Persimmon Glen

This is a really nice trip to see the 200 or so Elk that the National Park Service have reintroduced into the National Park. Cataloochee Valley at one time had a population of about 1500 people until the Park came along, and there are several old homes, barns, and a church to see there. There is also a campground if you want to stay a while, and there is also a horse camp if you want to bring your horses.

There are two ways to get there, both require traveling on dirt roads. My favorite is to take Hwy 321E out of Gatlinburg towards Cosby. At the stop sign turn right which is hwy 32. The pavement ends 11 miles ahead at the North Carolina state line and where the Appalachian trail crosses.  Less than a mile beyond that you'll come to pavement again and a four-way stop. This is Mt Serling NC. Go straight through another 16 miles of dirt roads and where the road ends turn right and you'll be in the valley. You'll see a few mountain homes, but mostly you'll be driving through the park, so take your time and enjoy the scenery.

Back at the four way stop, you can turn right and check out Big Creek which is a beautiful campground and picnic area.  If you go left at the four way, about a half mile down the road you'll see the Hydro power plant at Waterville and the spot where the rafters from Hartford begin their trips on the Pigeon River. You can also jump on I-40 there if you like.

An easier way to get there is to take I-40 east towards Asheville. Take exit 20 (Hwy 276) in North Carolina and then take the very first right which is Cove Creek Rd. You'll see a small sign for Cataloochee.

Follow that road about three miles and it becomes a dirt road as you climb the mountain. You'll go another 7 miles on dirt roads and it will bring you into the valley. Once you're in the valley the roads are paved again.

The best times to see Elk are at dawn and dusk when they come down from the hills and graze in the valley, so you'll have to time your trip accordingly. This is a trip where you'll want to bring your own food and water as there are no stores or eateries in Cataloochee.

I make this trip quite often because it's only a 40 minute drive from me. I live off of hwy 32, so I usually take it to Mt Sterling and then jump on the interstate to get there quicker.

I'm going to stay in the same general area today. Take 25/70 east out of Newport about 12 miles and you'll find Del Rio, TN, famous for moonshiners, cock-fighting and as the setting for the novel 'Christy' by Catherine Marshall and subsequent movie, televison series and Broadway musical. The fictional "El Pano' in the book is Del Rio and the fictional 'Cutter Gap' is Chapel Hollow.

Take Hwy 107 west into Del Rio and you'll see the old train station (There's only a sign there now), post office and boarding house, then go about a half mile  to Old Fifteenth and turn right. You're going to follow an old dirt road about 4 miles, so this trip is best taken in good weather. The road is wide enough for only one car a good part of the way, so drive slowly and enjoy the scenery. About 3 miles in you'll see Ebenezer Church, take a left at that branch to see the Church/ Schoolhouse. Go to the right and follow the signs to see the mission property. There are plenty of signs to mark the way. You can spend as much time there as you want and this is a nice place to have a picnic. You can tour the original O'Teale cabin and there are a lot of signs marking places in the book.

 If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. It's about a young city girl from Asheville NC that goes to live and teach children at a christian mission in the 'wilds' of the appalachian mountains and her adventures with the mountain people that live there. You'll learn a lot about the ways of mountain people.

Every year there is a 'Christyfest' held in Townsend TN where the series was filmed. This year it's being held June 17-21st. There is a great video about this area here on YouTube you might enjoy.

Hot Springs, NC

Hot Springs is a wonderful little town about 25 miles east of Newport, TN on Hwy 25/70. Enjoy the drive on the way, the countryside is beautiful. Most of the way you'll be following the French Broad river and be surrounded by mountains.

Hot Springs became famous for the hot mineral springs bursting from the ground. Well- to- do people came from all over to 'take the waters' and a large hotel sprung up there around the turn of the last century, but people have been coming here for over 200 years because of the healing properties of the hot mineral springs.

Nowadays, if you visit the springs, you'll get a private jacuzzi nestled in the trees on the banks of Spring Creek. It's very nice, and inexpensive. You can also get full spa treatment if you like.

This is the only town that actually sits astride the Appalachian trail and the only hot springs in the Southeastern US and is surrounded by the Blue Ridge mountains and the Pisgah National Forest.

Walk around town and you'll find shops geared toward hiking,whitewater rafting antiques and gifts. There are campgrounds and motels here also if you'd like to stay overnight. You can hike, ride horses, go canoeing, go fishing, but mostly just slow down and relax.

There are quite a few places to eat there, but I usually stop in at the Smoky Mountain Diner. It's popular with the locals and they have great country cooking and really good prices. There's always a special of the day and you can't go wrong with anything they cook up in the kitchen.

Hot Springs is about 1 1/2 hour drive from Sevierville. Tomorrow we'll go to Paint Rock and Paint Creek