Gatlinburg, TN, or Cherokee, NC? (Sevierville, Pigeon Forge: how much, school, shops)

[VALOVE]

My husband, teenage daughter and I will be stopping in Gatlinburg briefly on our way to South Carolina on October 17th. We only have one full day in the area. My mother-in-law and her husband will be in Cherokee the same day and we want to get together. Here is our problem. We want to meet them for breakfast in Gatlinburg and then take the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, hiking to Grotto Falls. My husband is an avid photographer and we were looking forward to the scenic beauty of this particular spot. My MIL thinks the traffic will be horrendous coming in from Cherokee (she's estimating two hours). I don't think it will be that bad on a Wednesday.

My in-laws would like to stay in the Cherokee area and maybe hike to some falls closer to Bryson City (Juney Whank, Indian Creek and Tom Branch Falls). Is this area just as scenic as the Roaring Fork?

If we decided to do the Roaring Fork and the hike to Grotto Falls in the morning and meet them later, how much time would we need to see everything? My mother-in-law thought we could maybe meet for lunch somewhere between Gatlinburg and Cherokee. But are there any places to eat in the middle of the Smokies between these two towns?

Suggestions, anyone?

[JMT]

Originally Posted by VALOVE

My husband, teenage daughter and I will be stopping in Gatlinburg briefly on our way to South Carolina on October 17th. We only have one full day in the area. My mother-in-law and her husband will be in Cherokee the same day and we want to get together. Here is our problem. We want to meet them for breakfast in Gatlinburg and then take the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, hiking to Grotto Falls. My husband is an avid photographer and we were looking forward to the scenic beauty of this particular spot. My MIL thinks the traffic will be horrendous coming in from Cherokee (she's estimating two hours). I don't think it will be that bad on a Wednesday.

My in-laws would like to stay in the Cherokee area and maybe hike to some falls closer to Bryson City (Juney Whank, Indian Creek and Tom Branch Falls). Is this area just as scenic as the Roaring Fork?

If we decided to do the Roaring Fork and the hike to Grotto Falls in the morning and meet them later, how much time would we need to see everything? My mother-in-law thought we could maybe meet for lunch somewhere between Gatlinburg and Cherokee. But are there any places to eat in the middle of the Smokies between these two towns?

Suggestions, anyone?

Two hours to drive from Cherokee to Gatlinburg? Even with traffic it'll take maybe 30 minutes. It's a pleasant drive with some amazingly beautiful views. But you're right, there is absolutely nowhere between Galinburg and Cherokee to eat out.

Bryson City is actually a very nice town, and it's an actual town not just a tourist trap. I actually prefer it over Gatlinburg for that reason. It doesn't have as many options for eating out, but you don't have to wade through hundreds of t-shirt and airbrushed license plates shops like you would in Gatlinburg, either.

If you're looking for beautiful places to hike that'll be away from the masses, I say stick to the NC side.

[kamoshika]

and slow on that date, since that's peak foliage-viewing time. Floridians especially tend to drive very slowly on that road, and there will be many RVs puttering up the inclines & easing around the many curves. The traffic will be much heavier heading out of Gatlinburg but since it's 32 miles from Cherokee to Gatlinburg on a winding road, I'd still count on at least an hour's drive. And by all means, avoid using Hwy. 66 to go through Pigeon Forge on your way to Gatlinburg or you'll be stuck for another hour or two.

"If we decided to do the Roaring Fork and the hike to Grotto Falls in the morning and meet them later, how much time would we need to see everything?"

I'd give it 3-4 hours, depending on how many photo stops your husband wants to make.

Some links that might be useful:
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Auto Touring (U.S. National Park Service)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Waterfalls (U.S. National Park Service)

Smoky mountain hiking trails near Bryson City, North Carolina (broken link)

North Carolina waterfalls in the smoky mountains near Bryson City

[VALOVE]

Thank you both for the useful information and the great links, kamoshika. You spoke of the horrible traffic on Hwy 66. I'm not sure what road or hwy we end up on as we come off of the Roaring Fork MT. What would be the best route to Cherokee to avoid as much traffic as possible?

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by VALOVE

Thank you both for the useful information and the great links, kamoshika. You spoke of the horrible traffic on Hwy 66. I'm not sure what road or hwy we end up on as we come off of the Roaring Fork MT. What would be the best route to Cherokee to avoid as much traffic as possible?

Hwy. 66 runs between I-40 (Exit 407) and Sevierville. There it becomes Hwy. 441, which runs through Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg and is the only route through the Smokies to Cherokee. See this link for info on how to circumvent the most-congested areas, where possible:
Shortcuts and Back Roads in the Smokies

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail will dump you out onto Hwy. 321 in Gatlinburg, where you'll then jump back onto 441 to continue onto Cherokee. Here's a good map (PDF format) of the Smokies that should give you a better feel for the road layout:
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisi...d/grsmmap1.pdf

Hope y'all enjoy your visit!

[VALOVE]

The map is perfect! Thank you! If I'm reading this correctly, as we come off the Roaring Fork we'll be south of Piegeon Forge and will at least miss all that congestion. Correct?

One more thing, my husband was thinking about taking an early morning drive over to Cades Cove before breakfast (around 6:30 am). Do you know how long that drive is from downtown Gatlinburg? I'm presuming there won't be much traffic at that hour, but the road does appear very winding on the map....

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by VALOVE

The map is perfect! Thank you! If I'm reading this correctly, as we come off the Roaring Fork we'll be south of Piegeon Forge and will at least miss all that congestion. Correct?

One more thing, my husband was thinking about taking an early morning drive over to Cades Cove before breakfast (around 6:30 am). Do you know how long that drive is from downtown Gatlinburg? I'm presuming there won't be much traffic at that hour, but the road does appear very winding on the map....

Yes, you won't hit the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge mess but Gatlinburg itself will be plenty crowded except in the early morning.

Cades Cove is idyllic in October, even though the drive may not be. It is not a good place that time of year for anyone who's in a hurry. It's about 27 miles from downtown Gatlinburg to the Cades Cove Loop, which is 11 miles around. The round-trip drive to & from CC will take at least 1.5-2 hours, while the loop itself will take a minimum of 1-1.5 hours if you get there just before sunrise (and it is a photographer's paradise). Keep in mind that the loop typically doesn't open to vehicles until sunrise, which on 10/17 in Townsend (near CC) will be at 7:42 am.

[VALOVE]

Thanks again Kamoshika. That's very helpful - he's definitely NOT going to have the time to take in Cades Cove in the morning. We'll have to save that for another trip. We're really only passing through this time. I'm just happy we'll have at least the one day to enjoy the beauty of the area.

[rick franklin]

Originally Posted by VALOVE

My husband, teenage daughter and I will be stopping in Gatlinburg briefly on our way to South Carolina on October 17th. We only have one full day in the area. My mother-in-law and her husband will be in Cherokee the same day and we want to get together. Here is our problem. We want to meet them for breakfast in Gatlinburg and then take the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, hiking to Grotto Falls. My husband is an avid photographer and we were looking forward to the scenic beauty of this particular spot. My MIL thinks the traffic will be horrendous coming in from Cherokee (she's estimating two hours). I don't think it will be that bad on a Wednesday.

My in-laws would like to stay in the Cherokee area and maybe hike to some falls closer to Bryson City (Juney Whank, Indian Creek and Tom Branch Falls). Is this area just as scenic as the Roaring Fork?

If we decided to do the Roaring Fork and the hike to Grotto Falls in the morning and meet them later, how much time would we need to see everything? My mother-in-law thought we could maybe meet for lunch somewhere between Gatlinburg and Cherokee. But are there any places to eat in the middle of the Smokies between these two towns?

Suggestions, anyone?

school will be in session and on wed traffic will not be bad going in

[JMT]

Originally Posted by rick franklin

school will be in session and on wed traffic will not be bad going in

huh? Do you realize you're responding to a post that was written 8 months ago?