+alexm Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 Greetings! My wife and I will be in the Great Smoky Mountains sometime between June 17th and the 21st for a day or three. We'd like to hear from folks in the area as to which caches would be worth-our-while to visit while we are there as well as any other information that may be of interest (GPS coords to waterfalls/interesting places?) Grotto Falls looks EXCELLENT, however the terrain rating of '4', rated by someone who obviously hikes mountains may be a bit much for us flatlanders. The biggest inclination change within 100 miles of where we live is the curb in front of our house. Thanks! Alex Quote Link to comment
+Hikenit Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 I think I can help you out. You can make a day trip into Cades Cove and really enjoy the flatland scenery with surrounding mountains. These are the virtual caches in the Cove. My favorite reading place Cades Cove Loop (Easy) Cades Cove Loop (Hard) I prefer to stay on the Cades Cove side of the park in Townsend because of the hustle and bustle of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. But, the Cove can be quite busy at times because it's an eight mile one lane/way road that gets bottle necked at times from people rubbernecking looking at wildlife. But it's still worth it! An excellent Hike and virtual cache would be the one on Mount Leconte. This place will definitely give you a since of accomplishment that you spent your time and day well in the park. I will warn you though. It is a difficult hike for someone who is not up to the challenge. There are five trails to get you there. The most popular among the tourist is Alum Cave. It's a 5 mile hike in / 10 round trip and can get pretty vertical at times. My choices would be the Boulevard or Rainbow Falls. In my opinion they are the most scenic on Leconte but a little longer in length. The Trillium Gap, or Grotto Falls trail is similar in length and only slightly less difficult than the Rainbow Falls trail, gaining 3500 feet. Its trail head is not far beyond the Rainbow Falls and Bullhead parking area. There is a little used two mile path connecting the two parking areas for traveling up one and down the other. Since this path adds two miles to the trip, you may want going up Rainbow Falls and down Grotto Falls. A benefit of this is that there is a sign at the Grotto Falls trail head, but not at the Rainbow Falls end. And you get to do two virtual caches in one area. MT.Leconte I hope I helped you out and didn't confuse you. If you need any more assistance please ask. Edited, because I went thru my journal to get my ducks in a row! [This message was edited by Hikenit on June 06, 2002 at 01:19 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+Buck8Point Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 Man I wish I was goin with yall.. I can vouch for the recommendations on Cades Cove, it is Georgeous... I also have been to the top of Leconte by way of both Alum Cave, and Rainbow Falls Routes.. The Views from up there are Superb. If I can make it up there yall sure can.. Only a word of warning.. Leave early, bring PLENTY water/snacks, start down with enough daylight to get back to the truck, and make sure and bring 2 flashlights with good batteries just in case you dont make it back before dark. One day ill have to tell you bout an adventure I had comming down Leconte in total darkness.. You dont want to do that i can assure you.. Buck8Point Buck8Point ------------------------- If I can't Fix it, It's Definately Broke. Quote Link to comment
+rpecot Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 I've been kicking around the idea of a quick Smokys trip myself. Not sure when, though. There was a thread a while back about a LAG road trip. Anyone still interested? Quote Link to comment
+Hikenit Posted June 6, 2002 Share Posted June 6, 2002 Been there myself...was not a pleasant experience. quote:Originally posted by Buck8Point: One day ill have to tell you bout an adventure I had comming down Leconte in total darkness.. You dont want to do that i can assure you.. Buck8Point Quote Link to comment
+Hikenit Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 quote:Originally posted by alexm:as well as any other information that may be of interest (GPS coords to waterfalls/interesting places?) These are some of my personal Fav's Waterfalls: Abrams Falls: N35 36.504 W83 52.775 Laurel Falls: N35 40.655 W83 35.611 Rainbow Falls:N35 39.723 W83 27.773 Grotto Falls: N35 40.439 W83 26.990 Attractions: Clingmans Dome N35 33.775 W83 29.910 Elkmont:N35 39.223 W83 34.828 Newfound Gap:N35 36.654 W83 25.491 Quote Link to comment
+alexm Posted June 7, 2002 Author Share Posted June 7, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Hikenit:These are some of my personal Fav's Waterfalls: Abrams Falls: N35 36.504 W83 52.775 Laurel Falls: N35 40.655 W83 35.611 Rainbow Falls:N35 39.723 W83 27.773 Grotto Falls: N35 40.439 W83 26.990 Attractions: Clingmans Dome N35 33.775 W83 29.910 Elkmont:N35 39.223 W83 34.828 Newfound Gap:N35 36.654 W83 25.491 Wow! This and the trails / cache info is exactly the kind of stuff we're looking for! After all, what's the point in being outside if you can't follow a satellite-driven compass needle around the globe?! We'll probably end up staying 3 nights, maybe 4 if we don't hurt ourselves trying to take in everything at once. And to rpecot, I'm in for the Smokys trip. We can definitely make it the week of the 17th. Thanks again to everyone! alex Quote Link to comment
+Hikenit Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 One last thing alexm. If you do decide to go to Leconte, you might want to take some cash on hand for a souviner t-shirt you can only get at the top. Have fun on your trip. Wish I was't busy working. I would love to be your tour guide. Quote Link to comment
+mtn-man Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 Don't forget the Chimney Tops! It is a 2 mile hike one way and and awesome view. I loved the old days when you could do the old original trail up the front face, but it has been closed because of some of the dangerous parts (danger to some, adventure to others). No GPS coords, but maybe I will get them one day... The trailhead is between Gatlinburg and the Alum Cave Trail to Mt. LeConte on the Tennessee side. LeConte is truely awesome, and I have been on every trail that leads to the top. I have met several of the bears up there too and have even seen cubs up there with mama. It is awesome to stay up there on a night when there is a full moon. Cades Cove is a treasure and I have seen over 200 deer in a group there at times (very early). I have photos of my wife 20 feet from a group crossing the road as we were taking a break one day. I support the Georgia Geocachers Association, or the GGA! [This message was edited by mtn-man on June 07, 2002 at 10:02 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+rpecot Posted June 14, 2002 Share Posted June 14, 2002 quote:Originally posted by alexm: And to rpecot, I'm in for the Smokys trip. We can definitely make it the week of the 17th. Thanks again to everyone! alex I was going to try and make a long weekend trip, starting with the drive up on the evening of the 20th. But now, things don't look so good for that weekend. Mmmmm, looking at the calendar, I see there's a long weekend approaching (July 4th). Maybe then?!? Quote Link to comment
+pizzachef Posted June 14, 2002 Share Posted June 14, 2002 quote:Originally posted by alexm: The biggest inclination change within 100 miles of where we live is the curb in front of our house. Alex Alex, you forgot about Monkey Hill in the Audubon ZOO!! -pizzachef Quote Link to comment
+Buck8Point Posted June 14, 2002 Share Posted June 14, 2002 Try to take us some pics of yalls adventure... Lookin forward to hearing all the great stories of yalls mountain adventures.. Buck8Point Buck8Point ------------------------- If I can't Fix it, It's Definately Broke. Quote Link to comment
+Hikenit Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Anyone hear from alexm on their trip. I emailed them, but no response. Quote Link to comment
+Buck8Point Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 They had a nice time, they just had some complications that kept them from doing much if any geocaching while there. Buck8Point Buck8Point ------------------------- If I can't Fix it, It's Definately Broke. Quote Link to comment
+alexm Posted July 2, 2002 Author Share Posted July 2, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Hikenit:Anyone hear from alexm on their trip. I emailed them, but no response. I heard they fell down a mountain and were never seen again. Or more likely, Alex got back to work on Monday and hasn't stopped since. Really though, everything turned out well. Technical difficulties, lack of preparation, the overall size of the park, lack of roads, and too many trails nipped geocaching in the bud. Like you mentioned in the e-mail I still haven't responded to, we did manage to get to the Grotto Falls virtual. We spent most of our time hiking and driving to waterfalls. I never figured it was most of 2 hours across the park (lack of preparation)! We took pictures of Made In Slovakia the travelbug's travels to many of these falls, but didn't get to leave it in the Smokys (technical difficulties). We managed to do the Flat Creek Falls trail, the trail to Grotto Falls, the Goldmine Loop trail, Big Creek, and a few others whose names escape me at the moment. I think the total trail-mileage was only around 12-13 miles over 3 days (total vehicle mileage quite a bit more). Other than trails and such, we did manage to do the drive-thru at Cade's Cove. That was pretty interesting. We REALLY enjoyed it. I just wish we'd planned a bit better to optimize time spent in the park. If I was to do it again tomorrow, I'd limit myself to one certain area of the park, do whatever I wanted to do there, and then move on. Driving back and forth isn't fun. Next time we'll definitely have to hit some bigger trails though.... Thanks again for the info! alexm Quote Link to comment
+rpecot Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 quote:Originally posted by rpecot: Mmmmm, looking at the calendar, I see there's a long weekend approaching (July 4th). Maybe then?!? Well, if I ever get off the computer tonight I may get my gear packed. I'm headed to Pisgah NF tomorrow after work. May try to hit GSMNP one day this weekend. Looking forward to some caches, some singletrack, and a few waterfalls. Quote Link to comment
+Hikenit Posted July 3, 2002 Share Posted July 3, 2002 Thanks for the update alexm. I was getting worried about you folks.Im glad you didn't fall off the mountain. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.