I arrived at the gates of Cades Cove before sunrise and joined the line that had already begun to form. I wasn’t complaining; there were only about 10 cars ahead of me and last weekend a friend was here and there were 80 cars ahead of him. Later I headed to the Roaring Fork Motor Trail near Gatlinburg and it was a riot of color. The towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are just awful, congested tourist traps. It took me forever to find my way out of them. Townsend by contrast is just a normal country town. It has everything you need and it is very conveniently located to Cades Cove.
Sparks Lane, Cades Cove
Middle Prong Little River near Tremont
Regan’s mill, Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Roaring Fork Motor Trail