The Cosby Experience in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Cosby Experience in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is perfect for those who are looking for somewhere a bit off the beaten path and away from the big crowds in the park. Nestled on the northeastern side of the Smoky Mountains, Cosby is a great destination for hikers, cyclists, campers, horse lovers, and the locals!

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The Historic Fire Tower atop Mt. Cammerer (Photo: Kirkendal/Spring Photographers)

Great Hikes in Cosby

Cosby Nature Trail – 1 mile roundtrip
This is a terrific one-mile long nature trail beginning at the Cosby Campground near the outdoor amphitheater. A great little walk through a bit of old-growth forest, which Cosby Creek runs through, is magical any time of the year.

Hen Wallow Falls – 4.2 miles roundtrip
Hike to Hen Wallow Falls on Gabes Mountain Trail which begins across the road from the Picnic Area just before the entrance to Cosby Campground. One of the main highlights of this trail is the big trees of the old-growth forest.  A spur trail steeply descends to the right at mile 2.1 to lead to the base of the waterfall. Use extra caution when stepping on the slippery rocks.

Mt. Cammerer Fire Tower – 11 miles roundtrip
This strenuous hike begins on Low Gap Trail located near the designated parking lot for hikers near the Cosby Campground Picnic Area. Low Gap Trail, which is horse-friendly, climbs steeply for 3 miles before intersecting with the famous Appalachian Trail (AT). Take a left on the AT towards the Mt. Cammerer Trail. At almost the 5-mile mark, you’ll find the spur trail that leads the summit of the 4,928 ft. tall mountain. From here, it’s about seven-tenths of a mile to the historic fire tower with views of the beautiful Pigeon River Gorge.

Sutton Ridge Overlook – 3 miles roundtrip
The hike to Sutton Ridge Overlook begins on Low Gap Trail for about four-tenths of mile to intersect with horse-friendly Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail. At about mile 1.4 mile you’ve reached the overlook. Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail continues on to access backcountry campsite #35 and then on to intersect with the Appalachian Trail.

Poet Laureate of the Smokies & WWII POW Ella V. Costner Gravesite – less than 1 mile roundtrip
The graveyard is accessed via Snake Den Ridge Trail that begins near Campsite B-55 at Cosby Campground. The trail begins as an old road and after three little creek crossings you’ll see the small graveyard on your right. Costner (1894-1982) was born in Cosby and grew up on Crying Creek near the Gabes Mountain Trailhead. After her stint as an Army nurse in Pearl Harbor and Guam, she returned to Newport, Tennessee and published several books of poems and essays. For more information on Ella V. Costner, check out her Facebook page!

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Take a Scenic Drive on Moonshiner 28 near the Great Smoky Mountains!

Take a Scenic Drive on Moonshiner 28 near the Great Smoky Mountains! Perhaps no image is more stereotypical of the rural South than that of the moonshine still tucked way up in the holler, shaded by the mountain forest and guarded by a pack of dogs and the loyalty of kin and customer. “Moonshiner 28,” a route once used by moonshiners who perfected their craft under a cloak of secrecy in the still of the night, is better known nowadays for its thrilling twists and turns and breathtaking scenery, including cascading waterfalls and charming North Carolina towns that attract motorcyclists and car-riding tourists alike.

“Moonshiner 28” starts where that fabled section of Highway 129 known as the “Tail of the Dragon,” a ride that offers more than 300 curves in a scant eleven miles, intersects with North Carolina 28 one mile south of the Tennessee/North Carolina line. When riders and drivers make that turn, they’ve kicked off a 103-mile adventure for nature-lovers and mountain culture enthusiasts alike!

If you go in spring or summer, you’ll enjoy a lush, green canopy with occasional mountain views that embody verdant North Carolina at its best. Not far into what will be a great deal more than a lazy Sunday drive, the adventurer will cross Fontana Bridge, immediately after which they will have the opportunity to turn onto a road leading down to the viewing area for the Fontana Dam, the largest TVA project of its kind. The dam juts 500 feet above the viewer, an awe-inspiring feat of engineering.

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Dollywood Welcomes Wildwood Grove Guests

Dollywood Welcomes Wildwood Grove Guests beginning May 2019. This is sure to be a great year for America’s favorite theme park. The Wildwood Grove will boast six new themed rides, the amazing Wildwood Tree, outdoor water play zone, four new Woodland characters to interact with and a new restaurant.

Dollywood is known world wide for heart pumping rides and the best music anywhere. The new grove ramps up the fun for the entire family. Kids will love the Tree Top tower offering a sky high view of the grove and surrounding Smoky Mountains while whisking through the air in a giant acorn.

The great tree swing is just what you would expect and more. This swing is big enough for the entire family. Fashioned as a flying leaf boat rising and falling through the air as if on an autumn breeze.

The black bear trail is your chance to catch a glimpse of the iconic symbol of the Smoky Mountains, black bear. Be sure and have your camera ready to capture some cuteness.

This Heysmokies.com exclusive video shares a few of the Wildwood Grove secrets!

Hop on over to the Frogs and Fireflies ride for a fun race around the lily pad pond. Hold on tight astride a giant frog for a fun romp chasing fireflies.

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Impossibilities

 

 

Impossibilities is an evening of Magic,  Mindreading, and Mayhem at 115 Historic Nature Trail Road in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Are you looking for an evening of family entertainment in the Great Smoky Mountains? You’re looking for Impossibilities.
Magical Comedian Chris Collins and Master Mentalist Erik Dobell present a night of stunning magic, reality shattering mindreading and hilarious mayhem. An evening of family fun where Impossibilities are brought to life right in front of your eyes.

With a combined 40+ years in the art of magic, Chris Collins and Erik Dobell have traveled from Las Vegas to South Korea performing their award winning shows for audiences and companies such as the NFL, Sony Electronics, and Carnival Cruise Lines. They have been seen on NBC, FOX, and America’s Got Talent; and now they bring their critically acclaimed show to the Historic Gatlinburg Space Needle!

You do not want to miss the opportunity to be amazed and astounded by one of the best shows in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg; you do not want to miss IMPOSSIBILITIES!

For tickets and showtimes for Impossibilities at the Iris Theater, please call (888) 482-3330.

For learn more about Impossibilities visit them at www.Facebook.com/ImpossibilitiesShow or www.Twitter.com/BestMagicShow.

Hike into spring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Firepink-heysmokies

The amazing fire pink (Silene virginica) wildflower can often be found in sunny, rocky outcrops alongside trails and roads.

Hike into spring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Spring in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina is magical. A time of renewal and rebirth and it has never been more welcome than this year following on the heels of the recent devastating fires.

Spring is a season best experienced first hand. Poplar and Sourwood trees are showing their buds. Delicate pink and white Dogwoods can be found blooming throughout the landscape and soon will usher in a blazing display of color as wild azaleas strut their stuff, punctuating the mountains against the dense evergreen of Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, and Hemlock. A warm, gentle breeze carries the hint of blossoms, moist earth, and that indefinable smell of spring. A favorite activity for us is to hike with spring over the coming months as warm temperatures climb the mountains heralding the seasons change at each elevation.

One of our favorite places to enjoy spring and view amazing wildflowers is the Porters Creek Trail in Greenbrier. This trail is easy to find and fairly easy to walk. In addition to an amazing wildflower display you can enjoy the impressive John Whaley cantilevered barn built in 1875 and the historic Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin.

Beyond the the historic structures, a profusion of wildflowers carpet the forest floor. Keep an eye out for bloodroot, hepaticas, white fringed phacelia, trilliums of every color, bluets, and jack in the pulpit.

Approximately two miles above the trailhead is the spectacular Fern Falls which plunges sixty feet down to the trail and beyond to it’s confluence with Porters Creek. These falls are dramatic during times of high water, and the cool breeze flowing down from its rocky heights is always refreshing during warm summer months!

The trail continues another 1.7 miles past Fern Falls ending at Backcountry Campsite 31, a spacious site located conveniently next to Porters Creek and in the shadow of Mount LeConte and adjacent to the Appalachian Trail.