The Great Smoky Mountains is somewhat similar to Shenandoah in that it’s easy to experience by just driving through and stopping at all the roadside vista points. If you don’t have much time, it’s worth doing, but if you do have a couple of days I would recommend getting out of the car and hitting a trail. From the road I would have never guessed that the trails would be so lush with all kinds of vegetation and flowers, or that you could climb through a rock, play in mini waterfalls, and balance on log bridges just a short hike from the parking lot. It truly is like entering a different world.   Continue Reading