bryson City drive to Deep Creek Campground
3.  Abrams Falls - moderate 5 mile hike to a 20 ft. waterfall, short but powerful with its large volume of water, near stop #10 Cades Cove
4.  Ramsey Cascades - difficult 8 miles, but rewarding with the park's tallest waterfall (100 ft), 4.7 mile drive first from the Greenbrier entrance (TN)
5.  Meigs Falls - 0 hike, drive along Little River Rd and stop at the pulloff 13 miles west of Sugarlands Visitor Center (TN)
6.  Hen Wallow Falls - moderate 4.4 mile hike from Gabes Mountain Trail, park at Cosby Picnic area
7.  Indian Creek/Tom Branch Falls - easy 1.6 mile hike, 2 falls for 1 hike special, Indian Creek Falls = 25 ft. tall, also from Deep Creek Campground
8.  Mouse Creek Falls - moderate 4 milke hike, includes Midnight Hole, a picturesque pool below a 6' falls; exit I-40 at Waterville Rd. (#451) turn left after crossing the Pigeon River and proceed 2.3 miles

Tip:  See photos before the trip to choose which one you want to visit.  I've added a photo gallery of each of the 8 falls on flickr for you http://www.flickr.com/photos/krenda/galleries/

Smoky Mountains Featured in 1,000 Places to See

If you attempt to visit all 1,000 places in the book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patrica Schultz, then you'll be taking a trip to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  She describes the diversity and popularity of the park, plus she adds a connection to a poet named Sgt. Joyce Kilmer, "From the inn's lofty perspective one understands how such magnificent landscape has long inspired religious communities and the local poet Joyce Kilmer, who wrote the simple ode "I think that I shall never see / a poem lovely as a tree."

"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
An lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear,
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bossom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
The book also notes the amazing number of tree species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (120), even compared to other National Parks (Yellowstone = 20).

You can connect with the poet & trees by visiting the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest:  
     Where:  part of the Nantahala National Forest in NC, near Robbinsville, NC
approx. 75 miles from Pigeon Forge, 60 miles from Townsend, or 40 miles from Cherokee, NC.