Great Smoky Mountains (Episode 1) - Fall Colors through the Mountains

In mid-October Sue, Willow and I began a two-week trip traveling from Columbus, Ohio to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the Fall colors. This was our third visit to the Smokies in the Fall, a beautiful time of year to visit.

We stayed at the Elkmont Campground and the Cades Campground in the national park. Our plan included exploring much of the Great Smoky Mountains.
• We drove multiple times from Tennessee on U.S. 441 over the mountains to the North Carolina side of the Smokies, with its many overlooks and stops and then continuing our drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Balsam Mountain.
• We did a little off-road driving off the Cades Cove Loop including the Rich Mountain Road and the Parson Branch Road
• We also drove the Little River Gorge Road multiple times, the Roaring Fork Road, and the Foothills Parkway with its many overlooks.

We are chronicling our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains in a series of videos. This video (Episode 1) provides highlights of the trip leaving Ohio, our stay at Elkmont Campground, and driving U.S. 441 and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Elkmont Campground is the largest campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park set along the Little River in a quiet, wooded valley. This is one of our favorite campgrounds that we have visited across the U.S.

While staying at Elkmont we made a couple of trips across the Smoky Mountains on U.S. 441, also known as the Newfound Gap Road. We made several stops at overlooks, each offering a fresh view of the layered blue ridges stretching across Tennessee and North Carolina.

Near the top, we visited the Kuwohi Visitor Center, formerly called Clingmans Dome. It is a great stop to take in the beautiful Fall colors at the highest elevation of the Smokies… 6,643 feet. From there we reached the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, North Carolina where we hiked the River Trail. This is one of only two hiking trails in the Smokies that allow dogs.

Just around the bend from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, we turned onto the southernmost entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We began the steady climb into the high country. Fall colors were at their peak—brilliant reds, golds, and oranges wrapping the Parkway in a warm glow and spreading across the mountains in every direction.

After enjoying the views along the Parkway, we turned north onto Balsam Mountain Road. The drive immediately felt much quieter and more remote as we made our way to Balsam Mountain.

Thank you to the artists from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!) providing the music for this video including the following:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/beach-house License code: YOFHFFDRH2H5BKEU https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/renewed License code: U3PHJCOFOGTYND0I

Thank you to the artists from #melodyloops providing the music for this video including:
Artist WalkIn Music with the song Bright Conglomerate
Artist Ozgurmmp with the song Autumn Hope Acoustic
Artist Azovmusic with the song Rustic Roads
Artist White Cate Music with the song Your Next Adventure

#ohio #tennessee #tennesseetravel #knoxville #gatlinburgtn #gatlinburgtennessee #gatlinburg #northcarolina #cherokee #greatsmokymountains #greatsmokymountainsnationalpark #smokymountains #smokymountain #smoky #smokies #nationalpark #fallcolors #fallcolor #fall #elk #elkmont #littleriver #gorge #kuwohi #clingsman #clingsmans #clingmansdome #oconaluftee #vistorcenter #rivertrail #cadescove #cadescoveloop #us441 #newfoundgap #blueridge #blueridgemountains #blueridgeparkway #balsam #balsammountain #richmountain #richmountainroad #parson #parsons #parsonbranch #parsonbranchroad #roaringfork #roaringforkroad #foothills #foothillsparkway #offroad #offroading #offroad4x4 #offroadadventure #offroadvehicles #tailofthedragon #offroadjeepdriving #offroadjeep #offroadjourney
#hiking #hikingtrails #hikingtrail #willow #goldenretriever #goldenretreivers #goldenretrieverpuppy #goldenretrieverfemale #goldenretrieverslovex #goldenretrieverfunny #glamping #camping #campinglife #campinglifestyle #motorhome #winnebago #winnebagolife #winnebagorv #jeep #jeeplife #jeepwrangler #jeeplifestyle