Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Smoky Mountains Tennessee

My wife and I have rented a cabin in Sevierville Tennessee for a week early January. We’re looking to do some hiking and check out the National Park. Not really into tourist crap. I would be interested in any good gun shops, or muzzleloader makers.
We got cheated out of our honeymoon two years ago just when COVID started. We were supposed to fly to Aruba. Two years later a cabin in the Smoky Mountains looks much better. I doubt I would tolerate any of the hoops that would be required to fly, much less international anymore.

Smokey Mountain Knife Works is worth stopping in and looking around. Buds Gun Shop has a store across the road from SMKW but I haven't been in it yet. We are heading up that way ourselves next month for the first time in probably 20 years.

dont waste your time at bud's. small shop with not much in it. those 2 are about the only thing there.

Good man, great decision!
Keep our American dollars in America!

Hope this thread yields some good results for you.

Wear a body condom if you go to smoky mtn knife works

It’s like an MTV Spring Break gathering but for old, fat, piss smelling dullards shuffeling and stumbling around in there shoulder to shoulder

The basement has all the good kitchen cutlery and nifty kitchen/canning gadgets of all sorts

Hit up the Lodge cast iron cookware outlet across the parking lot

Bunch of hikes, Chimney Tops is a short very scenic trail. First half is pretty nice, second half gets pretty steep.

Another hike we like is hiking Mt. LeConte, I think its about 11 miles round trip, I'm not really sure. Elevation is about 5500' and there is a lodge near the top of the mountain that hikers reserve. I've never stayed but they have some rocking chairs we usually sit in and relax before the trip back down.

This time of year the Cades Cove loop probably isn't so crowded its gridlock, which is a looped drive and has a couple of nice hikes, one includes a popular waterfall. I've only been able to do it twice because of how popular it is and the crowds.

Take the Gatlinburg bypass if you want to go into the park but avoid the traffic.

No shortage of places to eat - a couple of places I like are Crocketts for breakfast and Taste of Italy, both are in Gatlinburg

There are a 3 or 4 great drives in the area - Cherohala Skyway - we go into the park , get on that and go all the way to Tellico Plains stopping at Tellico Grains bakery for some of the best local pizza and baked goods in the area. Then we go to Sweetwater Valley Dairy and load up on local cheeses. If that sounds like something you'd want to do, then check to make sure they are open. Last time I checked they were open 6 days a week.

Another drive is Dragon's Tail (Deal's Gap), Deals Gap is very popular with motorcyclist because of all the curves. It was an OK drive in a car but there are some scenic stops along the way,

People that want to enter the park and bypass Sevierville swing around I-40 to the Foothills Parkway that drops you off at Cosby and its a 15 mile or so drive to Gatlinburg - but you still hit the heart of Gatlinburg traffic - however the drive is very scenic with stopping off points Cosby is also a park entrance but we were up there just before Thanksgiving and they had closed the main road just at the entrance. Not sure why.

I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions

Last time we were there a bear wandered into our parking lot. We rented a condo right across from Ober Gatlinburg.

I don’t mind driving an hour or so. We have no schedule to follow, just want to explore the area. It’s someplace I’ve always wanted to visit. I realize Sevierville and Gatlinburg are very tourist oriented, but there’s got to be some gems out there on the back roads.

Chimney tops is like 20,000 stair steps up. Be careful in January up there. The shale and phyllite is super slick. It’s almost always wet, damp and slimy add in ice glaze and you need to just watch out. Couple of people die sliding off that mfer every year

Take a drive over the mountains to Townshend, TN. They call it the quiet side of the Smokies. The drive is very scenic and there’s a place over there called the Apple Valley Cafe you might enjoy.

I drove thru the White and Green Mountains in New Hampshire/Vermont a few years back. It felt alot like driving thru the smokies. We took the less traveled route from Maine down to Schenectady.

yea .alot of people stop and turn around once they see the incline, but the hike is still great to that point.

Leconte by way of alum cave bluffs trail is 11ish miles. It will eat up all fugging day and you honeymooners will be sored and too wrecked to make sexy time.

And by the time you get back to your car and try to go get something to eat... all the pussified lardasses that have been riding go carts and will be lined up get grub and causing 1 hour waits for a table. The same pos fuggs that probably already have two meals and a dozen hot glazed krispy kremes in their guts

Take your hikes slow, Go to Cades Cove, drive around, do some short 1 miles bee bops around the mills, the creeks, the farmsteds.

It’s been decades, but in addition to everything already posted IIRC the museum/cultural center on the Cherokee Reservation is worth a look.

The Cherohala Skyway is worth a look I suppose,as is the Tail of the Dragon. I imagine motorcycle traffic on both (which could be a PITA) would be much reduced this time of year. In truth though I get bored quick driving in a car just for the scenery.

A place I’d REALLY like to drive for the scenery would be the Adirondack Mountains again 🙂 The Skyway/Dragon drive ain’t gonna top that.

Clingmans Dome road might be closed in January. Or I’d recommend a ridge hike from the Dome along the AT, the Anakeesta spine out to Double Springs Gap. but its probably gated off


From Newfound Gap parking lot out to Charlie’s bunion outcrop is nice too. a moderate hop, be careful out there too, sheer drops. Dont waste your time if its cloudy.

I did charlies outcrop at night once to watch a meteor shower. I was high as hell, lol

Good drives yes

Stop and see the elk at Oconaluftee fields
Otherwise Cherokee is a DUMP

I remember we ended up at Bubba Gumps after that hike. That wouldn't have been my first, second or fifth choice. If they are honeymooners though, when else would you want to do a hike like that?

We aren’t young honeymooners unfortunately, but we aren’t over the hill either! We’re both in good shape and all of the hikes mentioned sound great. If we over exert, there’s a nice hot tub on the porch of the cabin overlooking the mountains. I can’t believe how affordable rentals are. We would pay triple for a comparable place in the Adirondacks.

Cades Cove for sure as well as the Cherohala Skyway. Also head over to US19 and drive down the Nantahala Gorge to the Rivers End restaurant at NOC. Beautiful country. Also if you're into motorcycles head over to Maggie Valley and check out Wheels Through Time museum.

The drive through Cades Cove is very worthwhile. Gatlinburg is much more walking friendly than Sevierville or Pigeon Forge. The drive from Gatlinburg to Cherokee is very scenic.

We started "Highpointing" with the boys years ago...

Always a cool adventure... or "outdoor vacation with a reason to go to random places"... you will find lots of obscure little towns, shops and restaurants along the way.

https://highpointers.org/us-highpoint-guide/

Many Highpoints (Delaware, Florida et al)... are nothing but a picture and then grab an ice cream cone... but many are fantastic... really amazing... and some will kill you if you aren't dialed in... Wyoming, AK etc.

TN, NC, VA, WV is a great place to start the hobby...

Keep a photo album... I have one somewhere...

Good luck and enjoy the time away.