Smoky Mountains Alum Caves

A few days before my birthday, Eddie asked me if there was anything special I would like to do for my birthday. Being overwhelmed as usual I told Eddie that I would have to think about it.

Then on the morning of my birthday, around 6 am, after reading our morning devotions, I told Eddie that I would really like to go the Smoky Mountains today for my birthday. So Eddie and I scrambled, showered, packed and were on the road heading south on I-75 toward Tennessee by 9:30 am. Eddie loves driving and I love the anticipation of getting the first glimpse of the mountains as we head south passed Lexington, Kentucky.

We crossed the Tennessee state line and headed over the top of the stunning Jellico Mountains. Along the way, there are many magnificent views of the valleys below.

We arrived in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee later in the afternoon. By the time we checked in at the hotel and grabbed a bite to eat at Cracker Barrel, it was already late afternoon.

There are three major towns to choose from on the Tennessee side of the Smokies: Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Townsend.

Gatlinburg is a beautiful little town nestled in the valley spreading upward through the Mountains. It is located along the north central border of the Great Smoky Mountain National park. Gatlinburg seems to be the popular place for those who love to walk the streets and shop. There is a large variety of unique specialty shops, crafts, antiques, hotels, cabins, restaurants, wedding chapels and entertainment for all ages. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is a special attraction open 365 days a year.

Pigeon Forge seems to be more spread out with the focus on shopping. Pigeon Forge has many antiques, crafts, gifts and specialty shops. There are plenty of outlet malls, restaurants, hotels and cabins. One special place to eat is the Old Mill Restaurant that has been welcoming visitors since 1830. For entertainment, Pigeon Forge is known for its comedy and music shows such as the Blackwood Breakfast Variety Show, Comedy Barn, Black Bear Jamboree and many other local groups. Of course Dolly wood is one of the most popular attractions and is great entertainment for all ages.

Townsend is called the peaceful side of the Smokies and is our favorite place. Perhaps we are a little biased because Eddie’s granddad, Dan Wilkerson is buried in the little Brickie cemetery located just out of Townsend in Wears Valley, between Townsend and Pigeon Forge.

There is a beautiful Wedding Chapel along the river. Many people stay in the cabins along the river and go tubing, swimming, wading and fishing. Sometimes we see the cows taking a swim also. Townsend has several hotels, cabins, restaurants, antiques, gift shops, crafts, wood carving, and other shopping. Tuckaleechee Caverns and Tuckaleechee Inn are nearby. Horse back riding is also available. We used to stay at a wonderful bed and breakfast in Walland, just outside of Townsend until about six years ago when the owners decided to sell and move.

We discovered the Friends of the Smokies a few years back and it seems that most of their hotel deals are located in Pigeon Forge. Partially because of this, we have stayed in a hotel in Pigeon Forge lately.

With Friends of the Smokies we can receive a ten percent discount if we reserve online. We received a gift at the time of registering which included a Schick razor and an Odwallan nourishing food bar among other items. We’ve received different gifts at other times. We received a couple stuffed bears one year, and the grandchildren claimed them.

We have chosen to stay at Rodeway Inn on our recent visits because of the location and price. We believe in building our business on a budget. Besides, we only use the motel to sleep in. The Rodeway Inn is located at the southern tip of Pigeon Forge at the last light before leaving to go toward Gatlinburg. This location makes it easy for us to quickly escape the crowds in Pigeon Forge whether leaving or returning to the hotel. The hotel is located on the main drag so we can exit the parking lot, turn left and then right at the light heading for Gatlinburg or the Smoky Mountain National Park. Also, at the intersection is a filling station next to the Hotel for easy access for fuel and snacks.

After arriving in Pigeon Forge and eating, we had just enough time left to take an evening stroll at Alum Cave Trail, one of our favorite walkways in the Smoky Mountains.

We discovered the Alum Cave Trail several years ago. Although this is one of the main trails hikers take to get to Mount Leconte, we have only walked as far as the Alum cave on two occasions. Normally, we choose to walk only to the Arch Rock which seems to be a beautiful place to stop before the grade becomes steeper. This time we only walked as far as the Arch Rock. The other trail to Mount Leconte is at Grotto Falls, I wrote this article on it.

We left Pigeon Forge and drove toward Gatlinburg taking the bypass around Gatlinburg. After entering into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we came to a fork in the road.

The right fork goes to Sugarland’s Visitor Center, Townsend and Cades Cove. I will cover that trip in another article.

The left (or straight ahead) fork (Newfound Gap Road) goes over the Mountain toward Cherokee Indian reservation. This is the way we drove.

We passed the beautiful picnic area on the right side, just beneath the Chimney tops. We love the picnic area with the echoing sound of the rushing stream and BIG rocks. We continued around the corner past the picnic area moving up the Mountain road. The road goes through a tunnel then makes a complete circle around and crosses back over itself as it climbs the Mountain.

We can enjoy the view of the Chimney tops with three different pull offs. The second and third pull off seem to have the best views. Chimney Tops are beautiful in the fall, our favorite time of the year. Often we come down in late October and stay at the Tuckaleechee Inn Resort. It is a Christian ministry to teach children the Word of God. They have several fellowship weeks and work weeks throughout the year. Eddie loves the fellowship weeks and avoids the work weeks.

After passing Chimney Tops, the two Alum Caves parking lots will be on the left side of the road. We arrived at the first Alum Cave parking lot around 4:30 P.M. We grabbed our walking sticks and headed for the Alum Cave Trailhead. The Trailhead is centered between the two semi circle connecting parking lots.

We could hear the sound of the rushing water as we approached the trailhead. The first thing we came across was a large wooden bridge with double hand rails. As we crossed the bridge over Alum Cave Creek we couldn’t take our eyes off the water splashing, dashing and zigzagging over, under and around the rounded rocks and boulders.

Soon we crossed another large wooden bridge. The trail is fairly wide and in places rocky and full of large tree roots. The surrounding forest is dense with a variety of huge trees including Hemlock and Sugar Maples.

Both sides of the trail are heavily covered with rhododendron and mountain laurel. It is very peaceful and fairly level at the start as it follows along side Alum Cave Creek toward the mountains. It goes on for quite a distance before the slow climb begins.

Strolling along this trail while holding hands with my sweetie is very romantic as we watch the sun peeking through the dark forest, and hear the sound of the moving water as it dances over the amazing rocks.

As the trail gets steeper the water moves faster and roars much louder as it bounces over the rocks creating countless waterfalls throughout the stream.

Along the way we crossed over two small one lane bridges made out of a split log, with a tree branch rail. It’s a little wobbly, just don’t look down. After walking a little over a mile we crossed another one lane split log bridge at the Arch Rock.

The Arch Rock is a steep tunnel with a wire rail and steep rock steps going straight up to get to the top. It looks like a stairwell leading upward to the top of a castle tower. We climbed the steep stairwell to the top of the Arch Rock.

We stayed there for awhile talking and taking pictures. Then we started back down the trail and on our way back to the motel. We both got up at 5 A.M. and were getting tired now with the drive and all the excitement.

Eddie is usually starting something somewhere along our journey. This time there was a young couple hiking down the mountain on the Alum trail and the man was carrying an armful of wood.

Eddie asked the man why he was doing a woman’s job by carrying the wood. The young woman promptly turned around toward Eddie; put her hands on her hips giving Eddie one of those looks. Eddie immediately put up his arms to defend himself. The young woman then informed Eddie that he was trapped between her and his wife. I was standing behind Eddie with a club.

As anyone can clearly see, Eddie is an expert at making friends.

Going back down the trail was an easy but enjoyable walk. We stopped several times to take pictures of the dazzling stream and savor our final moments in this beautiful place.

My Passion is Health and Wellness through Nutrition. I have successfully put cancer into remission without Chemotherapy, Radiation or Surgery.

Thank You.  ~  Barbie