VISITING THE SMOKIES SUMMER EDITION - 2020
Bootleggers Distillery: Honoring a family tradition Great Smoky Mountains National Park Offers 800 Miles Of Trails Smoky Mountain Trail Map Hot Springs Trail Map Backyard Camping Tips: Don’t be intimidated The Beauty, Mystery, And Adventure of Cosby’s History highlighted
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Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
VISITING THE SMOKIES Visiting The Smokies is published by The Newport Plain Talk 145 East Broadway | Newport, TN 37821 423-623-6171
MANAGEMENT Duane Uhls Publisher & Editor
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Copyright: 2020 Visiting The Smokies, The Newport Plain Talk. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the newspaper management. Reproduction of advertising and design work is strictly prohibited due to the use of licensed art services and agency agreement.
Features Inside
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Whitewater Rafting Attracts Thousands To Cocke County
Smokies Face Strange But Progressive Year
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Bootleggers Distillery:
Honoring a family tradition
Little River, Park Streams Offer Unforgettable Fishing Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center Brings History To Life Great Smoky Mountains National Park Offers 800 Miles Of Trails Smoky Mountain Trail Map Hot Springs Trail Map Backyard Camping Tips: Don’t be intimidated The Beauty, Mystery, And Adventure of Cosby’s History highlighted
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4 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
Photos Submitted Thousands of rafters head down the Pigeon River from Waterville to Hartford every year. Tourism is the state’s second largest industry and Hartford is one of the crown jewels of Cocke County’s tourism offerings.
Whitewater Rafting Attracts Thousands To Cocke County
Tucked away in the mountains of Cocke County, Hartford sits along I-40 East at exit 447, serving as the next to last exit before the North Carolina state line. This small town is home to numerous whitewater rafting companies, gas stations, a post office, and unique restaurants. Settled along the Pigeon River, Hartford is a quiet town filled with outdoor enthusiasts and curious tourists. For one who wants to be away from the hustle and bustle of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, yet still within reasonable driving distance, Fox Fire Campground and Shauan’s RV Park provide riverside campsites. The Downtown Hartford Citgo and the BP serve as the only gas stations along I-40 between Newport and Maggie Valley, NC. The Pigeon River Smokehouse, located at the BP, serves up the best-known BBQ in the area. Across the street sits The Bean Trees Café — a unique dining experience with riverside dining and live music
on Friday and Saturday nights. The Bean Trees features a vegetarian and kid friendly menu and serves specialty coffee drinks, beer, and wine. Each whitewater rafting company utilizes the public put-in, located at I-40 East, exit 451-Waterville. This access point is used for the upper Pigeon River trip, which consists of 12 class III rapids and three class IV rapids. Rapids in the Southeast are rated on a class scale of I to VI, with I being slow moving flat water and VI being deemed experts only or closed for commercial and recreational use. The public put-in lies on the North Carolina state line in Haywood County. Each rafting company uses a different put-in, most are located on the company’s property, for the lower Pigeon River trip, consisting of class I and II rapids with a mild class III at the end of the trip before taking out at the public take-out in Denton. Continue to page 5
Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020 From page 4
The whitewater rafting companies are located along Hartford Road. Each trip will vary in length depending on which company you choose. For the majority, the upper trip is at least five miles long, and the lower trip is approximately six miles long. For the more adventurous person or someone looking for a thrilling ride that guarantees you’ll be getting wet, the upper Pigeon River trip is perfect. Children are welcome to join the excitement as long as they follow the general rules of being at least eight-years-old or weighing 70-pounds (this is for a child who may be younger than eight but is still “big” enough to with stand the physical aspects of the trip). A trained, CPR-certified raft guide will journey with you through rapids such as Power House, Full-ofWater, Veg-O-matic, Snap Dragon, The Lost Guide, Double Reactionary, and The Accelerator. The upper Pigeon River provides scenery and photo opportunities when you are not concentrating on the white water. For families with smaller children or those looking for a calmer ride, the lower Pigeon River awaits. Consisting mostly of class I and II rapids, the lower allows children as young as three to enjoy the rafting experience. Be sure to bring a waterproof camera to capture memories, as this trip is more scenic, winding around the mountains and following Hartford Road downstream to Denton. Large areas of slow moving flat water provide a way to cool-off on a hot, summer day. Even if you are unable to swim, each guest is provided a PFD-personal floatation device-and a raft guide will accompany you for the duration of the trip.
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Figures released by the Cocke County Clerk’s office show a total of 225,651 rafters paid to enjoy the local streams in 2019, which brought in a total of $375,567 to the county coffers. Added to that is $5,500 in permit fees paid by the eleven licensed rafting companies. The $375,568 figure is up nearly $5,000 from the $370,752 paid by 222,535 rafters in 2018. However, it still falls below the all-time high $405,742 figure from 2016 and the $391,960 in 2015. Cocke County has benefited tremendously from the rafting industry, which welcomes visitors from around the world to the white waters of the Pigeon River. In 1995, the first full year of the rafting industry, 551 paid customers and a total of 21,154 total rafters added $35,674 to the local budget, along with $3,000 in permit fees. From 1995 until 2019, nearly every year has seen a significant increase in the number of visitors and the money derived from the business. Companies are currently following all CDC guidelines while still taking trips down the river. The temperatures of employees and guests are taken when entering the business. Equipment is being sterilized before and after each trip. For more information regarding whitewater rafting prices and trips on the Pigeon River, please contact the following companies in Hartford: Big Bear Rafting, 5 Rivers Adventures, Big Creek Expeditions, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Outdoor Rafting Adventures, Rafting in the Smokies, Rapid Expeditions, Rip Roaring Adventures, Smoky Mountain Outdoors, USA Raft and Wildwater Rafting.
Figures released by the Cocke County Clerk’s office show a total of 225,651 rafters paid to enjoy the local streams in 2019, which brought in a total of $375,567 to the county coffers.
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Photo By Scott Keller Visitors to Cades Cove make their way around the 11-mile loop the first day the park reopened to the public following COVID-19 related closures.
Smokies face strange but progressive year It’s been anything but a normal year for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
From the start of 2020, things were changing for the park, beginning with repairs on the Bote Mountain Tunnel over Laurel Creek Road and continuing with changes on when and how visitors can tour Cades Cove. In the middle of these two big events, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all the facilities in the park from March 24 to May 9, causing the park to register an unprecedented low number of visitors. GSMNP visitor statistics show that April numbers were down nearly 100% from April 2019: By the end of the month, only 146,246 people had come through the Townsend entrance to the most visited park in the United States, compared to 358,000 by the end of April 2019. Closures caused by the pandemic created these
numbers, but before March, the tunnel repairs already had taken their toll, closing Cades Cove to vehicle traffic for nearly two months. The work was necessary, however. Years of water damage and general wear and tear meant that the tunnel would eventually become unsafe without maintenance. North Carolina crews came to Townsend in February and wrapped up construction in late February. But less than a month later, the Cove was closed again as social distancing standards pummeled the U.S. National Park’s normal operations. Right before that, data from Google shows people were flocking to the park, especially during weeks when millions of Americans’ work lives just stopped. Continue to page 9
Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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From page 8
In rapid succession, crowds inundated the park, disease numbers spiked nationwide, officials first restricted park usage and then shut it down altogether. Come June, many operations were back to normal and people eager to visit the Cove formed lines that stretched for miles. By June, campgrounds and visitor centers reopened, even though things like capacities in bathrooms and staff social distancing have changed how the park operates for the foreseeable future. During a year when parts of the park have been closed longer than they’ve been open, officials are still trying to find innovative and progressive ways to change the way people enjoy Cades Cove. In March 2020, the park sent out an open survey asking whether or not it should shut down the loop road for vehicles on Wednesdays. The public responded enthusiastically. More than 60% of comments sent back to GSMNP were supportive of the move, which begins June 17 and will last until Sept. 30. The pilot study will see if the park should keep the loop road closed on Wednesday indefinitely. Cades Cove has only become more popular over the years. The park previously was only opened to a vehicle-free time for walkers and bikers until 10 a.m. Saturdays and Wednesdays.
By the end of the year, park officials say they will have a better idea of how to make changes that will help visitors to enjoy the Cove just as much as they always have.
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Photos Submitted
Bootleggers Distillery honoring a family tradition
Bootleggers Distillery, located in Hartford, Tennessee, has been open and in operation since 2013. The distillery stands out against its competitors by providing products that are made in small batches, giving each drink a bit of history in each sip. The liquor at the distillery is from grain to bottle, made right there by the river. Moonshining has been in owner and operator Darrell Miller’s family for decades, and he continues this legacy with his current family run organization. This family dedication extends to the location of the shop as well, because the current store is where his grandfather had a still years ago. Continue to page 11
Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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From page 10
Their spirits are also sold throughout the state of Tennessee, excluding the Memphis area, but they hope to expand in the coming years by adding more space to their current location. In regard to expansion, they also only plan to continue selling distilled spirits, rather than branching into wines and beers. By keeping distilled liquors the only thing on their menu, Bootleggers keeps a tradition of excellence. Bootleggers hopes to expand their flavor list soon, but as of now the group provides multiple flavors including apple pie, blackberry, cinnamon, peach, and many more. Bootleggers Distillery is the first stop on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Stop They have also rolled out their first line of rum, which includes Gold, Platinum, and Coconut. All of the flavored shines that Bootleggers provides are made to their standards, so they refuse to sell a product that they would not want to drink themselves. Though they have stiff competition within
by and enjoy a drink by the river served by Taylor Clay or owner Darrell Miller. The distillery offers free tastings, and also serves Moonshine Slushies, cocktails, whiskey and rum. If you only get one shot, let it be Bootleggers.
the local moonshining business, Bootleggers is confident that they put forth the best product available. They also hope to grow their business in the immediate community as well, so Bootleggers invites you to come out to Hartford to get a taste, because “if you only get one shot,” they would like it to be Bootleggers Moonshine.
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Little River, park streams offer unforgettable fishing
Welcome to the Smokies, fishing aficionados. Here in the breathtaking Southern Appalachian Mountains, beautiful mountain streams spawn unforgettable fishing opportunities. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to perhaps the largest wild trout habitat in the eastern United States. Nearly 600 miles of its 2,900 miles of streams are inhabited by trout: brook, rainbow and brown. All three species reproduce in the park’s streams, but the brook trout is the only one that is native to the Southern Appalachians. It is prized among fly anglers, but it has lost nearly 75% of its original habitat due to logging in the early 20th century and to the introduction of rainbow trout. Prospects for the 2020-fishing season: All streams within the park are open to fishing and harvest, a statement that could not be made from 1934 to 2015. Matt Kulp, the park’s supervisory fishery biologist, said the fishing prospects should be average to above average for the entire park. “Although the drought of 2016 resulted in reduced reproductive success of brown and rainbow trout in 2017, survival and recruitment of adult fish that did survive and successfully reproduced was very
good,” Kulp said. “The condition of brown and rainbow trout has been above average, and anglers are reporting good angling success across the park. “Surveys of brook trout populations indicate densities are above average in most park waters, especially in North Carolina streams where the drought affects appeared to be minimal,” he added.
Finding the fish
Brookies can be found in about 160 miles of streams in the park. The West, Middle and East prongs of Little River are fine habitat for rainbow, brown and brook trout, with the native brookies preferring elevations above 2,500 feet. Since 1987 the park has restored 31 miles of the higher streams that have natural barriers like waterfalls to have exclusively brook trout populations. Brown trout in Little River are found between the 2,500- and 3,000-foot elevations. On the Elkmont branch, they will be in the Fish Camp Prong; on the Tremont side, they are a half-mile up on the Lynn Camp Prong to the end of the gravel road. Continue to page 14
14 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020 From page 13
Browns do not displace brookies like rainbows do. Once they reach 8 inches, browns eat other fish as well as insects. They can live eight to 10 years and get to be 25 to 30 inches long. They are extremely hard to catch. Smallmouth bass are found in the lower elevations of the park, around 2,500 feet elevation, and they are plentiful beginning in Townsend and downstream on the Little River. As the three river branches approach the park boundary near Townsend, rainbow and brown trout dominate, and warm-water species appear: smallmouth bass, rock bass (redeye) and various shiners, minnows and darters.
Tips for anglers
While the entire ecology of the park is pristine and fragile, the waters are especially susceptible to invasive species brought in by visitors. Kulp stressed the importance of thoroughly cleaning all equipment that will touch the water, especially shoes, waders and tackle. Kulp named the algae didymo (nicknamed “rock snot”) as a major threat to the park’s stream habitat for aquatic insects, mainly because it is so widespread in this country, but there are many more pests to watch for: whirling disease in trout, gill lice, New Zealand mud snail, quagga mussels and zebra mussels. “Catch-and-release is not necessary in the park,” Kulp said. “The limiting factor on the population of fish is food: aquatic insects. Annual mortality for trout is about 55% to 65%, mostly from wildlife; anglers account for no more than 15% of that total. Typically, once brook trout get to 10 inches, they have difficulty eating enough to stay alive and often die the following year.” No stocking from fish hatcheries is done in the park. From Townsend downstream to Walland, the native trout habitat is marginal, but rainbows are heavily stocked in the spring and fall by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Summer water
Brook Trout
Photo By Tom Sherlin Wayne and Tess Wallace spend the afternoon fishing in the Little River near Tremont Institute in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
temperatures are too warm for stocking trout, but the bass fishing is great. Trout fishing in the Smokies is enjoyable at all levels of experience. For easy fishing and family fun, go for the stocked rainbows on the Little River in Townsend or begin with fly-fishing lessons at Little River Outfitters. Experienced anglers can tackle the big streams with easy access along the main roads. The purists can hike deep into the park for seclusion to fish for brookies in pristine creeks.
Locals can help
Successful trout fishing, especially fly-fishing, is closely tied to the elements of nature. Nothing creates success more than the assistance of knowledgeable local anglers. For equipment and advice on fishing, Little River Outfitters in Townsend is the place to go. The rustic two-story post and beam building is located at 106 Town Square Drive. Besides stocking fishing supplies, Little River Outfitters staff give good advice, and they offer a renowned fly-fishing school and private instruction. Call 865-448-9459. Co-owners Byron Begley, Paula Begley and Daniel Drake also collect vital information on stream conditions and update it daily at LittleRiverOutfitters. com. Entries include water volume, water temperatures, water clarity, weather conditions, insect hatches and expert advice on fly choices. Fishing guides are an excellent way to get the most out of your fishing day, most can supply the equipment, know where to go and how to catch ’em. Three guides who come recommended by Little River Outfitters include Rob Fightmaster, 865-607-2886 and on the Web at FightmasterFlyfishing.com; Josh Pfeiffer, 865-719-0227 and FrontierAnglersTN.com; and David Knapp, 931-261-1884 and TroutZoneAnglers.com.
Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center brings history to life PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS HERITAGE CENTER
The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center preserves the history of the region by bringing it to life. More than a museum, the center’s mission is to “preserve, interpret and share the history and culture” of the people who have inhabited the Southern Appalachians. “There’s a lot more than meets the eye at the Heritage Center. We have really an immersive experience,” Executive Director Brent Lambert explained. This summer the center is adding even more, with some planned before the COVID-19 pandemic and some emerging in response to health guidelines. In early May the center reopened its Historic Village, home to 13 buildings that visitors can walk through and see furnished as they would have been at the time they were in use, from rope beds in cabins to the equipment in the wheelwright’s shop. Many of the buildings were taken down and reconstructed on the site. Before even entering the Heritage Center, visitors can stop at the Isaac Anderson cabin beside the road. The oldest building on the site, constructed in 1802, it features panels that tell the story of the man who founded what would become Maryville College more than 200 years ago. The center is adding a map at the cabin to show visitors how much more there is to experience. “They’ll be able to see there’s an entire village just up this hill,” Lambert said.
On June 20, the Heritage Center reopened its galleries, which house several permanent exhibits. The National Parks Gallery features not only the history and artifacts of the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park but four others in the region: Big South Fork, Obed Wild & Scenic River, Cumberland Gap and Andrew Johnson. The Native American Life exhibit includes stone tools, pottery and other artifacts unearthed in one of the largest archaeological dig projects in Tennessee history. East Tennessee Mountain Culture is, of course, a permanent exhibit, along with a Transportation Station, which includes a Ford Model T and horse-drawn transport, from a surrey to a reproduction of a Civil War cannon, just donated to the center. At press time the center was working on plans for another permanent exhibit, which Lambert could not reveal but said would be “a tremendous opportunity.” The Heritage Center works with the national park staff to feature temporary exhibits too. Although work was delayed because of the pandemic, Lambert was hopeful that by mid-summer a quilt exhibit featuring the Walker Sisters will be ready for visitors. Continue to page 17
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From page 16
Wilder Chapel Church, built in 1910, is in the foreground of this view of the Historic Village at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. The chapel, which was moved to the center, is one of the facilities at the center than can be rented for events. Raised in Little Greenbrier Cove, the sisters were skilled at making textiles from materials on their homestead, where they remained after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated until the last sister died in the 1960s.
“At this point we definitely intend to have the country fair,” Lambert said, explaining that in addition to any challenge presented with health guidelines for the late September event organizers also will be working without longtime leader Judy Krueger, who died this spring. “We’re having to soldier on without Hands-on and virtual her, and that’s a huge loss,” he said. Typically when school tours have visited the Heritage The Tennessee Pottery Festival is scheduled for Center children have been able to experience life of October. an earlier era with activities from churning butter to practicing with Native American style blow darts. Walk through history School shutdowns this spring, unfortunately, can- In late summer the Heritage Center plans to being celed those visits for thousands of students. something It has never done before, evening walkHowever the center has found a way to offer a pop- ing tours through the Historic Village. ular summer activity for parents or grandparents Near Halloween those will become ghost walks, and to do with children, providing four weeks of Virtual as Christmas approaches they will focus on holiday Family Fun that started June 22. traditions in the Southern Appalachians. People will be able to purchase material kits from While the center has hosted some re-enactors in the the Heritage Center and receive virtual instructions past, Lambert said, “We’re moving in the direction of for making items such as cornhusk dolls and Native creating a real living history experience.” American pottery. The goal is to give visitors a feeling of walking into With a $5,000 grant for more virtual programming a different time so they can experience how people through the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Eco- living in the region at different times would live and nomic Security) Act, the Heritage Center also is cre- interact. ating and posting online up to half a dozen videos. The first, on nonnative invasive plants in the region, went on its Facebook page June 12.
Summer concerts
The Heritage Center plans to resume its Summer Sunset Concert series in July, with a smaller in-person audience but reaching more people online. To follow social distancing guidelines the Heritage Center plans to issue only about 150 tickets for it outdoor, covered amphitheater, which usually seats about 500. The concerts are free for Heritage Center members, and this year more people will be able to listen for free. “We intend to stream those concerts on our Facebook page,” Lambert said. In early June the Heritage Center already was planning fall events.
The 500-seat amphitheater at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center will be limited to about 150 guests while social distancing restrictions are in place because of COVID-19. However, the center plans to also show summer concerts online.
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers 800 miles of trails Step from your car, walk a few yards down a leafcovered path. Suddenly the noise of the traffic, even the warmth of the sun, is gone. In their place — quiet, cool. You’re on a trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the nation’s most-visited park, there is solitude, even isolation. For those not accustomed to the wilderness offered by following some trails, there are easy walks that offer glimpses of the primeval forest. For other more adventurous, or experienced, hikers, there are challenging trails that lead to some of the most dramatic views the Park has to offer. The Smokies ’ 800 miles of trails range from wide pathways, which served as the thoroughfares for the mountain dwellers of pre-1930, to steep, well-trodden portions of the Appalachian Trail. There has been much public and private investment in trail maintenance in recent years. In 2012, Friends of the Smokies established the Trails Forever endowment thanks to a matching gift from the Aslan Foundation in Knoxville. Today, the $5 million endowment funds a full-time trail crew in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to reconstruct and rehabilitate some of the Park’s most impacted trails. “We are so excited about the progress the Park’s Trails Forever crew has made on Alum Cave Trail just in the last year,” said Brent McDaniel, director of marketing for Friends of the Smokies. “Since 2008, our $5 million Trails Forever endowment has helped fund rehabilitation projects on Jakes Creek, Forney Ridge, Ramsey Cascades, Chimney Tops and now Alum Cave trails. The hard work this crew does and the fact that these improvements will last 75-plus years is truly incredible. These are some of the Park’s most heavily traveled trails so it just makes sense for us to give back and take care of our hiking trails
wherever we can.” The three-year effort to rehabilitate the Chimney Tops Trail ended in 2014. In 2015, Great Smoky Mountains National Park celebrated the recent completion of the Chimney Tops Trail restoration project. More than 1,000 volunteers provided more than 14,000 hours of labor on the project. The popular Alum Cave Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now undergoing full-scale restoration. The Trails Forever crew will focus restoration efforts on several targeted locations along the 5-mile trail to improve visitor safety and stabilize eroding trail sections. The restoration work will require temporary trail closures throughout the twoyear process.
Short nature walks
For the beginning hiker, shorter, less-strenuous day hikes are plentiful throughout the Park. These, like the longer trails that work their way through the backcountry, offer many miles of nature walks and self-guiding trails to Park visitors. These trails are usually no longer than 1 mile (round-trip) and many serve as educational guides to the Park and surrounding area. Along the way are scattered resting places, usually with a spectacular view for extra measure. The Sugarlands Trail, which begins behind the Sugarlands Visitors Center (2 miles south of Gatlinburg on U.S. 441), gives an introduction to the natural history of the area, as well as history about its human inhabitants. Elkmont, Smokemont and Cosby are some, but not all, of the self-guiding nature trails that give visitors a chance to see and learn more about the mountains than they would just riding through them in a car. One at the Chimneys Picnic Area is a favorite for Continue to page 22
22 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020 From page 21
wildflower enthusiasts in the spring. Several spots along Laurel Creek Road from the Townsend entrance to Cades Cove serve as entrances to trails and nature walks that offer strolls or workouts. In one spot, at the beginning of the Bote Mountain Trail, those with a bit more physical conditioning can walk up the road bed (it’s to the left) while others can simply wander up Schoolhouse Gap Road beside a quiet mountain stream (across the bridge and to the right where the larger parking area is located). Farther up Laurel Creek Road, just down from Crib Gap, is the beginning of several trails, some easy, others more vertical. One of the trails offers a 2-mile “short-cut” to the higher reaches of Bote Mountain Trail, which offers a workout without exhaustion. Andrews Bald, Abrams Falls and Laurel Falls get you into the wilderness, but not too far. These fairly easy trails range in length from 2 to 6 miles and do have some spots where more-than-average energy will be expended.
Tougher trails
Some hikes — Deep Creek, Shuckstack and Snake Den Trail, to name just a few — challenge all but the most adventurous hiker. These climb up (or down depending on your direction) 4,000 feet or more. The more difficult trails have their own rewards — walking through virgin forests, passing into the clouds, being enveloped in the mists swirling around the highest of the Smokies ’ peaks, walking on new-fallen snow or through blooming blackberry bushes still dripping with morning dew. Area residents have their own favorites among difficult trails. There is the 5-mile hike to Spence Field, one of the Smokies ’ famous and mysterious balds. Those still able to breathe normally after that last push to the top may continue on to Rocky Top, which lent its name to the song popular with the Tennessee Volunteers. From there you can continue on to the other two peaks of Thunderhead, the dominant mountain on the skyline in the distance when approaching Maryville by U.S. 129 from Knoxville. There is Mount LeConte, available by several trails. Entrances to trails leading to LeConte (which is topped with a lodge and shelter) are on transmountain U.S. 441 (the Alum Cave Trail) which leads to Cherokee, N.C., and off the Roaring Fork motor trail off Airport Road in Gatlinburg at Cherokee Orchard (Rainbow Falls and the Bullhead). Rainbow Falls is worth a hike itself with its views from the log bridges approaching the high spill. The
Bullhead features quick altitude and good views of Gatlinburg.
The high country
If you wish to go to the high country without having to climb there, try Andrews Bald trail, which starts at the Clingmans Dome parking lot. Or turn the other way, paralleling the paved trail to the dome’s tower and walk along the crest of the Smokies, through high-altitude forests as though you were in Canada. On parts of the trail you can gaze from both sides into the mountains and valleys as far as the eye can see. If a step into history is more your cup of tea, try some walks just out of Townsend. There is the popular hike to the Walker Sisters cabin where five sisters lived — first with their father, then alone — and became almost totally self-sufficient. Reaching the trailhead is probably the hardest part of this walk. From Townsend, go into the Park, turn left at the “Y” toward Elkmont and Gatlinburg. At Metcalf Bottoms go straight through the picnic area, across the ridge and onto the gravel road. Turn right at the Little Greenbrier School road and park at the schoolhouse. The trail is the road with the gate. About a mile from that gate stands the homestead. The house where the sisters lived and worked is still there with its charred stone fireplaces. Just inside Cades Cove, on the right past the parking area and scenic overlook with display, is one of the paths to Rich Mountain. Once again, a brief walk on a well-worn trail can lead you up beside a mountain stream, complete with cascade, if there is enough water. This trail is steep in places but well, if not heavily, traveled. One switchback has a spectacular view of Cades Cove below, well worth the exertion once you get there. At the top, the trail joins the road to a spot where one of the Smokies ’ fire towers used to sit. The National Park Service sold most of the towers and the Rich Mountain tower is no longer. The trail follows the ridgeline a ways and then heads back down to the Cove. The trail comes out by Elijah Oliver’s cabin, one of the cove’s many scenic spots, and then returns to the parking lot through the gently rolling forest floor. If you have only a few hours, not the whole day, try the Chestnut Top Trail just inside the Park boundary near Townsend. The trail begins just at the “Y” intersection. Don’t be dismayed by the steepness of the Continue to page 23
Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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From page 22
trail at the very beginning; this is the only really hard climbing you will have to do.
Sights and sounds
During the spring and summer, slowpokes climbing will have an added bonus. The mountainside is filled with wildflowers, many just at eye level. You don’t even have to stoop over to see them. Once you reach the top of the hill, you walk through pine forest, across bright green mosses, into deciduous forests. Listen to Laurel Creek far below. There is wildlife along this trail, particularly birds. You can walk as far as you desire, then turn around and return to your car. At about 4 miles, the trail intersects with the Schoolhouse Gap Trail.
Abrams Creek
For a day-trip into the wilderness where you are never far from “civilization” but probably will see few people, take the Foothills Parkway to Abrams Creek ranger station. Go to Walland on Lamar Alexander Parkway (U.S. 321) and turn right onto the parkway. At the end of the finished section, Chilhowee Lake will be in front of you. Turn left and then take another immediate left. Travel through Happy Valley, one of the most picturesque residential communities in Blount County. Watch for the sign to the ranger station. Park just beyond the ranger station — a little shed nearby can provide you with brochures, which will explain much about the Park. You have two directions you can now take. Go through the campground and up Cooper Road, one of the major roadways into Cades Cove before the Park was established. This is a nice stroll and can take those with stamina all the way to Cades Cove (about 11 miles). But take a side trip, which will take a bit of scrambling, if you’re even the least bit adventuresome. At Campsite No. 1, turn right and go up and over the mountain to Abrams Creek. This man way (it isn’t big enough to be a real trail by Park standards) goes up and down beside one of the Smokies ’ most scenic rivers. There is a campsite about 2 miles along this walkway that provides a swimming hole just a few feet away. Another interesting walk begins across from the ranger station. You will cross Abrams Creek on a log bridge and enter a meadow where houses once stood.
Two hikers walk across first bridge at trailhead to Chimney Tops during a sunny and cool morning in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
This very crooked road will eventually lead you to the Twenty-Mile Creek ranger station and, a bit farther on, Fontana Lake. From the ranger station there are several hiking trails and some of the most picturesque streams. You’ll cross a lot of them on most of the trails here. What is locally known as the North Shore can be reached across Fontana Lake by strolling across the dam or by renting a boat. Here, too, there is a possibility of seeing some of the Park’s wildest wildlife. Otters have been reintroduced into the Park in this area. There are also beavers and bears, even the possibility of a bobcat. Many of the trails in this area are really old roads that settlers on the North Shore trail used. There is also a new shore trail that winds alongside Fontana Lake, a welcome walk during hot days. Few of the trails, even on the traditionally crowded Fourth of July and Labor Day, are really crowded. There will still be (with the possible exception of Alum Cave Trail) long moments of strolling alone in the midst of verdant foliage. There will still be moments of wonder at the wildlife, which can suddenly dart from the forest across the trail. Be you a beginning hiker, an experienced one, or everything in between, there are trails in the Park that will let you experience the real Smokies. National Park offers 800 miles of trails
Calderwood Highway
If you have a full day, try traveling by car along the Foothills Parkway to Chilhowee Lake and then turn left onto Calderwood Highway (U.S. 129).
Abrams Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
24 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
Smoky Mountain Trails
Trail
Greenbrier / Cosby Area
Albright Grove
Location Maddron Bald Trailhead
Trail Features Old Growth Forest / Wildflowers / Historical
Brushy Mountain (Greenbrier)
Greenbrier
Views
Grapeyard Trail (Greenbrier)
Greenbrier
Historical / Injun Creek steam engine wreckage
R/T Miles
Elev. Gain
Difficulty Rating
7
1500
10
11.7
3000
17.7
6
850
7.7
Hen Wallow Falls
Cosby
Waterfalls
4.4
900
6.2
Mt. Cammerer
Cosby
Panoramic Views / Historical
12
2470
16.94
Gatlinburg / Mt. LeConte Area
Old Settlers Trail (Maddron Bald)
Maddron Bald Trailhead
Historical / Tyson McCarter Barn
8.8
1650
12.1
Porters Creek Trail
Greenbrier
Waterfalls / Stream / Flowers / Historical / Old Growth Forest
4
699
5.4
Ramsey Cascades
Greenbrier
Waterfalls / Old Growth Forest
8
2375
12.75
Alum Cave
Newfound Gap Rd
Views / Interesting Geological Features
4.4
1125
6.65
Newfound Gap / Clingmans Dome Are
Baskins Creek Falls
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Waterfalls
3
953
4.91
Brushy Mountain (Trillium Gap)
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Views / Wildflowers / Falls
6.8
1745
10.29
Bullhead Trail
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Views / Interesting Geological Features
5.9
1607
9.11
Chimney Tops
Newfound Gap Rd
Panoramic Views
4
1350
6.7
Grotto Falls
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Waterfalls
2.6
585
3.77
Huskey Gap (Newfound Gap Rd)
Newfound Gap Rd
Quiet Forest Hike
4.2
1240
6.68
Mt. LeConte (via Alum Cave)
Newfound Gap Rd
Panoramic Views / Geological
11
2763
16.53
Mt. LeConte (via Bullhead)
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Panoramic Views
14.4
3993
22.39
Mt. LeConte (Rainbow Falls)
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Panoramic Views / Waterfalls
13.8
3993
21.79
Mt. LeConte (via Trillium Gap)
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Panoramic Views / Waterfalls
13.9
3401
20.7
Rainbow Falls
Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Waterfalls
5.4
1685
8.77
Andrews Bald
Clingmans Dome Road
Panoramic Views
3.5
899
5.3
Charlies Bunion
Newfound Gap
Panoramic Views
8.1
1640
11.38
Deep Creek Headwaters
Newfound Gap Road
Stream
5
1480
7.96
Fork Ridge Trail
Clingmans Dome Road
Old Growth Spruce-Fir Forest / Wildflowers
8
1500
11
The Jump Off
Newfound Gap
Panoramic Views
6.5
1275
9.05
Mt. LeConte (Boulevard Trail)
Newfound Gap
Panoramic Views / Old Growth Forest
15.6
3000
21.6
Noland Divide
Clingmans Dome Road
Views / Forest Diversity
7.2
1679
10.56
Silers Bald
Clingmans Dome Road
Panoramic Views
9.3
2152
13.6
Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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26 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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Tourists search out this bargain destination
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uring the past five decades thousands of people, many tourists driving through Cocke County, have discovered the unique retail world that is Newport Dry Goods and its creator, Carroll Kyker, who has lost track of the number of times he’s traveled to New York in search of great values for his Newport store.
Carroll Kyker
Legend in Retailing
swimsuit sale. “We just recently received more swimsuits with more to come.” Junior, misses, and plus swim suits sold in dept. stores to $69.99 carry a Dry Goods’ price of $10.99. After a recent Memorial Day, two different women, one from Alabama and another Local residents already know about the from Georgia, shopped at Newport Dry While many are accustomed to Newport home of “legendary low prices since 1959” Goods and had to get one of Mr. Kyker’s facing the railroad tracks at Main Street Dry Goods, they might take the store for popular T-shirts. And, they asked him and just off Highway 321. Tourists and granted, says Mr. Kyker, who tells the to autograph it. The Alabama woman new arrivals learn of it as if it is a must- story of a Japanese couple who picked remarked: “You’re the rock star of retailing.” visit historic site presenting low prices up a Visiting the Smokies publication at While he is somewhat embarrassed by all every week in a large white-letter-on-black the Hartford I-40 Welcome Center, saw the excitement over him and the store, he the article about the store and stopped advertisement in the Newport Plain Talk. is glad to keep customers satisfied and The 1920s era brick buildings, wood overnight to visit. It was like meeting a signed the shirts. floors, tin ceilings, are packed so tightly celebrity to have a photo made with the People in other towns would like Dry with racks and tables stacked with name Legend of Retail Low Prices. Goods to share this success and open in The store name is known across America brand shoes, clothing for men, women their towns too. But that probably will not and children, you can’t walk more than a from California to Florida and tourists’ happen. So, folks will just have to keep stories often refer to Mr. Kyker. Floridians few feet before finding another low price. driving to Newport and that suits him. More Mr. Kyker says the main reason the store were puzzled when they came across an than a third of his shoppers come from East Tenn. friend who had not shopped is successful and so much different than outside Newport. Tourist shoppers make others is “rarely a day goes by we don’t in Newport Dry Goods. Others reported repeat trips every year to find the latest have a delivery truck with goods arrive for seeing the Dry Goods logo T-shirts in bargains by the railroad tracks. our customers.” If you shop major retailers, California: “Don’t miss a day or you will Sandals, logging boots, overalls, dress the merchandise may be priced from miss a bargain.” You can always find men’s shirts, socks, dresses, ties, belts, even sports coats for $14.99 and it is not unusual $19.95 to $159.95, but at Dry Goods the motor oil, chances are good you will find it for Nashville businessmen to drive three tags most likely carry $1.99 to $29.99. here and cheaper than anywhere else. hours and buy several suits and coats. “One customer told me he had just Newport Dry Goods is located at 255 East moved to Newport and what he liked about Men’s casual and dress shoes sold in retail Main Street across from the old railroad the store was we had quality merchandise chains at $79.99 sell for just $29.99. depot and open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 If you chance to meet Mr. Kyker, who likes but at cheap prices.” For example, Dry p.m. Monday through Thursday. Friday Goods has sold thousands of pairs of to walk the floor and greet customers, he hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday might tell you: “We just got in a shipment of ladies department store brand panties that from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday would list for $10.00 and Dry Goods’ price ladies’ tops, eight different famous brands. from 1-6 p.m. For more information, call We are selling these $4.99 to $6.99” as is $1.99. “New merchandise, name brands, (423) 623-2921. arrive everyday and we sell these 25% to he points to full racks. “One of our most popular sales in spring and summer is the 70% off.” PAID ADVERTISEMENT
28 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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Backyard camping tips: don’t be intimidated By BLAKE TOPPMEYER KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Backyard camping has a certain brilliance to it that goes beyond experiencing nature. If something goes wrong, your house is just paces away. “If it all falls apart and blows up on you, you just go inside,” said Kevin Hill, owner of Uncle Lem’s Outfitters, an outdoors clothing and equipment store in Pigeon Forge. “So, there’s no reason for it to be an intimidating experience, because you’re in your own backyard.” Hill’s family enjoyed backyard camping in April as part of an event organized by Trail Life USA, a churchbased boys youth group with an outdoors focus that is an alternative to Boy Scouts. Backyard camping can be particularly appealing amid social distancing if you don’t want to deal with crowded campgrounds or if it’s frustrating to secure a campsite when reservations fill up well in advance. Here are some backyard camping tips.
YOU NEED A TENT It’s hard to call it camping if there’s not a tent involved. If you’re just getting started and want your kids to have a backyard camping experience, don’t feel like you have to break the bank. Stick to a tent in your price range or try to borrow one from a friend and see how you like camping life. As for setting up the tent, let YouTube help you. That’s another bonus of camping in your backyard. You don’t have to worry about internet service. Pull up a video tutorial on a device in your backyard to help set up your tent. “You can never have touched any of this stuff, and in your backyard, you can sit there with an iPad or your phone, and every product you buy, you can get YouTube tutorials on how to use it,” Hill said. “So, it’s a great learning experience.” The top concern with family camping, Hill said, is staying dry. Continue to page 30
30 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020 He recommends a pole tent over an inflatable airbeam tent, and choosing a tent that is dome- or A-frame shaped to help water run off the tent in the event it rains.
TRY COOKING OUTDOORS Sure, you can cook a meal inside and take it outside to enjoy, but why not go all in on the experience and cook outdoors, too? Fire up the grill or, better yet, try cooking over an open flame by using a fire pit with a grill grate. Hill recommends buying some cheap cookware so you don’t risk an open flame tarnishing your good kitchen pots and pans. Preparation is key to having a good meal, so write out a menu in advance of what you’ll need to cook your meal so you have all the supplies once you have your fire going. If nothing else, try roasting hot dogs on a skewer or stick or over a grill grate. You can also cook biscuit dough by thinly wrapping it around a stick or skewer. Don’t forget the marshmallows to toast. Try some fun s’mores combinations, like swapping out the Hershey’s for a Mounds bar. And, remember, don’t stress. If your tent leaks or your meal is a bust, you can always retreat inside. “You’re not trapped anywhere,” Hill said. “You’re not a four-hour drive away from home in a miserable weekend of rain. You’re right there in your backyard. There’s nothing to be intimidated by from this experience.”
RAFTING R
SLEEP TIGHT You’ll need a sleeping bag, but with summer temperatures coming, you don’t have to stress about the sleeping bag’s temperature rating or buying an all-season sleeping bag, Hill said. Really, any sleeping bag will do. You’ll want to sleep on a foam sleeping pad or air mattress so you’re not lying directly on the ground, giving you the chance to sleep comfortably.
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This is the home of Mrs. Elbert Carver, which was located in the Cosby Creek area. The pictured was taken and dated by C.S. Grossman, April 1942.
The Beauty, Mystery, and Adventure of Cosby’s History Highlighted Students of Tennessee history learn early that three distinct geographic divisions comprise the Volunteer State: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. Local citizens know, too, that the Cocke County community of Cosby is also divided into three distinct parts: Upper Cosby, Cosby, and Lower Cosby. Generally speaking, Upper Cosby begins at the intersection of Hwy. 321 and the Hooper Hwy. (known locally as “the road to Gatlinburg”) and extends all the
way to the TN/NC state line, thereby taking in all of Cocke County’s portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The section known simply as “Cosby” runs down to the intersection of Hwy. 321 and Wilton Springs Road. Here Lower Cosby begins and includes the areas of Bogard, Middle Creek, and Pleasant Valley. This portion of Cocke County appealed to the early settlers whose ancestors left Ireland, Scotland, and Continue to page 34
34 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020 From page 33
James Allen Sutton, age 58, sits on the porch of his home located in the Big Branch area of Cosby. This picture was taken and dated by C.S. Grossman, June 2, 1936.
Wales to seek their fortunes in America. With misty mountaintops, icy clear streams, virgin timber, and outcroppings of rugged rocks, the area bears strong resemblance to the Scottish Highlands and Welsh countryside. One of the many mysteries still intriguing researchers is the origin of the name. As early as February 26, 1793, ten horses were reported as having been stolen on “Cozby’s Creek by the Indians.” Most agree that the community’s name honors someone of the day, but just who that person is has never been fully proven. Many agree that Dr. James Cosby, a close friend of Gen. John Sevier and said to have been the first government distiller in what would become East Tennessee, is a likely candidate.
It wasn’t until 1807 or thereabouts that Tennessee, then a new state of 11 years, began granting land to white settlers hoping to establish their homes in Cosby. Cosby’s boundaries form a rough triangle. It lies in Cocke County’s southeastern portion where Mt. Guyot’s 6,636’ altitude is our highest point, rising way beyond Newport’s 930’ mark. The difference provides for a great variance in the area’s temperatures, growing seasons, and plant life. In wintertime, when roads and highways in the low areas of Cocke County remain snow and ice free, Tobe’s Creek Road in Upper Cosby remains slick and impassable. Temperatures vary as much as 8 degrees between Newport and Cosby, adding to the allure of the Cosby Campground in the hot summer months. Early families settling in the area included the Baxter, McMahan, Phillips, Sutton, Webb, Carver, and Campbell clans, who christened the creeks, ridges, and mountain peaks with what they thought were appropriate names. Most are self-explanatory: Groundhog Creek, Bear Wash, Sharp Point, and Hen Wallow. Others identify a point or area with a particular family, such as Gilliland Town, Sutton, and Costner. As the families became established, they came to know the intimate details of the mountains. Young boys and girls grew to maturity educated about the dangers of rattlesnakes and copperheads, which berries, roots, leaves, and barks to use as medicines, where to find the best huckleberries, and which paths to take to White Rock. They learned the identities of the trees, being able to name them by their bark in the winter as easily as by their leaves and blooms in the spring and summer. Sometimes they watched as Cherokee passed through the area, sometimes coming across the mountain to trade for whiskey. They gathered around the flickering fires in their log cabins and listened to their elders relate the stories of the “Old Country” and tales of the Civil War. They absorbed their families’ genealogies. Perhaps they shouldered the feuds, carried on the backs and in the hearts of their parents and grandparents for generations. Infant mortality was high, as attested by the mute reminders in dozens of family graveyards. Death also arrived in the form of diseases-typhoid, tuberculosis, and the ever-dreaded pneumonia. Sometimes it came via bullets fired from guns carried by Kirk’s Raiders, Lewis’s Scouts, or the more deadly bushwhackers who preyed on the remote community during the Civil War. Such dangers led to an innate distrust of outsiders by the citizens. Continue to page 35
Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
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Pictured is the Chandler Jenkins barn, which was located in Indian Camp Truck Trail in Cosby. C.S. Grossman took the picture on March 26, 1937, as he wanted to focus on the detail of the cantilever construction. From page 34
Children were warned to beware of strangers and never, ever reveal the whereabouts of their fathers, uncles, or older brothers. To do so sometime meant the conscription of these unfortunate men into service by either the Union or Federal Armies. Such a story is still told by the Ogle family. Cosby achieved worldwide fame in the late 1800s and early 1900s as the “Moonshine Capitol of the World.” Its remote hollows and pure waters combined to offer an ideal place for the making of some of the best whiskey in the world. The government’s decision to tax whiskey and subsequent laws outlawing its production by private citizens led to an all-out war between the revenuers and local whiskey makers. Ready markets in nearby Knoxville and Asheville kept the business active for well over a century. Stories abound about how local drivers easily outran law enforcement personnel. The arrival of Great Smoky Mountains National Park left many families
embittered as they found themselves forced to leave homes built by their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Many children and grandchildren of these displaced citizens now agree the money their ancestors received for their property helped launch new businesses, pay for college educations, and, in general, provide better standards of living for their families. In the late 20th century, Cosby was once again “discovered,” this time by retirees looking for a slower-paced community, one with lower taxes and within driving distances to larger cities. With its close proximity to Asheville, Knoxville, Johnson City, and Atlanta, Cosby fit the bill. Musicians and artists, too, have moved to the area, bringing with them a love for the area equal to that of the earliest settlers. Today Cosby’s history is celebrated through such festivals as Cosby In the Park, Music of the Mountains, On Cosby, and the Ramp Festival.
36 Visiting The Smokies Summer 2020
WELCOME TO THE ADVENTURE SIDE OF THE SMOKIES Cocke County, Tennessee
WWW.YALLVISITTHESMOKIES.COM 423-625-9675
