We did this park in May but camped in the park so didn’t deal with gatlinburg traffic; however, it took us 3 hours to go around the cades cove loop. There were at least 6 bear encounters while we were there and each time the line of cars stopped - sometimes up to 20 minutes. Clingmans dome was also busy.
Cades Cove is beautiful, yes traffic backs up but you can enjoy its beauty, wild flowers, it heritage and lucky the wildlife it is a step back in time, not to be rushed. Traffic backs up but a place thats so enjoyable many dont mind it. Its a stop and smell the roses type of place.
We have visited the Smokies over 20 times and the first week of November is my favorite time for fall colors. It is so less crowded compared to the 3rd week of October, which is the peak fall colors time.
Bears in the Smokey mountain np see people every day. They generally don’t pay you much attention. A mother with a cub might require a little more caution. Attacks are rare and fatalities almost never.
We did this park in May but camped in the park so didn’t deal with gatlinburg traffic; however, it took us 3 hours to go around the cades cove loop. There were at least 6 bear encounters while we were there and each time the line of cars stopped - sometimes up to 20 minutes. Clingmans dome was also busy.
Yeah, it gets pretty crazy. It's fun to see bears, but when you get stopped for so long, it can be a little frustrating!
Cades Cove is beautiful, yes traffic backs up but you can enjoy its beauty, wild flowers, it heritage and lucky the wildlife it is a step back in time, not to be rushed. Traffic backs up but a place thats so enjoyable many dont mind it. Its a stop and smell the roses type of place.
It definitely is a special place...but the traffic can be intense!
Thanks for the Great Video.
My pleasure!
If you are going from Pigeon Forge take the Gatlinburg bypass just past the welcome center.
Great advice!
Also go Monday thru Thursday if at all possible. I feel like GSM gets an awful amount of weekend traffic/visitors.
Yes, weekdays are always best!
Hi, do you think the first week of November is rather better in terms of traffic or still crowded coz of the foilage?
It's usually a little better than October!
We have visited the Smokies over 20 times and the first week of November is my favorite time for fall colors. It is so less crowded compared to the 3rd week of October, which is the peak fall colors time.
Bears in the Smokey mountain np see people every day. They generally don’t pay you much attention. A mother with a cub might require a little more caution. Attacks are rare and fatalities almost never.
True! What we don't want though is humans getting too close to the bears :)
Are those bears dangerous?
The bears are wild, and can certainly be dangerous if you don't give them their space and if you don't follow proper food storage regulations.
Crowds.
It's the most-visited park in the U.S., so lots of crowd-related issues for sure!