Cheoah Point in the Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina |
Santeetlah Lake at Cheoah Point |
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, North Carolina |
"I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree..."
Our first stop after leaving Georgia was in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. We stayed at beautiful Cheoah Point Campground on Santeetlah Lake south of the Smoky Mountains. Just a few miles west of our campground and almost to the Tennessee border we discovered the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest which is located in over 17,000 acres of designated wilderness in a remnant of the original Appalachian forest. The forest is named for Joyce Kilmer, the poet who wrote "Trees," that poem everyone memorized in elementary school. Being a wilderness, hiking is the only way to see this beautiful old-growth cove forest with towering trees as old as 450 years.
"...A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray..."
Cove forests are located in sheltered valleys (coves) with deep, rich soils and abundant moisture. They are some of the most biologically diverse plant communities in the world and where old-growth forests missed by loggers are most likely to exist. We walked the two mile Joyce Kilmer National Recreation Trail and both agreed it was one of the most beautiful forests we had ever seen.
One of the 318 curves on US Hwy 129
US Highway 129 was the road we took to our next destination, the Cherokee National Forest in southeastern Tennessee on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We did not realize what a famous stretch of road Hwy 129 was. Named ‘Tail of the Dragon’ for its 318 curves in 11 miles, it may be America’s favorite two-lane tourist road. It was pretty funny being on the road in our RV with all the Corvettes and Harleys passing us when they could. Maybe if we had known what we were getting into we would have reconsidered and gone another route, but it was an amazing road and our RV handled it pretty well. David’s quite the driver you know. Maybe a sports car is in our future!
View from high on the Cherohala Skyway
Near white-out conditions on the Skyway
Once we finished our ‘grand prix’ on US Hwy
129 and crossed into Tennessee, we camped in the Cherokee National Forest at
Indian Boundary Campground. Indian
Boundary is located about one quarter of the way on another amazing road, the
Cherohala Skyway. The ‘Skyway’ crosses
through the Cherokee and Natahala National Forests connecting Tennessee and
North Carolina and its name comes from the combination of the two forests it
passes through.
There are places on the
Skyway that are over a mile high and plenty of curves to be had as well. The day we drove it, the weather made it a
little scary. It was raining and there
were places we were in the rain clouds and almost in white-out conditions. But then there were times we drove out of the
clouds and rain and had some fairly clear views. All in all it was an amazing drive. Our week off the grid was sure filled with
beautiful scenery, amazing trees and a few rather exciting drives.
David's Stats:
Days Hiked 3
Total Miles Hiked 7.52
Ave. Miles per Day 2.51
Total Elevation Gain 674
Ave. Elevation Gain per day 225
Days Hiked 3
Total Miles Hiked 7.52
Ave. Miles per Day 2.51
Total Elevation Gain 674
Ave. Elevation Gain per day 225
Smoky Mountains
Lol...you hit two of my favorite spots...Joyce Kilmer and the Dragon's Tail. That was very funny to read that you didn't know what it was going to be like...it is a crazy road! If you liked it, take the one north out of Cades Cove for a dirt-road version...
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