Spring in Smoky Mountain NP

[Abinoone]

Greetings all,
I have a trip planned to GSMNP in late April, 2023, and would appreciate some advice on crowd avoidance, and lodging in or near Townsend, TN.

For the initial 5 days, I’ll be part of a small group photo tour, led by someone with intimate knowledge of the park, then will be venturing out on my own for another 4 days. The group will be based at the Tremont Lodge & Resort, but from various reviews I’ve read, the place appears to be a dump, so I’m looking for alternate lodging close by. The Tuckaleechee Retreat Center is about 4 miles from Townsend, and appears to be very nice, but I have no personal experience with it. Any suggestions on Townsend area lodging would be greatly appreciated.

As for crowd avoidance, any advice would be welcome. The group tour will be focused primarily on landscape and macro photography, although I’d be interested in area wildlife (bear, elk, etc.) once I’m on my own. I’ve heard that GSMNP can be a nightmare in terms of crowds - is this true even in April? The last time I was in GSMNP was 50 years ago, when I camped in Cades Cove for Christmas, and had the entire place to myself. I suspect things have changed a bit since then.

 

[jeffnles1]

Crowd avoidance I'd suggest staying away from Cade's Cove if you're over on the Townsend side. Especially in Springtime, what you can see up at Cade's Cove probably isn't worth the hassle of the traffic.

You mentioned Tremont - You will probably explore that area with your group. The road that runs by Tremont dead ends a few miles on up. Park there and hike up the main trail away from the parking lot up past the cascades. It is a fairly low intensity hike and the wildflowers in April should be stunning along there.
Over at the Elkmont area, the trail that follows the river will have some beautiful wildflowers and the trail follows the river for a couple miles and should offer beautiful photo opportunities as well as some little side trails going back to old stone chimneys of camps that used to be there before the park.

As you drive along the roads in the lower elevation look for the signs that say quiet walkways. Most of them lead to streams or just pleasant walks through the woods.

One thing I find incredibly sad at GSMNP and many other Parks is something you can also use to your advantage. If you get out of the car and walk just a few hundred yards up the trails (especially trails that are not in the travel brochures) you can pretty much have the trails to your self. There are hundreds of miles of trails ranging from quiet walks along a stream to serious "you better be experienced" trails.

Elk seem to be mostly in the North Carolina side of the park. During Rut, we found them around the Cherokee area (Oconolufe - check my spelling on that one) and outside of Maggie Valley in the Cataloochee area. Unfortunately I do not know what it will be like in April.

Where to stay? My wife always makes those arrangements. She goes onto AirBnB and finds cabins with good reviews. We've always had good luck. We had one outside of Townsend where it was "pet friendly" and unfortunately, people's dogs used the home as a toilet. The owner refunded our money and we went elsewhere. That was the only bad experience.
Hope all this helps and also hope to see some beautiful photos from you this spring.

 

[Abinoone]

Crowd avoidance I'd suggest staying away from Cade's Cove if you're over on the Townsend side. Especially in Springtime, what you can see up at Cade's Cove probably isn't worth the hassle of the traffic.

You mentioned Tremont - You will probably explore that area with your group. The road that runs by Tremont dead ends a few miles on up. Park there and hike up the main trail away from the parking lot up past the cascades. It is a fairly low intensity hike and the wildflowers in April should be stunning along there.
Over at the Elkmont area, the trail that follows the river will have some beautiful wildflowers and the trail follows the river for a couple miles and should offer beautiful photo opportunities as well as some little side trails going back to old stone chimneys of camps that used to be there before the park.

As you drive along the roads in the lower elevation look for the signs that say quiet walkways. Most of them lead to streams or just pleasant walks through the woods.

One thing I find incredibly sad at GSMNP and many other Parks is something you can also use to your advantage. If you get out of the car and walk just a few hundred yards up the trails (especially trails that are not in the travel brochures) you can pretty much have the trails to your self. There are hundreds of miles of trails ranging from quiet walks along a stream to serious "you better be experienced" trails.

Elk seem to be mostly in the North Carolina side of the park. During Rut, we found them around the Cherokee area (Oconolufe - check my spelling on that one) and outside of Maggie Valley in the Cataloochee area. Unfortunately I do not know what it will be like in April.

Where to stay? My wife always makes those arrangements. She goes onto AirBnB and finds cabins with good reviews. We've always had good luck. We had one outside of Townsend where it was "pet friendly" and unfortunately, people's dogs used the home as a toilet. The owner refunded our money and we went elsewhere. That was the only bad experience.
Hope all this helps and also hope to see some beautiful photos from you this spring.

Great information - thank you!

 

[mdirvin]

Hopefully by next spring the great breakout following the pandemic will be subsiding. I kept an RV in a campground near Townsend between April & November from 2012 t0 2016 using it like a summer cabin I live about 90 miles from there. In my experience you typically have until approximate 10:30 am before the crowds start overrunning everything. Most people/families stay in Gatlenburg, Severville, & Pigion Forge. It takes some time to getup feed the kids drive about 40 minutes to Cades Cove area. If you are there at sunrise even though it may appear like there are a lot of people waiting to get in the areas is large enough to absorb them...usually (be gone by 11am). One other thing. What I would do no matter how crowded it is. Just park the car and walk into the woods. There is nobody there. Just twenty feet off the roadway and you will be by yourself, no matter how crowded the park is..Don't bother with trails just walk out into the woods anywhere..If you want to watch for animals (black bear and deer mostly although I have come across bobcats a few times) carry a walk stool and just have a seat (just don't sit in the middle of a berry patch next to it is good) and observe. I always carried a monopod. Depending on what I was looking for, either a 300 f2.8 (bears), or a 70-200 for deer along with a 1.4 TE. Also there is a path around all the meadows.. They are there for when the park service does a controlled burn. Providing them a path to move ATV's with equipment during the burn, and incase something gets out of hand. If the meadows is going to be burned in the future the path will have been recently cleared and it excellent condition. If it was a meadow that has been burned in the previous year (s) it will have started to grow over depending on how long its been. You will not see these from the road, but walking to the back edge of a meadow usually back 30 or 40 feet into to woods. Oh yes and one of the most important things. Poison Ivy should be the state flower for TN. Every vine you see, every bush..Just assume it's poison something. Don't wear shorts, wear long sleeves no matter how hot it is. I should also mention the chiggers, fleas, ticks and that the deer carry Lyme disease. I always sprayed my clothes with. https://www.rei.com/product/768970/sawyer-permethrin-pump-spray-24-oz. then let them dry. That includes everything, hat, socks pants shirts. If I happen to think of something else I'll post later....

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[mdirvin]

Oh yes I also sprayed the outside of my camera bag with permethrin. You don't really want to be bring any hitch hikers on your bag back to your house...

 

[EricBowles]

Spring is my favorite time in the Smokies. Crowds are a lot less than in the fall.

Don't count on great wildlife photos. Deer and elk are a bit ratty in the spring after the winter. April is a bit early for fawns. Adult bears are really ratty, but cubs are very nice if you see them. When you see bears or a bear jam, pull over and park your car and walk. Try to anticipate where the bears will go - and get ahead of their move. Avoid crowds that are getting too close.

There are lots of birds in spring. I've had good luck with owls in spring.

It's prime time for spring wildflowers and stream photography. Be sure to bring a macro lens, reflector, diffuser, and maybe a flash depending on who you are with. You'll also want ND filters and probably a CP for water photos. I almost always use a CP for water.

Be sure to bring rain gear. If you get light rain, you'll be out all day. Bad weather would be clear, sunny days. It can be cold enough for a late freeze even in Cades Cove. High elevations are certainly subject to wind and cold.

I usually stay at the Talley Ho Inn. They have three levels of rooms - anywhere from really cheap to larger but clean. It's privately owned and used by most of the long time photo groups.

 

[Abinoone]

Hopefully by next spring the great breakout following the pandemic will be subsiding. I kept an RV in a campground near Townsend between April & November from 2012 t0 2016 using it like a summer cabin I live about 90 miles from there. In my experience you typically have until approximate 10:30 am before the crowds start overrunning everything. Most people/families stay in Gatlenburg, Severville, & Pigion Forge. It takes some time to getup feed the kids drive about 40 minutes to Cades Cove area. If you are there at sunrise even though it may appear like there are a lot of people waiting to get in the areas is large enough to absorb them...usually (be gone by 11am). One other thing. What I would do no matter how crowded it is. Just park the car and walk into the woods. There is nobody there. Just twenty feet off the roadway and you will be by yourself, no matter how crowded the park is..Don't bother with trails just walk out into the woods anywhere..If you want to watch for animals (black bear and deer mostly although I have come across bobcats a few times) carry a walk stool and just have a seat (just don't sit in the middle of a berry patch next to it is good) and observe. I always carried a monopod. Depending on what I was looking for, either a 300 f2.8 (bears), or a 70-200 for deer along with a 1.4 TE. Also there is a path around all the meadows.. They are there for when the park service does a controlled burn. Providing them a path to move ATV's with equipment during the burn, and incase something gets out of hand. If the meadows is going to be burned in the future the path will have been recently cleared and it excellent condition. If it was a meadow that has been burned in the previous year (s) it will have started to grow over depending on how long its been. You will not see these from the road, but walking to the back edge of a meadow usually back 30 or 40 feet into to woods. Oh yes and one of the most important things. Poison Ivy should be the state flower for TN. Every vine you see, every bush..Just assume it's poison something. Don't wear shorts, wear long sleeves no matter how hot it is. I should also mention the chiggers, fleas, ticks and that the deer carry Lyme disease. I always sprayed my clothes with. https://www.rei.com/product/768970/sawyer-permethrin-pump-spray-24-oz. then let them dry. That includes everything, hat, socks pants shirts. If I happen to think of something else I'll post later....

Thank you! This is really helpful information!

 

[Abinoone]

Spring is my favorite time in the Smokies. Crowds are a lot less than in the fall.

Don't count on great wildlife photos. Deer and elk are a bit ratty in the spring after the winter. April is a bit early for fawns. Adult bears are really ratty, but cubs are very nice if you see them. When you see bears or a bear jam, pull over and park your car and walk. Try to anticipate where the bears will go - and get ahead of their move. Avoid crowds that are getting too close.

There are lots of birds in spring. I've had good luck with owls in spring.

It's prime time for spring wildflowers and stream photography. Be sure to bring a macro lens, reflector, diffuser, and maybe a flash depending on who you are with. You'll also want ND filters and probably a CP for water photos. I almost always use a CP for water.

Be sure to bring rain gear. If you get light rain, you'll be out all day. Bad weather would be clear, sunny days. It can be cold enough for a late freeze even in Cades Cove. High elevations are certainly subject to wind and cold.

I usually stay at the Talley Ho Inn. They have three levels of rooms - anywhere from really cheap to larger but clean. It's privately owned and used by most of the long time photo groups.

Many thanks, Eric! This is especially helpful.

 

[jeffnles1]

Abinoone - One thing on Cades Cove, when we were there this year, it was closed to vehicle traffic one day a week. I think it was Wednesday. Foot and bicycle traffic only. It is a nice change. A nice little walk is up to Sparks Lane, across Sparks and back to the beginning. It is about 4 mile loop but pretty level and paved road and a section of gravel road. The gravel part cuts through the fields. We did enjoy the walking day.

Jeff

 

[Maljo]

Coming from the North, hit the wonderful Seven Islands State Birding Park in Tennessee before arriving at the Smokies. April will be wildflowers and Spring at the lower elevations and late Winter at the upper elevations.

 

[mdirvin]

Just one other thought. While Cades Cove doesn't open til sunrise, that's only for cars. You can walk in any time, and stay as late as you want as long as you aren't driving. I would park at at the camp store parking lot across from the ranger station at the campground then hike in the exit side for Cades cove. Usually an hour or two before sunrise. With the short time you are going to be there probably won't be enough time. It takes some time to familiarize yourself with the area.

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