I can’t think of a more idyllic way to get your exercise than to bike the Cades Cove Loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
From May through September on Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 10:00 the Loop Road is closed to motorized vehicles, so the entire glorious 11-mile scenic road is open for biking and hiking. Wow! This is one of the greatest experiences anywhere.
If you can’t schedule your ride for Wednesday or Saturday, bicycles and walking are allowed any day, but you should start early to avoid the traffic that builds up later in the day.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
The story goes that the Methodist Church in Cades Cove was constructed in 115 days at a cost of $115 by a man who served for many years as the minister.
The current frame building was built in 1902, replacing the log structure that had served from the 1820s.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
The Primitive Baptist Church in the Cades Cove section of the Great Smoky Mountains was established in 1827 in a log structure that served the congregation until the current church was built in 1887. The graveyard behind the church has some very old tombstones with familiar Cades Cove names, such as Sparks, Oliver, and Shields.
During the Civil War, worship at the church was suspended because the congregation was sympathetic to the Union, while much of Cades Cove was not. The interior of the church is in fact primitive, with sturdy and stern pews facing a basic pulpit.
It’s Philosophical Friday again, and we’re continuing on with yesterday’s post into the creepy interior of the Palmer House. The image above might be crying out “What happened? Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that Jarvis and his wife were rising at dawn, rushing out into the Cataloochee sunshine.” If walls could talk.
I got lost for hours in the Palmer House a few weeks ago. The ravages of time can create beauty in the human detritus, similar to the erosion of a canyon in the natural world. The images above and below show layers of decay in the wallcoverings of the house.
Finally, some old newspapers either before or after the wallpaper … who knows? But the furniture advertised sure was cheap. And the last one below … I love that report about the “gang of professional safeblowers.” Gotta be the 1920s or 1930s.
Beech Grove School was built in 1901 and was one of three schools in the Cataloochee area of the Smoky Mountains. The school term, oriented to the agrarian society, ran from November through January or sometimes through March.
Beech Grove had two rooms and is the only one of the three schools remaining in the valley.
Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg
If you are in Gatlinburg on a Smoky Mountain vacation, don’t forget about one of the most fun and unique activities … a leisurely shopping trip along the loop of arts and crafts shops that make up the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community.
Head out of Gatlinburg on Route 321 and watch for the big green sign at the Glades Road traffic light just past McDonalds. Or alternatively you can begin the 8 mile loop farther out at Buckhorn Road. Either way, there are dozens of interesting shops to catch your fancy along the route that has been in existence since 1937!
Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg
And of course, please stop in at Morning Mist Village, which is where you will find the complete display of my Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery.
The Palmer House in Big Cataloochee Valley was originally built around 1860 by George Lafayette Palmer. It was a “dog-trot” house, with two log cabins joined by a common roof. By 1900 the Palmers were prospering, and the house was fancied up with siding on the outside and paneling inside. The homestead included a barn, springhouse and other outbuildings.
When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created, the Palmers moved out, and a Park Ranger moved in.
From the outside, the Palmer House looks ordinary enough, even quite attractive. But on the inside things get a little creepy. This is the kind of stuff I could spend hours photographing … to be continued.
Cataloochee Valley is one of the hidden wonders of the Smoky Mountains. The best way from Gatlinburg is to schedule an entire day for the journey to Cataloochee. Either take the back road from Cosby, or exit 20 off I40 in North Carolina, then meander into Catalochee on NC284.
Palmer Chapel dates from 1898, and is still in great condition in a very picturesque setting. The photo above was actually created from three vertical panels. I use this technique when there is not enough room to step back from a structure and level the camera to make the walls perpendicular.
The image above shows the interior of Palmer Chapel from the preacher’s perspective! Services in the chapel were conducted by circuit riders from the Western North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Bluets (Houstonia serpyllifolia) are identified by the four blue petals surrounding a yellow spot. Common names for this wildflower include Thyme-leaved Bluet, Prostrate Bluet, Mountain Bluet, and Creeping Bluet. The plant is tiny, only 3 to 5 inches tall, but growing in a large group they can make a beautiful statement.
The photo above was found along the Thomas Divide Trail in late-April. The photos below were found near Clingmans Dome in Mid-May.
Photographing one of the many creek scenes in the Smoky Mountains presents a few challenges. First is the desire to capture the sense of flowing water, rather than water that is frozen. To do this you will need your camera on a tripod with an exposure time of one-half to three-quarters of a second. If you go much longer than this, the water will appear foamy and surreal — which may be what you want in some cases. Take a look at the two photos below of a rock in a torrent of water. The only difference between the two is exposure time. The one on the left was taken with a slightly longer exposure time that blurred the water a little bit more. There’s really no correct way to do it … try experimenting and pick the result that most appeals to you.
Another challenge with water is the glare of harsh lighting and the danger of over-exposing the whites. The simplest solution to this problem is to photograph on cloudy or rainy days or at least find a scene that is shaded from direct sunlight. In the example to the left, a close-in composition of a small cascade avoided severe lighting conditions.
A more complicated solution to harsh lighting is to take multiple exposures (bracketing). The idea is to take one or more exposures to get your shadow areas developed, then reduce the exposure time to bring the highlights (whites) down into an acceptable range. However, you will need to know how to blend your images with software such as Photoshop.
Finally, flowing water looks very dramatic if you get down low and close to the flow. Normally, the drama is increased if the stream is coming at you as in the photo below, and the one at the top of this posting. The final image below shows a creek scene with the flow going away. To me this perspective conveys peace and tranquility. You can decide when either perspective might be more appealing.
That’s my photo tip to achieve perfect flowing water for your Smoky Mountains creek pictures.
Click on the images above for a slide-show of larger versions. Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
It’s that beautiful time of year again when the Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) bloom along the trails and in the woods of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Mountain Laurel are similar to, and often mistaken for, Rhododendron. In the Smokies the Laurel bloom primarily during May, while the Rhododendron come along in June and July.
One of the Featured Photographs at the William Britten Gallery is Path to Serenity, which shows a hillside of Mountain Laurel blooming along the trail to Spruce Flat Falls.
One of the best displays of Mountain Laurel can be found along the Roaring Fork Motor Trail. At the top of the hill there is a parking area to the left. In early to mid-May you can see the thickets of laurel from your car, but to get the full effect, get out and walk in among all the blooms.
I was in that spot photographing, deep in my private reverie with my eyes in the camera viewfinder. Suddenly I heard some snorting and clomping, and looked up to see that a doe had joined me in the laurel thicket. She was unafraid, and stayed close by for 30 minutes or so, even when I moved my tripod from spot to spot.
Continuing our theme of spring wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, first up this week is the Crested Dwarf Iris (Iris cristata). This flower is an April bloomer, especially along the Chestnut Top Trail near Townsend. On the Bud Ogle Nature Trail there are some large colonies.
The flower gets its name from the distinctive yellow crest that is meant to guide insects towards their pollination target. Compared to the common iris that you may have in your front garden, Crested Dwarf Iris is a truly tiny plant that may only be 4 inches tall.
If you do much hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you’ve certainly found yourself in the situation pictured above.
Love them or hate them, footbridges are common along Smokies trails. Some are vertigo-inducing challenges, and others are tame alternatives to hopping rocks across the stream.
Most of them are simple log bridges spanning the creek, while others are much more elaborate, as in the snow-covered footbridge on the Ramsay Cascades Trail pictured below.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
A spring snow dusted Mt. LeConte on Tuesday night, closing the road to Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s not unusual to see the contrasts of winter and spring in one scene as in the picture above. The summit of Mt. LeConte is around 6500 feet, while the green trees in the foreground are down around 1500 feet.
The photo above was taken from the same vantage point near my home in the Glades area of Gatlinburg as Smoky Mountain Moonrise, which shows snow on the summit of Mt. LeConte and fall foliage below.
“The year’s at the spring,
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his Heaven—
All’s right with the world!”
What a special moment this was. I had been wandering along the Lynn Camp Prong in the Tremont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a beautiful fall day, but nothing was drawing my attention. Then I came upon this spot where some downed trees had created a dam that was reflecting the autumn canopy, and there was that small waterfall, and the creek meandering into the distance. It was a nice scene, but the light was flat and dull. So I set up the camera on a tripod and waited.
The sun was getting lower in the west, which was in the direction down the creek, so I was hoping that eventually something good might happen. I probably waited for over an hour, and finally the area was lit up with a golden glow, including a nice reflection off the water. A long exposure time of close to one second gave the water an exaggerated sense of motion and added a softness to the golden reflection. This light lasted for only 10 minutes or so.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
Fringed Phacelia (Phacelia fimbriata) is the wildflower that covers the hillsides along the Newfound Gap Road like a late dusting of snow in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The blooms form a densely packed groundcover in April. The Fringed variety is one of four Phacelias found in the Smoky Mountains.
Perhaps the most unique characteristic of Fringed Phacelia is that the plant dies after blooming, leaving its seeds to sprout the following year. It’s an annual!
Fringed Phacelia can be viewed along the Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail, where it forms a thick understory to the trilliums and other larger wildflowers. Both the photograph above and the one below were taken a few days ago on the Cove Hardwood Trail in the Chimneys Picnic Area.
There is also an especially attractive cove of Phacelia along the upper portions of the Porters Creek Trail as seen in the photo above.
If you’re on a Smoky Mountains getaway, please stop in for a visit at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN, where my complete collection of Smoky Mountains photographs are on display.
Just a hundred yards north of the Townsend Wye is a parking lot, and across the road is the start of the Chestnut Top Trail. In spring this is one of the premier Smoky Mountains wildflowers hikes, with opportunities for photos every few feet! The trail cuts into a steep embankment, climbing steadily for the first half-mile or so. It is this part of the hike that is packed with a huge assortment of flowers. Hike the trail often during late March and April, and you will see plenty of Trilliums. Fire Pink, Star Chickweed, Trailing Arbutus, Crested Dwarf Iris, Squawroot, Spring Beauty, Bishops Cap, Foamflower, Stonecrop, and many more. How’s that for name-dropping?
Another nice thing about Chestnut Top Trail is that the steep bank puts many of the blooms almost at eye level on the upper side of the hill, which sets them up nicely for photos.
As you climb the steep hill, the Little River runs north below you, and eventually you can spot the fields of Tuckaleechee Cove.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of wildflowers and landscape photos of the Smoky Mountains at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN. And if you are a facebook user, please “Like” either of the two pages shown on the panel to the right. On the Wildflowers Community page we share photos, bloom locations, and other tips.
The picture above is from the Tipton Homeplace in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a great example of the vernacular architecture known as the cantilever barn. The style of hanging a large upper loft area over two cribs below is unique to the area in and around the Smoky Mountains during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Of just over 300 of these barns known to have existed, about 290 were in the two Tennessee counties bordering the Great Smoky Mountains.
To me, this style of barn architecture reflects the Appalachian mountain peoples’ clever and practical solutions to everyday problems. In this case, the climate around the mountains was very humid, which presented a challenge to keep the hayloft dry and mold-free. Solution: air circulation between the loft and the moist ground.
The example below is a modified cantilever, with supports on both ends. This is the John Messer barn along the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It stands near the historic Smoky Mountains Hiking Club cabin.
On your next trip to the Smokies please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photos at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) is a member of the orchid family that grows to 18 inches tall. It’s a fairly rare Smoky Mtn wildflower to find! The ladies above were spotted stepping out just off Twin Creeks trail near the Bud Ogle Place on the Roaring Fork. The photo at the bottom was taken along the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier area of the Smokies.
Pink Lady’s Slipper is nearly impossible to propagate or transplant. The dry acidic woods are the most likely place to find them growing. They bloom in late April at the lower elevations.
The genus name Cypripedium is derived from the Greek, meaning “Venus’ shoe.”
After the wildflower hunt, please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mtn Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN. I’m in Morning Mist Village on Glades Rd along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail.
A packtrain of llamas is used to carry bed linens and supplies to Mt. LeConte Lodge. The llamas are easier on the heavily used Great Smoky Mountains National Park trails than horses.
In the picture below the llamas are passing behind Grotto Falls. Normally, the packtrain makes the trip from the Grotto Falls Parking area on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Departure is often just around daybreak, and return between 3:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon.
Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum) is one of the most attractive, and most elusive of the Trilliums. A rare sight, perhaps because it is at the southern edge of it’s range in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Painted Trillium favors cool northern forests.
Identification is very easy, with the prominent maroon paint circling the inner bloom. This Smoky Mtn wildflower favors acidic soils, so look for it in the shade of acid-loving plants such as pines and rhododendrons. The example above was found growing on top of a large boulder beside the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Smokies. The photo below was taken along the Thomas Divide trail, where the bloom occurs much later at the higher elevation.
April is prime wildflower time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so I will be devoting many posts to that springtime topic as the annual Wildflower Pilgrimage approaches later this month.
As the name implies, the Wake Robin Trillium (Trillium erectum) is an early bloomer and heralder of spring. Another inhabitant of the moist woods, you might look for Wake Robin along the Greenbrier Road or Roaring Fork. The main features of the Wake Robin are the single flower rising erect over three large leaves.
The bloom of the Wake Robin Trillium is typically maroon in color, but it may also be cream or white, as below. In both the picture above and the one below, the delicate Bishops Cap (Mitella diphylla) is rising on a frail stalk nearby.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
Dutchmans Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) is a unique early spring wildflower found in the Smoky Mountains. The name of course comes from the blooms, which look like pairs of tiny pantaloons hanging from a clothesline. Look for this stunning wildflower along the Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail in the Chimney Tops picnic area on the Newfound Gap Road. Like many of the wildflowers, Dutchmans Breeches is so small and delicate that it helps to know what the leaf looks like. The photo below shows the finely dissected deep green leaves, which you may have to separate with your hands to find the blooms.
Dutchman’s Breeches looks similar to Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis), which you can also find on the Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail. Look closely at the pictures of the two, and you will see the difference in the bloom. The genus name Dicentra is Greek for “twice-spurred.”
As with many wildflowers, this one has a use by humans. Legend has it that Native Americans used Dutchmans Breeches as a love charm, and that a man’s breath after chewing the root would attract a woman even against her will.
One of the ways that I survive here in the paradise of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains is by taking photographs of the many resort rental properties in the area. I love to get up before daybreak, get a log cabin all lit up and wait for those rosy fingers of dawn to just begin to appear. For a short 10 minutes or so the lighting is perfect for a dramatic showing of the cabin.
If you would like to see more, there is a larger gallery of cabin images. But for now on this page, the sun has come up and the mountains are calling their song of being miles away from any cares and worries …
Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis) is, as the name implies, in the Orchid family. It’s a spectacular discovery, when you find it. But as a matter of fact, both times I’ve stumbled on this beauty have been at the edges of parking lots. Not exactly the distinguished presentation that might be expected for such a regal flower. But sure enough, the wildflower books say that Showy Orchis likes the disturbed edges of roads and trails … so start your search there!
I’ve seen Showy Orchis near the first parking area in the Chimneys Picnic Area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and also at the edge of the parking area for Porters Creek Trail, which is where the photo above was taken. The Bud Ogle Nature Trail is also a good area to look.
This wildflower blooms in April at the lower elevations.
After your wildflower hike, please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mtn Photography at theWilliam Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
Toothwort (Dentaria diphylla) is another one of those tiny Smoky Mountain wildflowers that look so inconsequential when you gaze down on them from above. But get down to their level, especially with a magnifying glass or macro lens, and the delicate beauty is breathtaking.
The Toothwort leaves were used as wild salad greens by Smoky Mountains folk. Below is the Broadleaf variety of Toothwort, found along the Bud Ogle Nature Trail and many other areas of the Smoky Mountains during April.
Toothwort blooms early along the damp, rich woodland hillsides that border so many of the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Look for the scalloped three-part leaves and the little four-petal blossom. The photo below shows the Cut-leaved variation of Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata), identified by the deeply-cut narrow leaves. It was found along the Chestnut Top Trail in late March.
Kayaking on the Little Pigeon River in the Greenbrier
Kayaking in the Smokies
Whenever the creeks of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park swell with rainfall, which is often in the springtime, the kayakers come forth.
It seems like a daring adventure to me, and a paradoxical compromise between going with the flow and aggressively making your own path.
These folks must watch the weather like tornado chasers, ready to strap the kayak on the roof of the car at a moment’s notice.
The confluence of the Ramsays Prong and Porters Creek in the Greenbrier section seems to offer an attractive, boulder-strewn course. And similar conditions can be found with a good launching area in the Chimneys Picnic Area.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
Going with the FlowKayaking near the Chimneys Picnic Area
Something green for St. Patrick’s Day. Nothing greener in the Great Smoky Mountains than the moss-covered rocks of the Roaring Fork. Conditions on the north face of Mt. LeConte create an extremely wet environment and a rich lushness of plant life. There may be no better example than the amazing green rocks and boulders along the Roaring Fork creek, with moss so thick that it becomes a world unto itself.
The Roaring Fork makes it’s steep run from the summit of Mt. LeConte to the condos of Gatlinburg through a jumble of green-carpeted boulders. See the Featured Photo: Place of 1000 Drips for another example of how constant moisture gives the moss an exceptional foothold along the Roaring Fork.
Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.
