Smokey Mountains suggestions

[Mark Carney]

Does anyone have any suggestions or tips in working in the Smokeys. Favorite places to photograph, favorite camping spots/hikes, that sort of thing.
I might have a chance to go over the next several weeks, thinking about nonexistant fall colours. I have no firmer plans than that. You might even say I'm very flexible.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks

Mark

[mikebarger]

I spent a few days at Townsend TN this summer. They were pretty dry there, but the park had lots of opportunities close to town.

Wife got pictures of two different bears.

Mike

[Bill_1856]

The Smokies are very difficult to shoot. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself shooting shot after shot of the mountain streams, (even Clyde Butcher did it), eventually it gets pretty boring.
Cade's Cove near Townsend is almost breathtaking in its beauty (and in its traffic), but again it's difficult to make anything more than "I wus there -- ain't it purdy" images.
One worthwhile hint: "Magic Light" at dawn and dusk is especially true in the region, and the tourist traffic doesn't start until 9 AM.
Good Luck!

[Brian Ellis]

The part of the Park that I've photographed is the part near Gatlinbug. There's an area there called "Greenbriar" that I don't think is actually in the Park itself and that I particularly liked. I can't give you precise directions but it's within ten or so miles of Gatlinburg and anybody there probably can direct you. The entrance is right off a main highway out of Gatlinburg and there's an entrance sign so it's simple to find, I just can't remember the name or number of the highway. If you have to go through Gatlinburg it's best to let someone else drive so that you can close your eyes and not subject yourself to what I think (or hope) is the tackiest and ugliest of all American tourist traps.

After turning into Greenbriar from the main highway go maybe a half mile or so and you'll see a small dirt parking area on your right. Park there, walk the fifty or so feet down to the river, look up the river a little ways and you'll see some very unusual rock formations and cascades in the river that can easily occupy you for several hours or more if you like that sort of thing. Then continue driving on the road you came in on. You'll go over a bridge and then you'll come to a parking area. Get out, look around the river, you'll see other things to photograph there (and also around the bridge). There's also a fairly long (I think about 8-10 miles each way) hike that originates from that parking area. I've never done the hike but it's supposed to be a beautiful hike. Can't help with camping, I stay in a motel (well away from Gatlinburg).

Sorry to not be more specific but this is all from memory based on two trips in 2000 and 2001. I mention Greenbriar because I don't think it's actually in the Park itself so you probably wouldn't find it in guides to the Park. Of course there's a lot of photographs to be made of the river, rocks, trees, that sort of thing, right off the main roads through the Park but these are easy to spot as you drive along the roads.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

The Sinks, Mingus Mill and Roaring Fork.

[PMahoney]

I'd recommend Pisgah National Forest, more beautiful and certainly a whole lot quieter than SMNP. Also enjoyed several beautiful falls in DuPont State Forest (especially triple falls).

Peter

[RandyB]

Color may be a little muted this year but you can find some by moving around a bit. NC side may have more color because they got more rain. Cades Cove is a must see but it gets very busy on the weekends, same with the road to Newfound Gap. Clingmans Dome can be spectacular but cold and windy at sunset or sunrise. The other suggestions are great also, just be flexible. Try to stay away form Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge if you can. Also, please don't stop in the middle of the road to look at the deer, I'll be driving Thur in a big hurry to get to that next great shot, lol.
RandyB

[Dave Moeller]

I'm actually at the Smoky's right now. Went to the Cades Cove loop today...truly awful. The traffic on the loop moved as slowly as if it was a parking lot (with lots of people stopping in the middle of the road with no thought for the cars lined up behind them), and any time I pulled over to look for a picture I was immediately surrounded by people trying to figure out what I was shooting so that they wouldn't miss it. I actually had one guy step into a pool in front of me as I was trying to set up a shot...there went the mirror-smooth surface I wanted to shoot.

I'm off to Greenbriar tomorrow (would have gone today but my wife and I are renewing our vows early this evening), and I've heard good things about the traffic in the southeastern section of the park.

The landscape is beautiful here, but there is very little color at this time. The rangers don't believe this will be an interesting autumn because of the amount of dry weather here over the last few months, so if you're looking for color this might not be the year for you.

I'll post again after I get to Greenbriar, and to let you know what else I find. I know that there are more beautiful places here than I could explore in a lifetime, and I'm looking forward to the rest of my week here.

[Dave Moeller]

I forgot to mention: Because of the lack of recent rainfall here, the streams and creeks are barely running. Waterfalls are not worth the time right now if you're looking for water that's falling...it's barely trickling this week.

On the other hand, the rock formations in the waterways are very interesting right now because so much of the surface of the rocks is exposed. Depending on your vision, this might be a great time to photograph around the creeks.

[Mark Carney]

Thanks to all.
Dave, I'll be looking forward to what you have to say about Greenbriar.

Mark

[Jim Rhoades]

Greenbrier is indeed part of the SMNP. It's off of 321 just east of Gatlinburg. BTW, Pigeon Forge is a lot uglier than Gatlinburg. Townsend has the closest motels to Cades Cove. You can camp right outside of the cove while in the park. The dirt roads will get you far from the crowds. Rich Mountain, Cherokee Orchard/Roaring Fork, Heintooga/Round Bottom Road and Parsons Branch. Parsons branch may still be closed for repair. Use the two dirt road short cuts in Cades Cove to avoid the traffic after you scope out the area. Anytime after 10 AM and your screwed. Pick up the map of auto tours through the park at the visitor centers. Avoid the weekends during leaf season.
I gave a further rundown over on APUG page 12, geographic location under photobum.

[Gary Beasley]

You might wander out to Pickett State park in Tenn. There's natural arches and rock shelters and nearby are the massive Twin Arches, well worth the drive and hike to find.

[speanburgarts]

I would recommend to forget the Smokies and go north to Virginia. From Damascus go on route 58 to Abingdon, there are many places to shoot between there. Also you can go north from Abingdon on 58/19. There are so many locations in that area of Virginia, the Jefferson National Forest, it is impossible to list all of them and now the fall colours should be quite beautiful.

The Smokey Mountain Park is a tourist disaster.

[Dave Moeller]

Yesterday was a much better day...avoiding Cades Cover certainly helped.

Brian's suggestion is excellent: The stream that parallels the road marked "Greenbriar" is indeed quite lovely. I spent about two hours in the area yesterday, mostly photographing rocks. (Because the water level is low right now, there's little drama in the water itself.) The traffic was much lighter than that at Cades Cove, although by noon there were enough people in the area that I'd lost the solitude that made the area so attractive to me and I decided to move on. Lesson: Go early.

I drove up the Newfound Gap Road (because, you know, I hate myself and wanted to subject myself to crowds again). There is some color in the area...I'd estimate about 20% color once you're half way up the mountains. (I have no way to judge actual altitude, although it's pretty obvious where the color is if you just look up at the mountains from the roads below.) As expected, the crowds were somewhere between annoying and overwhelming.

Finally, I spent some time on the Foothills Parkway which is outside of the GSMNP, near Cosby, TN. (The area is run by the National Park Service but isn't part of the National Park.) The road has a much more "manicured" look than those in the park, but there is no crowd there at all. If anything, there was a bit more color on this road than there was in the Smokies, and the color that I saw was more intense.

I'll be exploring a few other areas today and will let you know what I find.

[Dave Moeller]

Today was my last day travelling around the park. First, I took my wife up the Foothills Parkway so that she could see the color there. Very nice, if a bit manicured.

After that I drove to the Big Creek entrance to the park. There's a short roadway into the park there. Follow it back to the picnic area (near the end of the road), park, walk down to the picnic tables, turn right, and walk about 120 yards. You'll have easy access to the Creek there...lots of great boulders, some moving water (it must really be something after a rainfall), plus lots of trees close to the Creek. Plenty of photographic opportunities. I'd say that the trees in this area are about 20% turned at this time.

Our final drive was into the Cataloochee area, in the southwest corner of the park. It's a beautiful place in many ways. The roads in are narrow, switch back as they climb the mountain, and are unpaved...this apparently helps keep the crowds away. There are lots of interesting old buildings in the area (including a very nice little church that looks as if it was made to be photographed) as well as beautiful trails. But the most surprising thing was the color...the trees in the Cataloochee area are at their peak right now. The rest of the area's probably a week or two away from peak color, but Cataloochee's there right now.

I'm happy that I got to experience the Smokies, but this will be my last trip here. Too much of the park is overcrowded and the surrounding towns are all tourist traps. The locals are great, but the crowds in the park seem to drive tourists to rudeness. I'm generally not bothered by crowds, but what I've seen here is more than I care to experience.

I hope you have a great trip...there are many great things to see here and there are lots of great photo opportunities.

[Steve Hamley]

Just saw the thread; I live in Knoxville about 45 minutes away.

This year is peculiar in that were 13-19 inches low on rain. All the streams are low so don't plan on water shots. The most untouched by drought area is along straight fork which can be accessed via the Balsam Mountain Campground and road off the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a one-way gravel road into Cherokee, NC.

The Tennessee side has suffered more from the drought and heat, and the high country less although colors are reported late, spotty and muted, but good insome places.

My bet would be the high country including the Blue Ridge Parkway (more rain), straight fork area including Enloe Creek and Raven Fork if you're in shape. I haven't been to Greenbrier lately, but Greenbrier, Tremont, and Elkmont are all easily accessible and have good walking trails. But don't count on the usual water shots; maybe more reflections in pools. Waterfalls are unshootable due to low water levels. both on the Tennessee side and the North Carolina side, as well as the Blue Ridge.

The area around Mt Pisgah just south of Asheville, NC has some reported promise.

No reports from south along the Cherohala and Bald River Falls, nor north to Linville Falls except it hasn't peaked yet (10/18). Virginia is reported spotty around Peaks of Otter.

Cheers,

Steve

[JPlomley]

I'm happy that I got to experience the Smokies, but this will be my last trip here. Too much of the park is overcrowded and the surrounding towns are all tourist traps. The locals are great, but the crowds in the park seem to drive tourists to rudeness. I'm generally not bothered by crowds, but what I've seen here is more than I care to experience.

We had the identical experience in Acadia NP this year. It did not matter where my wife and I went, the tourists were everywhere. But what was most bothersome were the digital consumer whores buzzing about like bees as soon as they saw us set up on an image.

To give you an example, we went down to the cobblestone beach at Otter Cliffs to catch the sunrise. These rocks are tricky to navigate in full light let alone before sunrise, even with a Petzval. So we go down while it's still dark, set up the gear, wait for the ambient light levels to come up enough to select a composition, set the movements etc. Very quiet, tranquil, the sound of the ocean mesmerizing. This is the exact bonding I need to do before selecting/recording an image.

All of a sudden, someone bellows from the embankment above, "I found it, come on everyone, it's down here". Now this area of the park is best known from the images, but not clearly marked at all, so it takes awhile to find and requires some pre-scouting during daylight hours. The climb down the embankment is somewhat difficult and requires appropriate footware. Again, the geometry and slickness of the cobblestone means a certain amount of agility is required. So imagine when you look behind you to see no fewer than 15, yes, 15 photogs/tourists scrambling down the embankment with running shoes and dockers (some did having proper hiking boots, but the majority did not). As soon as they were down on the beach proper, after three of them took headers on the rocks, they made a beeline to where my wife and I were set up. We tried to ignore them the best we could, but the volume of them talking (shouting) back and forth was getting under my skin. I just wanted to scream, "shut the f^#K up". I mean these people had everything from 20D's, to point and shoots, to cell phone cameras. I figured it must have been a bus tour. Fortunately, my wife was present to keep things under control. A group of four came over to us to ask what kind of camera we had. We politely told them we would love to explain the camera after the sunrise (my wife was doing all the talking since I was still boiling at having my tranquil moment taken away).

Then, the inevitable happened. Some bonehead thought he would park his ass right in front of my composition. Pulls out his $20 tripod and mounts some plasticky digicam on it. I guess he figured that because he was below the level of my camera it would not interfere with my picture...but he did not even ask if it was o.k., and of course he was in my image (75 Grandagon has a terrific angle of view). The audacity sent me over the edge. Now I am an extremely calm and patient person (as are most who pursue LF), but this was the last straw. I'm not going into any sort of details about what I uttered, but lets just say it was an uncomfortable situation and perhaps not my proudest moment as a photographer. Going forward, the next time this sort of "flocking" occurs, I'm just packing up and leaving. It is just not worth the aggravation. And I do blame digital for this nonsense. It has made photography so easy and accessible that it is now a recreation that all the talentless ilk can pursue. Crowding the beatiful beaches of Acadia at sunrise with 2MP cell phone cameras. This is a new all time low in the discipline of photography.

[Bill_1856]

We had the identical experience in Acadia NP this year. It did not matter where my wife and I went, the tourists were everywhere. But what was most bothersome were the digital consumer whores buzzing about like bees as soon as they saw us set up on an image.

Every conceivable scene in Arcadia has already been shot hundreds or even thousands of times. The future of the medium is in the unique work from personal cameras (like the 2 MP cell phone you mentioned), not in images duplicating work shot from the tripod holes of the past.
Landscapes without people are so often boring. If you're any kind of a photographer, you should have figured out a way to include him in your photograph, not by letting him have it with both barrels, and then skulking off -- this gives "real photographers" a bad name and reputation.

[naturephoto1]

Every conceivable scene in Arcadia has already been shot hundreds or even thousands of times. The future of the medium is in the unique work from personal cameras (like the 2 MP cell phone you mentioned), not in images duplicating work shot from the tripod holes of the past.
Landscapes without people are so often boring. If you're any kind of a photographer, you should have figured out a way to include him in your photograph, not by letting him have it with both barrels, and then skulking off -- this gives "real photographers" a bad name and reputation.

They have all been shot??????? Below though taken with Leica SLR's in 1997 (sorry not my 4 X 5). The photo of Dawn at Egg Rock was the first morning trying to find where the sun would rise. The 2nd photo Acadian Sunrise was taken the next morning from the same overlook. No filters used, taken on Fujichrome Velvia (original). I could not even reproduce these images in 2006 due to the tree growth.

Rich

[naturephoto1]

Jeff,

I can appreciate your frustration with the public. When I was taking photos of the Sentinel in Bryce Canyon in 1995 I along others (including a German speaking gentleman) were set up since before sunrise. A German tour group marched into the area and was in our frames of view; they insisted upon taking their photos. When the gentleman that spoke German spoke to the tour guide and explained the situation, the Guide said that they were there and they would take their photos and leave when they were finished.

I still was able to get a photo, but it was very frustrating to say the least. Photo below taken with Linhof Technikardan 45S, Schneider Super Symmar HM f 5.6 120mm lens on Fujichrome Velvia (original).

Rich

[JPlomley]

Every conceivable scene in Arcadia has already been shot hundreds or even thousands of times.

That's nonsense. Everyones vision and interpretation is different. The light is always changing, cloud shapes are never the same. Ever seen the Orton's done by Richard Martin? Yeah, I just hate the landscape work of Jack Dykinga, Larry Ulrich, David Muench, Jeff Gnass, William Neal etc etc. It all really could have been improved with the presence of a human figure. What were these "real photographers" thinking.

[JPlomley]

Richard,

Nice images, thanks for sharing.

Jeff