Camping in the Great Smoky Mountains During Autumn – 2 Nights in the National Park

What felt like yesterday, in October of 2019, I went camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This trip was an opportunity for me to escape the busy digital world and to relieve stress. More importantly, I planned this trip for my birthday. Camping in the Great Smoky Mountains during autumn is one of the best times to be under the stars. Full disclosure, this was my first time camping outdoors, and in a tent. I came across as a newbie, but hold your laughter until later. So, over the next few days in late October, I camped in the beauty of the smokies, where the overlooking scenic mountains, with colors of red, orange, and yellow, took me in. I was immersed with nature in that moment, I felt infinite.

Arriving in the Great Smoky Mountains

It was a cool cloudy afternoon as I drove into the Gatlinburg area. The air was crisp as I headed up the windy Gatlinburg Bypass. Navigating through the bypass, misty fog could be seen over the mountainside and the Gatlinburg valley. It didn’t take long to reach the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as I headed towards the Sugarlands Visitor Center. At the visitor center, I checked out the maps and brochures for the various scenic overlooks and hiking trails. But I didn’t need any of the guides, as I was quite familiar with the park.

The time was approximately two-o-clock in the afternoon, and I was able check-in to the campground, but I waited. I already decided to check out the overlook at the highest point in the National Park. So, I got in my car, and slowly made the 30 minute drive up the intensely steep mountain road. This road is notoriously windy and requires full attention, as falling off the rails wouldn’t be fun. During my drive upward, the smokies started to live up to its name, as the misty clouds swept over the mountains.

Fog would suffocate me one minute, and the next, it would dissipate. The views were breathtaking with the rolling mist covering the mountainside. As much as I wanted to stop to take a photograph, I resisted. My goal was to reach the top, the scenic overlook known as Clingmans Dome. With one last rigorous push up the steep grade, the panoramic views of the mountainside and distance valleys came into focus — the kind of beauty that hugs you tight. Even though the scenery was mesmerizing, the winding road required my attention, but it wouldn’t take long to finally reach Clingmans Dome.

Top of Clingmans Dome

At the top of Clingmans Dome, the parking area was congested with sounds of too many tourists, after all, it was late October. It’s the busiest time for the park. Nevertheless, the wide stunning vistas of the Appalachian Mountains filled my eyesight. From all around, the smoky mountains captured my senses; the cool air smelled fresh. This is the highest point in the park, and the highest point of the whole Appalachian Mountains. Most of the Smokies’ mountainside could be seen from this high perspective, all with one look. In the distance, the lakes, known as Fontana Lake, could be visible. The smaller peaks and points were visible.

But I must say, the visibility was a hit or miss; one minute, the fog would creep in, and the next, the fog would roll out. So, it was hard to see the scenic features of the Smokies, and you have to have patience. On a good day, the nearby towns, Gatlinburg and Cherokee, can be seen; especially at night when the lights are visible. However, it was the afternoon and the cloudiness affected the visibility. Regardless, the outstanding scenery was even better with the rolling mist, as it adds a touch of character to the Smokies; hence the name. After checking out the scenery, I drove down the mountain, the same way I came, to reach my campground for the next two nights.

Elkmont Campground

Navigating the road to the Elkmont campground was full of “S” curves that hugged the adjacent river. The densely hillside trees hanged over the road, which created a canopy; the sky was hardly visible. After clearing the densely packed trees, the road opened up to a small field with the sky visible. The check-in ranger station was just ahead. I went inside to get my campsite pass information and then I saw the camp store. I stopped to get a heavy bundle of firewood and two bags of cold ice. After that, I drove down the narrow paved driveway, that looped around the campgrounds, and found my campsite. In case you wanted to know, my campsite was B22. It’s a great rustic campsite (tent only) with an 15 step walkway that takes you up an hill from the parking spot.

With everything in the car, I unpacked and took the gear up the steps and started setting up camp. About an half-hour later, I had everything situated at my campsite, but now was the time to setup the tent. Setting up the tent was a learning experience, since this was my first time setting one up. I painfully staked down the footprint, the bottom-side of the tent, to the hard ground. Normally, someone would bring a hammer to stake down the tent, but I thought I wouldn’t need one, yes, a total noob. It’s one of my best ideas — kidding! Anyways, I realized the stakes weren’t going to push into the ground, luckily I had a hiking pole. So, I hammered down the stakes with the handle-end of the pole and it worked.

The other campers probably thought I was odd and that’s ok, I was odd. After my stakes were running low against the looming darkness of night, I managed to get the tent poles attached, but not without issues, of course! Finally, after a long 45 minutes, yes really, I had my tent, or shelter, ready. I really felt excited and proud that I set up my first tent! The funny thing was when my neighboring camper, asked if I got my tent up, and I said “yes, I did.” Nonetheless, it was getting dark.

Under the Stars

After my tent struggles, it was time to hang under the stars and relax. It was getting darker by the minute, I tried to make a campfire, but it wasn’t easy. I was inexperienced and had no idea of how to light a campfire. All the firewood was arranged in a stacking manner, with one of those yellow fire-lighting bricks meant for fireplaces. I took the lighter, lit the yellow pack, and slowly, the logs started to catch fire. It was great to witness my first attempted campfire. The wood sizzled, burned, and made squealing noises from the high heat. The fire ambience was warm with sparks flying in every direction. But it only lasted for about 30 minutes. I was disappointed since the other campers were having great success. Every effort to relight the firewood wasn’t going to work and I gave up for the night.

Besides my efforts, it was time to sit in my camp chair and relax to the sounds of nature. I could hear the nearby campfires, the wind against the trees, the chatting of campers, and the audio from my podcast in my ears. It was a paranormal podcast, so, maybe not the best idea when you’re alone in the dark, out in the woods. Regardless, I thought to myself, Am I really out here camping in nature, away from civilization!? I was loving camping, I was there in the moment being present, I felt free, and I knew I wanted to do this again. Even as I type this, I’m dreaming of my next camping trip. My mind was in a calm state and the bliss was real. A couple hours later, it started to drizzle and eventually turned into steady rain. It was my first night in my tent, just in time before the rain started to hammer away. Honestly, the sound of the rain against my tent felt relaxing, and I did my best to fall asleep.

A Cold Raining Morning: Day Two

On the second day, I woke up to the cold rainfall as I tried to pack up for the day. I got in my car and drove down the wet windy road. It was cloudy with the rain bouncing off my windshield as I headed to the Sugarlands Visitor Center again. It didn’t take long as I, finally, pulled into the visitor center. The park ranger was super helpful when I asked about the hiking trail (Appalachian Trail) that leads to Charlies Bunion (an overlook on the Appalachian Trail). After being satisfied, I grab some maps, and made the journey up the mountain again.

As I headed up the steep beautiful road, I stopped at several scenic overlooks (pullouts). The first overlook was absolutely mesmerizing and I took several photos with my DLSR. What I captured, is on display on my wall, and when I look at the photo, I remember the details of that day. Continuing, I drove to another overlook to take in the beauty of the Smokies. From there, I made my way to the Newfound Gap overlook. Newfound Gap is a popular stopping point on U.S. Hwy 441 (the highway that travels through the park). That morning, it was extremely crowded with tourists everywhere including me. The overlook was amazing as I snapped a few pictures. Anyways, I stepped onto the Appalachian Trail, to hike about 3 miles.

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail

My day hiking adventure was off to a good start, but I was having pain issues with my leg, and I wouldn’t get far as I wanted to. The terrain was super harsh with rocks and boulders challenging me to continue forward. I had to almost climb the rocks and it was a slow hike. Finally, I got to the first trail crossing and I continued to hike further. At the start, it was cloudy, but as I advanced further, the clouds cleared and the sun was vibrant. At this point, I felt it wasn’t worth continuing, so I decided to head back to the trailhead at Newfound Gap. It was still a nice hike as the sun revealed the beautiful mountainside of the Smoky Mountains. Finally, I arrived back at the trailhead and would get in my car to head back down the mountain.

Back to Elkmont

Now I was halfway down the mountain as I headed back to my campground. The cold cloudy and rainy morning turned to this beautiful sunny day. The rolling mountains, with the fall colors, shined brightly. About an half-hour later, I was back at my campsite. I didn’t do anything really exciting from this point in time. I sat in my chair, in the warm sun, as I listened to podcasts or music. My day was calm as I relaxed at my campsite, but there was nothing else to do. When it came to making dinner, I tried to boil hot water into one of the dehydrated camping meals, but I didn’t like it. All in all, it was a really great day as sunset was coming.

A Successful Campfire?

Okay so, remember on my first night when I tried to make a campfire and it didn’t work out so well. Well, I have good news, I actually made a campfire this time on my second night. The sun was setting and I started to build my campfire. I put great effort into making sure this campfire would be a success. So, I lit the firewood and it was indeed a success, I was happy! As I sat next to the warm glowing fire, I listened to more podcasts. Not any podcast, but a paranormal podcast. Maybe it’s not the best idea when out in the woods at night, but I did it anyways. The night was getting colder as my campfire died, it only lasted 30 minutes (still, it was a success in my eyes). With the said, I continued my my podcasts and the air was really getting chilly. But, it was getting late, I wanted to go to bed, and at this point, it was really cold. Nevertheless, I braved the cold as I went to sleep.

Wildlife Sounds During the Night

When I woke in the middle of the night, at around 2 AM, it was freezing. I tried my best to layer up with my sleeping bags, but it wasn’t of much help. Slightly later, I woke again to the sounds of nearby wildlife. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I assumed it was a bear. This was my first time hearing wildlife as I camped outside, I felt kinda scared, to be honest. My hope was that the bear, or whatever it was, would not come near my tent. The thoughts in my head were scary, but I went back to sleep. Finally, I woke to the freezing cold as the sun rose, and I disassemble my tent, and packed up. Then I checked out at the rangers station.

Was it Bigfoot?

Side note: much later after my trip, I really thought it could be Bigfoot. I say this because when I remembered the animal sounds, it was definitely not a bear, it sounded like a whooping sound (a long drawn-out howl). That’s why I seriously considered it to be something else. But that’s all I’ll go into that now. Maybe on a separate post, I can go deeper into that night.

End of Camping Trip

On my last day of my trip, which was my birthday, I really wanted to check out Clingmans Dome again. So, I went back up the mountain yet again. This morning, it was really cold and got even colder as I got to the top. At the top of Clingmans Dome, it was absolutely freezing (low 30s). The only thing I did, was getting out my car to try to take a few pictures of the clear sunny mountains. The view was panoramic, but it was very windy and chilly, it was too cold. A few minutes later, I got into my car to drive down the mountain, and this would be the end of my trip. The last part of my journey was to drive back home to Michigan.

Great Time Camping in the Smokies

Camping in the Great Smoky Mountains, during October of 2019, was one of the best experiences of my life so far. Yes, it was my first time camping outdoors, and I came across as a newbie, but it was a great experience nonetheless. Over those few days in late October, I really camped in the beautiful Smokies, where I felt immersed with nature! In those precious moments, I did felt infinite!

What do you think?

If you have any questions or comments about camping or want to share your camping experiences, please leave them below. I would love to see what you have to say!