Wednesday October 24, 2012
We woke up n Look Rock CG for the second morning in a row. We were out of the campground by about 8:30 and headed north on the Foothill Parkway, south on route 73 through Townsend, north on route 321 to 441, north on 441 to Sevierville, TN. We stopped at a welcome center which turned out to be not “THE” Visitor’s Center. For the real VC we had to go to the extreme north end of Sevierville.
At the VC we got the Passport Stamps taken care of. In addition we bought some locally made salsa and honey. The lady at the VC was very nice and gave us 2 bonus stamps however we refused to accept the “for deposit only” stamp that she offered.
We then went back through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge on the Dolly Parton Parkway and skirted Gatlinburg then made a stop at the Gatlinburg Visitors Center. The parking lot was very steep and we had to park at the very top. Walking down to the VC was not bad, but going back up to the cave-mobiles was quite a chore. We got our books stamped in good order and headed back up to the caves. Unfortunately the VC is right next door to a sewage treatment plant and breathing was a little breathtaking, especially going back up the hill. We made a quick get- away.
Our next stop was at the Sugarlands VC for another park stamp. The parking was a little hectic but once we got parked we got to the VC and got the books stamped. The VC has a small museum with mountain exhibits that were interesting and a video of the park that was very well done. The VC, like the rest of the park, so far was very crowded.
We headed west a few miles toward Cades Cove to check out the Elkmont CG, but since it was early in the day we decided to press on across the park to the Smokemont Camp Ground. On the way over the mountain we stopped in a picnic area that was completely full except for 1 small parking spot that might have accommodated a Cooper Mini. We drove on to a turn out and had a sandwich. We had to be careful that stuff did not slide off the table because we were parked at such an angle. The road crosses Newfound Gap with an elevation of 5048 feet. The highest point in the park is 6643 feet. We were able to get adjacent spots in Smokemont CG and are settled in for the night.
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