Mammoth Cave / Great Smokey Mountains National Parks July 18-26

[Northern Explorer]

Our road trip this year was going to take us south. My wife had given me a gift certificate for a day’s worth of off road driving instructions from Bill Burke’s 4-Wheeling America. At the time of our scheduled trip he was working out of the Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina.

On our way we decided to check out Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. I had been there before as a kid but it was the first time my wife had seen the area.

Entrance to park. This picture was taken near a walking path to Sand Cave where Floyd Collins lost his life in 1925.

Picture from inside the park

We took the Grand Avenue Tour. It’s the longest tour they offer and covers many of the areas highlighted on the shorter tours. This tour sells out at 80 visitors. It was sold out the day we were there and we were glad we booked the tour in advanced. They used to book up to 120 people for this tour in the 1980’s but have since reduced the number.

This picture shows the Carmichael Entrance to the cave. It’s a man made entrance that was blasted open in the 1920’s. There are about 200 steps leading down to the level of the cave. We were bused to this location from the visitor center. 52 degrees inside the cave felt great.

Here are a couple of pictures from inside the cave. The area inside is so vast that the flash from my little camera wasn’t nearly bright enough. The cave’s lighting has recently had a major overhaul. They switched to LED lights in an effort to reduce the amount of algae that was growing in the cave. The heat and color spectrum from the old incandescent lights were causing this. They were also able to significantly reduce the amount of electricity they were using.

 

[IH8RDS]

This is one of the places I want to see before I move back west.

 

[jim65wagon]

I was there as a kid also...need to go back to "refresh" my failing memory.

 

[IllianaXJ]

Those are two of my favorite places in the US. My wife and I went to Gatlinburg for our honeymoon and spent most of it in GSMNP.

Keep the pics coming!

 

[upcruiser]

Nice, now lets see those pics with Bill Burke!

 

[Northern Explorer]

After Mammoth Caves we headed for North Carolina. Knowing that we wouldn't get there till late we had booked a night at a Holiday in Express in Albemarle NC. This was a close distance to where I needed to meet up with Bill Burke the next morning for my daylong training session. My Chevy Colorado is the first four-wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned and I was looking forward to as many off road driving tips as I could get. We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express at 2:00 am to find the doors locked. The guy working the night shift let me in and explained that the doors were locked because he had just been held up a few nights ago.

The next morning I was up at 7:30 am and ready to go. A quick continental breakfast and I was off to the Uwharrie National Forest. After about a twenty-minute drive I found the campsite where Bill was staying. He was just finishing up with a client that had booked him the previous two days and was camped out in the same place. This gave me a chance to check out the rig that I would be driving.

I decided in advance to not use my own truck for the training. The main reason for this was Bills Defender is equipped with every off road necessity already in place and ready to go. My truck is somewhat of a work in progress and I wanted to learn how to use specific types of equipment that my truck just isn't equipped with. The other reason is I wanted to drive on terrain that was rougher than what my truck could realistically handle. I've upgraded a lot of things on my truck but I'm realistic as to what I can drive it over, especially with the camper on the back. The short wheelbase of the Defender, combined with a 4-inch lift, 33-inch tires and loads of power made it an easy choice. Besides who would pass on the chance to drive a Defender?:smiley_drive:

We started off with some easy trails to give me a chance to get used to the feel of the truck and for Bill to get an idea of what kind of driver I was. My biggest problem was getting used to the amount of power his truck had. This 8-cylinder truck could idle over things in second gear that my previously owned 4-cylinder trucks could barely drive over in first gear with the engine revving.

It was a Monday and we had almost the entire Park to ourselves. I think we only saw three other vehicles the whole day. This gave us a chance to really take our time. On the more difficult routes we would get out and look for the best line to follow. After driving through the difficult section we would stop and assess how close I came to following the best route. By the end of the day I was picking my own lines and driving on trails I would have never thought possible. Only one time did I need to use the rear ARB locker to get my back tires over a rock ledge. I can see how driving with the lockers off can force you to be a better drive.

About midway through the day we took a break from driving and he gave me a lesson on the proper use of recovery gear. It was basically a condensed hands on version of the Getting Unstuck video. The hands on part is what made the difference. Seeing something done is one thing. I tend to remember a lot more if I actually do it myself.

Back in the truck, a few more trails and we finished off the day. Wish I could have gotten a few pictures of myself driving but there wasn't a third person to take pictures. I would highly recommend Bill Burke as an instructor. He definitely knows what he is doing.

Back at the hotel I slept from 7:00pm until 9:00am straight through. To say I was tired was an understatement. The next day we were heading to the Great Smokey Mountains and we would be camping the rest of the trip.

 

[Northern Explorer]

OK it’s about time I finish this.

From Albemarle, NC we drove to Ashville, NC and then got on the Blue Ridge Parkway heading toward The Great Smokey Mountains. We made several stops along the way to admire the scenery.

When we got to Cherokee, we decided to take some time to check out one of the waterfalls in the area. Mingo Falls is located just outside of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park within the Cherokee Indian Reservation. With a 120 foot drop it is one of the tallest falls in the area. It was just about dark by the time we got there so the picture isn’t that great. The hike to the falls was not difficult but there were many many steps.

That night we ended up staying at Moonshine Creek Campground (I know...not exactly roughing it).

The next morning we headed into the park following 441 north. The first place that we stopped at was the Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill. (video) We picked up a park map at the visitors center and did a walk through of the collection of historic buildings.

We then continued our way north ascending in elevation with just about every mile we drove. There were many places along the road to pull over and take in the view. We made a point to stop and take pictures at Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smokey Mountains.

observation tower at Clingmans Dome

view of the forest in this area

Acid rain is responsible for killing most of these trees.

 

[Northern Explorer]

The Great Smokey Mountains is Americas most visited national park with over 9 million visitors a year. By noon the main road was starting to get a bit congested. We decided to get off the beaten path and go check out another waterfall. Ramsey Cascades is a 100-foot waterfall on the Tennessee side of the park.

Road into the parking area for Ramsey Cascade. The abundance of moss shows how humid it is in that area.

From the parking area it was a 4-mile (one way) hike to the waterfalls. The trail ascends 2000 feet within these 4 miles.

Trail to the falls. Slippery when wet.

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park is home to an estimated 1600 black bear.

Tempting fate along the way.

There were two bridges like this over the river.

The reward for the hike.

All in all this was a great trip. Next year we are planning on heading out to Colorado where I will be doing a lot more off road driving and rustic camping.

 

[SubVet]

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

My wife and I were in GSMNP in October. I love that place.

 

[98roamer]

The Southern Pine Beetle has decimated the pines all over the Mountain range. The ridges looks like graveyards. It's good to see the baby pines growing but I hope they don't get infected.

view of the forest in this area

Acid rain is responsible for killing most of these trees.

 

[Northern Explorer]

The Southern Pine Beetle has decimated the pines all over the Mountain range. The ridges looks like graveyards. It's good to see the baby pines growing but I hope they don't get infected.

I was questioning this myself. I was thinking either the younger trees hadn’t gotten their lethal dose of acid rain yet or there was something else going on. Hopefully the trees that survive have built up a resistance to any future outbreaks.