We visited four waterfalls, several overlooks, and two countries today. Our journey began in the USA, went through the Cherokee reservation, and then back to the USA. To see the waterfalls, we drove 45 miles across Great Smoky Mountain National Park from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee, NC.
On the way we to the waterfalls we saw some interesting sites. First we saw some beautiful valleys and mountains.
At this stop we saw valleys and mountains. We learned about the men who measured and mapped the park. The tools they used were crude, but their methodology was clever. The sign in the picture describes their work. One of those men was Thomas Clingman. Clingman’s Dome is named after him.
We also saw Clingman’s Dome from a different perspective today. Yesterday we were on top of the mountain. Today we saw Clingman’s Dome from a distance.
Here is a different view of Clingman’s Dome, and the observation tower as seen through a 50x zoom.
Another valley we got to view.
As we headed down the mountains to Cherokee, we found a small, lovely roadside waterfall. As far as we know, it has no name.
This was just a prelude to the falls we would see later in the day. While we were enjoying this site, a woman stopped to view the falls. She mentioned Mingo Falls on the Cherokee Reservation. She highly recommended that we stop there. When we reached Cherokee, NC we entered the Cherokee reservation.
While in this area we saw Mingo Falls. Unlike most falls, we only had to walk up a few (168) steps to see this wonderful waterfall.
Here are the steps.
At the end of the steps here is what we saw.
After Mingo Falls, we went to the Deep Creek entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to see three more waterfalls.
In this area of the park we saw Tom’s Branch Falls, Indian Creek Falls, and Juney Whank Falls. The entire trail we walked was under two miles.
Tom’s Branch Falls
Indian Creek Falls
Juney Whank Falls
While in the southern part of the park, we also stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. It was interesting to see a sign there that said “If there are elk in the open field, the field is closed to humans.” The rangers have been reintroducing animals that had been eliminated from the park by over hunting, It appears that their efforts are paying off. We did not see any elk, but we did see the visitors center.
We probably spent equal amounts of time riding through the park and walking to the various falls. All in all it was a great day.