Reaching the south terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which ended inside the Smoky Mountains National Park, we turned onto 441 and drove to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We ate lunch in the parking lot, then went in for some information.
We then walked through the pioneer village.
There is a sizable elk herd there, which we viewed from a distance.
We drove out of the park into Cherokee. Outside of town we found a private campground, River Valley, and set up in a beautiful site alongside a roaring mountain river.
The next morning we drove west out of Cherokee to Fontana Lake.
We drove across the dam.
We drove on into the park.
We drove along the river a long ways. On the way back we stopped by a boat ramp for lunch.
After lunch, we drove deeper into the park.
We got high enough we had a good view down on Fontana Lake.
We drove out of the park, then headed east from Fontana to Bryson City. We got a site for 2 nights at Grumpy Bear Campground outside of Bryson City since it was supposed to rain for 2 days.
The river we were camped on was scenic.
There were people fishing.
And kayaking.
We rested a while, then drove through Bryson City.
Then back into the Park.
Where like everywhere else the waters were raging from all the recent downpours.
We drove on The Road To Nowhere. The fog really made it look like nowhere.
One thing we did see was a bear. It was a baby, climbing over a guardrail to disappear in the trees. Never saw the mother.
We gained elevation the further we drove.
At the end of the road we saw a group of people hiking on into the park, but we’d had enough. We turned around and drove back to our campground and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Next Location: Smoky Mountains National Park, Smokemont Campground, North Carolina
From the North Rim 