Pigeon Forge {Day 6}

On Thanksgiving Day we decided we would do some hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Chris had suggested a hiking trip in the Smokies for our summer trip back in August, but when my parents were able to the condos for November, we decided that hiking in November would be much more pleasant in the cooler weather.


There are many different hikes to choose from. Our first one was Clingman's Dome. Here are the kids standing by the parking lot.

Here's a panoramic picture of a similar view.

Our hike was only one mile round trip and the trail was nicely paved, but it was quite steep. We had to stop and rest more times than we would care to admit.

Here's a view of the trail.

At the end of the trail, is the Clingman's Dome Observation Tower.

Here is a panoramic view from the top of the observation tower. 

From the top of the observation you could see Tennessee and North Carolina. This is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains and the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. It is 6,643 feet above sea level.

Here is where the Appalachian Trail passes through.

We trekked on the Appalachian Trail for a few moments just for the sake of being able to say that we were on it. It was a bit more rugged than the Clingman's Dome trail!

The hike back down to the parking lot was a lot easier. Hannah skipped down for most of the way.

We drove around for a bit after the hike, then decided to hike so more! This time we chose the Laurel Falls Trail. It was a 1.3 mile hike to the falls. This trail was considered easy, but the paved paths were a bit rough in many places.

Here's a close up of the bear sign.

And this sign was posted a couple of places along the trail.

Here's a picture of the trail.

And the beautiful Laurel Falls.

James & Hannah in front of the falls.

An incomplete family portrait.

We got back to our condo around 5pm. We rested a bit, then we went out for a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. We ate at a Chinese buffet restaurant.