Where: Smoky Mountains National Park

When: Late August

Duration: 4 days

Activities: Auto toured the Cades Cove loop, Roaring Fork auto trail and part of the Blue Ridge parkway (visited the highest elevation point on the parkway); Hiked to Waterrock Knob, Clingmans Dome, Laurel Falls, Mt Le Conte via Alum Cave, Abrams Falls and Grotto Falls

Tips:
*Avoid the heavily crowded Gatlinburg during the peak season and long weekends
*Stay in a warm, cozy, secluded cabin
*Carry your own food if you have strict dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan etc.)

Unending mountain ranges, lush green leaves, dense forests, streaks of sunlight streaming through  treetops,  stone tunnels, and winding roads  following roaring rivers. Every turn of the road and every pullout revealed stunning scenery. Smoky Mountains was a wallpaper out of my 90s computer.

Being a long weekend, battling the crowds was one of our major tasks. This was probably one of the reasons why I enjoyed the hike to Mt. Le Conte and Grotto Falls the most. Being a strenuous 8 hour roundtrip hike, there were not many people on the Alum cave trail to Mt. Le Conte. Harder the climb, the more spectacular the views and this was no exception. The 5 mile uphill trail wound past the Arch Rock, Alum Cave, a couple of log bridges, rock ledges, a Benedict Cumberbatch doppelganger and some varied landscape before reaching the Le Conte lodge. At an elevation of 6400 ft, the wooden shacks with the mountains as a backdrop looked surreal. Hikers with advance reservations have the opportunity to stay there overnight albeit without electricity.  We sat on a rocking chair in the patio of the dining area of the lodge for a good while, sipping on some hot chocolate and drinking in the views.

We started our climb down with a quick stop at the office to fill up on some water and got chatty with the receptionist. Apparently, there is one single person who takes care of the lodge when it is not in operation during the three winter months. Images of Jack Nicholson with a fire axe in his hand and a manic look on his face flashed across. It was time to get going. On the way out, we noticed a pair of bronzed hiking boots. The boots were in honor of Margaret Stevenson who had hiked up to Mt Le Conte a record 718 times with her last hike at the age of 85. So much for our sense of accomplishment!

Grotto Falls was our last stop before we headed back to the airport. The trail to the falls was off the Roaring Fork motor road. Being the Tuesday after Labor Day, we were the only people there. As the car winded through the road to the trailhead, every turn revealed dense, lush greenery. I could only imagine what the place would look like in fall. The hike to the falls was a piece of cake after the Mt Le Conte hike (or so I would like to think!). We found a neat little rock to sit on and enjoy the peace and quiet; the therapeutic sound of the dripping water melting away some of the stress.