Andrea Wilson

The Great Smokies

This past summer I was introduced into the world of hiking. One brisk summer morning my dad dragged me out out bed and told me that we were going on an adventure. He told me to pack warm clothes, thick socks and good tennis shoes. I had absolutley no idea where I was going, but I had a feeling that I was going to be exerting some type of energy.  So I put on some atheltic gear and hoped into my dad's pickup. After about an hour of anxiously sitting in the truck and looking at the window, we finally pulled into a parking lot where I saw people strapping on backpacks on filling up thier water bottles. "Were going hiking!"my dad exclaimed.

We ended up summiting two mountains that day. Both Mount Khatadain and Mount Cardigan offered breathtaking views with great foliage and great memories made with my dad. Little did I know that summiting these two moutains kickstarted my addiction for hiking. I am now fully invested in hiking all different types of moutains. Before this summer a dream vacation for me would be hopping on a plane to visit sandy beaches and sip pina coladas with pink umbrellas. Now a perfect vacation would be taking a road trip to a national park and hiking all day, while enjoying nature with great friends and family.

One of the national parks that I am absoluotley dying to go to is Great Smoky Moutain National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennesee. It's the most visited National Park in the United States. There are over 1,500 bears living at the park at any given time.  The trails offer amazing views of waterfalls, winding rivers and century-old architicture. 

While at the park I would make sure that I hiked Mt. Leconte.  This moutain is just shy of 6,000 feet but the views from the top are definitley worth the climb.  The trail offers many places to stay along the way including cottages with heat as well as campgrounds for tent setup and bonfires. Another great moutain to climb is Chimney Tops. This moutain offers are 360 degreee view of almost the entire national park. It is only a few miles long, but there is a somewhat steep climb in the final mile to the descent.  However if you are willing to take the challenge you will not be dissapointed.

There are many different types of accomadations if you are looking to stay in the moutains. This site offers an abundance of options for you and your family. Just pick what type of loding you would like to stay and where you want to stay,

Flying to Tennesee is relativley cheap year round. If you were to take Delta airlines these are the average prices a plane ticket would cost. If your not a plane person, taking a road trip would be a great way to not only bond with your family but also make some memorable experiences!