ブラウント郡の天然記念物・トップ10

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, particularly Cades Cove, is recognized for its stunning views, diverse flora and fauna, and large crowds. The 11-mile loop at Cades Cove (actually 9.98 miles) is closed to automobile traffic on Wednesdays during the summer to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists, including e-bikes. Expect significant crowds unless you visit at dawn.

As the road passes under Rocky Mountain a viewpoint opens up which takes your breath away. It is especially beautiful in the autumn when the reds, golds and burnt oranges of the season make the scenery come alive.

The Cades Cove loop winds for 11 miles through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's a glorious ride on a bike with a backdrop of mountain peaks and lush green countryside. The views from here are particularly stunning.

Because the trailhead is so accessible to Cades Cove Loop it is very crowded on weekends. Not uncommon to see folks on the trail in thong sandals, no water, fast food bags (one of the most littered trails). It is a fun trail run with a rewarding cool swim below the falls on a weekday in Summer.

This bald spot on the ridge leading to Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain has an awesome overlook towards Fontana Dam and the southern part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is also a lot of mountain laurel and Catawba rhododendron out in the spring and summer months.

Rocky Top is a popular summit on this long ridge between Derrick Knob Shelter and Spence Field Shelter on the Appalachian Trail. This summit sits at 5,440 feet and is technically a subpeak of Thunderhead Mountain (just a little further east along the trail). Many say that this overlook provides the best views from this area of the park.

Spence Field is a high meadow just under 5,000 feet on the Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountains. The field is at the intersection of Bote Mountain Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and a short spur trail to Spence Field Shelter. Bears frequent this area so make sure to follow LNT principles.

The Middle Prong Trail follows Lynn Camp Prong (a wide creek in the Smoky Mountains) for several miles. The first three-quarters of a mile up the trail has continuous overlooks of cascading rapids and waterfalls in the creek bed. The trail is wide and easy to follow, and if there are crowds (which there will be in the summer and fall months), the cascades just drown out the sounds of the other visitors.