Please help me plan a trip to Great Smoky Mountains (Charlotte: rental, restaurants)

[pinetreelover]

We are a family of four - two teens who enjoy hiking, beautiful scenery, nice restaurants and good lodging. We have spent past summers hiking in the BC Canadian Rockies but this year need to stay closer to home.

Please pass along some advice about how to plan a great five days in the Smoky Mountains without encountering too much cheesy tourism!

I looked at The Swag website, but it is somewhat out of this year's price range. Are there other high end lodges that aren't quite so pricey?

Best hiking? Waterfalls? Other activities?

Thanks!

[SLWR]

You may have already planned your trip, but if not, can you give some more details like where you're coming from or what part of the Smokies you want to visit.

If you like hiking, nice cabins and river rafting or floating on a great lake, I would recommend the Bryson City area including Fontana Lake and the Nantahala Gorge/Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). The AT paces through the area, so you can hike that as far as you like and there is a great cabin rental place there called WatershedCabins.com that have a lot of cabins most of which are really nice, each one having a hottub. The town is small but there is a great Italian place called Pascalino's and there is a nice place on the river called Irealia's Garden (I may be misspelling the first name).

I love the area, I head over there from Charlotte, 3-4 times year.

Let me know if you have any further questions...

[chisoxfan]

For spectacular scenery and views, take a drive on the western end of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Maggie Valley/Waynesville area. You'll be able to stop at Waterrock Knob and Richland Balsam, two of the highest peaks in the eastern U.S.

I'll also add my endorsement for Bryson City and Nantahala Gorge. That area is always a delight.