July 25, 2021 : A Final Morning in the Smokies

Of course, we couldn’t leave the Smokies without John getting his junior ranger badge. Even though we had to leave today, we wanted to go back to the mountains one last time. First stop was the visitor center, where we were second in line when they opened. John did his pledge and we grabbed a few souvenirs before heading to one last hike!

We went to hike Grotto Falls, which is known for 1) having a waterfall you can walk behind, 2) having llamas hike to it! We only experienced the first!

It was lovely and already getting crowded when we went around 9:30. It was about a 1.6 mile hike, uphill, and we powered through!

The Grotto Falls trial is on the Roaring Fork road which is probably my favorite so far in the GSM (and also the name of one of my favorite restaurants in Austin!) The drive out was gorgeous, and we only got back to camp a few minutes past check out!

 

All in all, we had a GREAT time in Pigeon Forge, and didn’t even do many of the activities there due to rising COVID numbers.

Our next stop was at Old Stone Fort Archeological Part about an hour south of Nashville. While Richard was getting the trailer set up, Laura and the kids went hiking to find a little waterfall. We will explore more tomorrow!



There is something just so pretty and serene about state parks!