Great Smoky Mountains Blog
7 Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Western North Carolina in 2023
St Patrick’s Day is most always associated with Irish Heritage, wearing green, and is always associated with drinking beer. Some places even offer green beer! Regardless of your location and beverage preference, it’s always fun to celebrate and get together with...
Hiking Rufus Morgan Trail to Rufus Morgan Falls Nantahala National Forest
Hiking Trail Info | Driving Directions to Trail Head December 23 was another high 40-degree day in the Great Smoky Mountains. We scooped up the nieces and nephew and headed out for a very family-friendly 1 mile round trip (loop) to Rufus Morgan Trail. Halfway around...
Bartram Trail – Wallace Branch to Williams Pulpit
Hiking Trail Info | Driving Directions to Trail Head We took advantage of a Sunny 50° (not in the shade) Sunday afternoon by hiking from Wallace Branch to Williams Pulpit on the Bartram Trail. This moderate trail is 4.1 miles out and back with an elevation gain of...
19 AWESOME Instagram Photo Spots in the WNC Great Smokies
“Pics or it didn’t happen” If there's no digital proof of your hike, your bike ride, your kayak trip, dinner…did it really happen? You and your family are on that much-awaited for North Carolina mountains summer vacation - free of work and school and you plan to wear...
Hiking Graveyard Fields on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Hiking Trail Info | Driving Directions to Trail Head You won't find a graveyard out in the middle of this lovely hike. The origin of its name reaches back to the early 1900s when logging and storms left tree trunks covered in mossy and spruce needles that looked like...
10 Family Friendly Kayaking Locations in Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina
In this current age of electronics, A/C, on-demand television shows, and an aversion to sweat and bugs, how do you get the family excited about outdoor activities? How about some fun, yet simple, kayaking trips? I have found kayaking to be one of the greatest...
2nd Annual WNC Jeepfest in Maggie Valley, NC
We had a great time at the 2nd Annual WNC JeepFest! There were lots and lots of great looking Jeeps, vendors, FOOD TRUCKS, climbing challenges, and Jeep rides in Maggie Valley, NC. They estimated there were just under 3,000 in attendance at this year's event. The...
Kayaks on Lake Glenville, NC – WNC Mountain Lake
Video Below - Kayaking on Lake Glenville in NC It's May in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina and that means you never know what kind of weather you will experience in the next 15 minutes. Though the air temp was a little chilly, Debra and I chose to...
It’s GO TOPLESS DAY in the Great Smoky Mountains! But Wait, We Mean for Jeeps.
If you’ve been a part of it then you know the Jeep community has an interesting dynamic. Most of us don’t know each other, but still, while passing another Jeep on the road we wave like we’re old friends. When we see another Jeep in a parking lot we walk by it, admire...