Latest / Wildlands Podcast — National Parks, Public Lands & Survival / #018 - Great Smoky Mountains, Part 2: The Visit | Cades Cove, Kuwohi & the Synchronous Fireflies

Transcript

#018 - Great Smoky Mountains, Part 2: The Visit | Cades Cove, Kuwohi & the Synchronous Fireflies · Wildlands Podcast — National Parks, Public Lands & Survival

0:11
There is a mountain in this park that most maps,
0:14
most guidebooks, and most people's memories still
0:17
call by a name at war for less than two centuries.
0:21
For hundreds of years before that, and for the
0:24
Cherokee people whose homeland this is, it was
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Kuohi Mulberry Place, the highest point in their
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entire traditional territory. a place their medicine
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people climbed to pray and seek guidance. In
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1859, a surveyor renamed it after a senator and
0:39
confederate general who never asked to see it
0:42
protected and had no real connection to it at
0:44
all. In September of 2024, after a campaign led
0:49
by two eastern band citizens, the United States
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Board on Geographic Names voted, unanimously,
0:56
to give the mountain its name back. Officially,
1:00
formally, on every federal map going forward.
1:03
It is Kuohe now. I wanted to open with that,
1:07
because it is a genuinely rare thing, a real,
1:11
undone piece of the history we covered in the
1:13
last episode, corrected within the last two years,
1:16
not a hundred years ago. And it sets the tone
1:20
for this whole visit. This park rewards people
1:23
who know a little bit about what they are looking
1:25
at before they arrive. This is Wildlands. I'm
1:30
Sean. Know the land before you reach it. Great
1:33
Smoky Mountains Part 2. The Visit. 12 million
1:38
people a year come through this park, more than
1:40
any other national park in the country, and it
1:43
shows in the traffic and the parking lots in
1:45
ways other parks in this series simply do not
1:48
have to deal with. So this episode is going to
1:51
cover the greatest hits, Cades Cove, Kuohi, the
1:55
Fireflies. the Appalachian Trail, but it is also
1:58
going to spend real time on the specific, practical
2:01
skill of not spending your entire vacation sitting
2:05
in a line of cars. That skill mostly comes down
2:08
to one word, timing. Almost every frustration
2:11
people report about this park traces back to
2:14
arriving at the popular spots at the same hour
2:17
as everyone else, rather than shifting a schedule
2:19
by even an hour or two. Let's get into it. First,
2:24
the two operational details that catch almost
2:26
every first -time visitor off guard. This park
2:30
has no entrance fee, we covered why in the last
2:32
episode, and it is written directly into the
2:35
original land agreements from the 1930s. But,
2:39
since March of 2023, any vehicle parked anywhere
2:43
in the park for longer than 15 minutes needs
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what the park calls a Park It Forward parking
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tag. $5 for a day, $15 for a week. 40 for the
2:53
year, available at any visitor center or online,
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and it is not location -specific. One tag covers
3:01
your vehicle anywhere in the park for its duration.
3:05
This funds trail maintenance and search and rescue
3:08
operations, and buying one before you arrive,
3:11
rather than discovering the requirement standing
3:13
at a trailhead, saves you a genuinely annoying
3:15
detour. Second, sell service inside this park.
3:21
is essentially nonexistent outside a handful
3:25
of developed areas. Download your maps, your
3:29
parking tag confirmation, and anything else you
3:33
might need before you leave your hotel in the
3:34
morning. This applies to every park in this series,
3:37
but the density of visitors here, combined with
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how easy it is to get turned around on the smaller
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mountain roads, makes it a bigger practical issue
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than usual. Start with Cades Cove. because it
3:49
is the single most popular destination inside
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the park, and after the last episode, you now
3:54
know exactly why. The 11 -mile, one -way Cades
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Cove Loop Road circles the historic valley we
4:01
spent real time on last episode. The same cove
4:05
where John Oliver fought his court battle, where
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Kermit Cogren kept his bees, where the Walker
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sisters held on until 1964. Along the loop...
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You can walk through preserved log cabins, churches,
4:19
and a working gristmill dating back to the original
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mountain settlement. Alongside consistently excellent
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wildlife viewing, white -tailed deer graze the
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open fields routinely, black bears are seen here
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more reliably than almost anywhere else in the
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park, and wild turkeys wander the loop road without
4:36
much concern for traffic. This is exactly why
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the traffic problem exists. Everyone, understandably.
4:45
wants to see it. In peak season, the Cades Cove
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Loop can genuinely take four hours to drive,
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not because it is 11 miles of difficult road,
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but because every car stops the moment anyone
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spots a bear, creating a rolling traffic jam
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the entire length of the loop. The single best
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practical fix, arrive at opening before eight
5:09
in the morning if you can manage it. Traffic
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and wildlife activity both favor the early hours,
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and you beat the worst of the afternoon crowds
5:16
by a wide margin. The other fix, if your schedule
5:20
allows it, the park closes the loop road to vehicles
5:23
entirely on Wednesdays, during the summer season,
5:26
opening it exclusively to walkers, runners, and
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cyclists. If you can time a visit for a Wednesday
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morning, you get the entire 11 -mile loop, cabins
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and wildlife and all, with none of the traffic
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at all. Confirm the exact closure dates on the
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park's website before you plan around it, since
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the schedule can shift year to year. Now, Kuohi
5:49
itself, the mountain we opened this episode with,
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at 6 ,643 feet, Kuohi is the highest point in
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the entire park, the highest point in the state
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of Tennessee, and the third highest summit east
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of the Mississippi River. A seven -mile spur
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road off Newfound Gap Road takes you to a large
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parking area, from which a steep, paved half
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-mile trail climbs to an observation tower at
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the summit modern, somewhat unusual -looking,
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sometimes described as resembling a flying saucer.
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But it delivers a genuine 360 -degree view of
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the Smokies, and, on the clearest days, out past
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a hundred miles into as many as seven different
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states. On an average day, regional haze cuts
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that visibility down to something closer to 20
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miles, which is still an extraordinary view,
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just not quite the postcard -clear version you
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may have seen in photographs. More than 650 ,000
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people visit Kuohi every year, making it one
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of the most popular single sites in the entire
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park, and the parking area fills accordingly
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on summer weekends. It is also worth knowing,
7:00
respectfully, The park closes Kuohi for a few
7:04
half days each year, specifically to give Cherokee
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schools private access to the mountain, so their
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students can learn its history and significance
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directly from tribal elders and culture bearers,
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without the general public present. That is a
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small, meaningful acknowledgement of whose sacred
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site this actually is, layered on top of a very
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popular tourist stop. The access road closes
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seasonally in winter, along with much of the
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higher park. so check current conditions if you
7:32
are visiting outside the warmer months. One of
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the strangest and most sought -after experiences
7:38
in this entire park happens for about a week
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and a half every year near Elkmont, and it is
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worth understanding exactly what you are looking
7:48
at if you get the chance to see it. This park
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is home to at least 19 documented firefly species,
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and one of them, Photonis carolinus, does something
7:58
almost nowhere else on the planet does. The males
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flash in genuine, visible unison, waves of light
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pulsing through the dark forest, and then going
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completely black together, over and over, for
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a couple of hours after dusk. It is part of their
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mating display. It occurs during a fairly narrow
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window, typically late May into early June, and
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demand to see it is high enough that the park
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runs the whole event through a strict lottery
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system. In 2026, the park issued around 120 vehicle
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reservations per night across the roughly eight
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-night peak window out of an enormous applicant
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pool, with each reservation admitting one vehicle
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carrying up to seven people. There is a small,
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non -refundable reservation fee attached if you
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are selected, covering the extra staffing and
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facilities the event requires. If you do not
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win the lottery, You genuinely cannot drive into
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the restricted area during the viewing period.
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This is one of the few hard -access restrictions
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anywhere in a park that otherwise prides itself
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on being free and open. If you do win, bring
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dim, red -filtered lighting rather than white
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light or your phone screen, since bright or white
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light measurably disrupts the firefly's flashing
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behavior and stay on the designated paved paths
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and trails rather than wandering into the display
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area itself. Even without the lottery, several
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other national forests and parks in the southern
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Appalachians host smaller, unrestricted populations
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of the same species. So, this is not literally
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the only place on Earth to see the phenomenon,
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just the most famous and most heavily managed
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one. The Appalachian Trail runs directly along
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the crest of these mountains for about 70 miles,
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tracing the exact ridgeline that forms the border
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between Tennessee and North Carolina. and it
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intersects the park's road system at several
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points that make it easy to sample even if you
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are not attempting a long section hike. Newfound
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Gap, at just over 5 ,000 feet, is both the lowest
10:07
drivable pass across the entire mountain range
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and a direct crossing point for the AT. You can
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park at the overlook, in the shadow of the Rockefeller
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Memorial marking FDR's 1940 dedication, and walk
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out onto the actual Appalachian Trail in minutes.
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No permit or planning required for a short out
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and back. Charlie's Bunion, a rocky, exposed
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overlook a little over four miles from Newfound
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Gap along the AT, is one of the most popular
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day hike destinations onto the trail, specifically
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because of the dramatic, sudden views it offers
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after miles of enclosed forest walking. For anyone
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who has ever wanted to say they walked a piece
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of the actual Appalachian Trail without committing
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to a multi -month thru -hike, Newfound Gap is
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the easiest, most accessible place in this entire
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park system to do exactly that. There is something
11:00
worth noticing in that short walk regardless
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of how far you go. You are standing on the exact
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ridge that thousands of thru -hikers cross every
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year on their way from Georgia to Maine. In the
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same stretch of forest the Cherokee once knew
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as Sacred High Country. on a road built specifically
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so cars could reach a mountain pass that used
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to take days to cross on foot. Several centuries
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of very different relationships to this same
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ridge, all overlapping at one parking area. Beyond
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Cades Cove and Kuohi, the park has genuinely
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excellent hiking that gets comparatively little
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attention because the two headline attractions
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absorb so much of the visitor traffic. Laurel
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Falls is probably the single most popular hike
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in the park after the marquee drives a paved,
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roughly two -and -a -half -mile round -trip to
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a genuinely photogenic 80 -foot waterfall, which
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makes it accessible enough for families, but
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also means it gets crowded fast. Arrive early.
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Grotto Falls, near Roaring Fork, is the rarer
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kind of waterfall hike where the trail actually
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passes behind the falling water itself, a short,
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satisfying hike. that delivers a genuinely different
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perspective than simply viewing a waterfall from
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in front of it. Abrams Falls, accessed from within
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the Cades Cove area, is a longer, more strenuous,
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five -mile round trip, but rewards the extra
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effort with one of the most powerful, high -volume
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waterfalls in the entire park and considerably
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thinner crowds than the easier options closer
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to the main roads. Chimney Tops, one of the more
12:40
demanding short hikes in the park, climbs steeply
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to a dramatic double -pinnacle rock formation
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with sweeping views, though note that a devastating
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wildfire moved through this specific area in
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2016, and the landscape along parts of this trail
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still visibly reflects that fire's impact, which
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is its own kind of history lesson about how quickly
13:01
conditions can change in this ecosystem. The
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Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. A narrow, winding
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one -way loop near Gatlinburg gives you access
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to several of these shorter waterfall hikes along
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with historic log structures in a quieter, more
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intimate setting than the main park roads. On
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wildlife specifically, black bears are the animal
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everyone comes hoping to see, and this park has
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one of the densest bear populations of any place
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in the eastern United States. Cades Cove and
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the Cataluchi and Oconaluftee areas are the most
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reliable spots for sightings. An elk, reintroduced
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to the park in the early 2000s after being absent
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from this region for well over a century, are
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now a consistent presence, specifically around
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Cataluchi and Oconaluftee, with the fall rutting
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season drawing serious wildlife photographers
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every September and October. The same rule applies
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here that applies at every other park in this
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series. Keep genuine distance, use a zoom lens
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rather than your feet, and never approach or
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feed anything, no matter how docile it looks
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grazing beside the road. Bear Jams traffic backed
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up because everyone has stopped to look at a
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bear near the road. Most commonly in Cades Cove
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are common enough here that rangers actively
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manage them, and if you find yourself in one,
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the correct move is simply to stay in your vehicle,
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keep your windows up, and let park staff direct
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traffic rather than getting out for a closer
14:30
photo. Store food properly at every campsite
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and picnic area, exactly as we covered in the
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wildlife distance episode earlier in this show.
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A fed bear in a park this heavily visited becomes
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a serious problem fast. For the bear, as much
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as for people. On timing, because crowd management
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is genuinely the central logistical challenge
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of visiting this specific park. Fall. roughly
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mid -October through early November depending
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on elevation, is simultaneously the most beautiful
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season and the most crowded one foliage, draws
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enormous numbers of visitors, and Cades Cove
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on a peak fall weekend can mean the four -hour
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traffic scenario we already described at its
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absolute worst. Visit midweek if you have any
15:17
flexibility at all during foliage season. Summer
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brings the fireflies. full road access, and the
15:24
heaviest overall crowds and heat. Spring brings
15:28
wildflowers peaking in late April and considerably
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thinner crowds than summer or fall, while still
15:34
offering nearly full access. Winter is the quietest
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season by a wide margin, with genuinely excellent,
15:41
crystal -clear long -distance views. once leaf
15:44
cover drops, but expect Newfound Gap Road and
15:47
the Kuohe Access Road to close entirely during
15:50
snow events, sometimes with little advance notice,
15:53
so check current road status before committing
15:56
to a winter trip built around the higher elevations.
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Let me pull together a realistic weekend in this
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park, given everything we just covered. Day 1.
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Arrive early. Drive Newfound Gap Road across
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the crest of the mountains. Detour up to Kuohi
16:13
for the summit view, and either walk a short
16:15
stretch of the Appalachian Trail at Newfound
16:18
Gap or tackle the Lower Alum Cave Trail toward
16:21
Arch Rock. Day 2. Be at the Cades Cove entrance
16:26
at opening. Before 8 if possible, do the full
16:29
11 -mile loop for the cabins and the wildlife,
16:32
then hike to Abrams Falls or Laurel Falls before
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the afternoon crowds peak. If your visit happens
16:39
to land on a summer Wednesday, rearrange that
16:42
plan entirely around a car -free Cades Cove morning,
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it is worth restructuring a trip around. Next
16:47
episode, part three, where to stay. The front
16:50
country campgrounds, the back country shelter
16:53
system along the AT, LeConte Lodge's genuinely
16:56
unique hike -in -only accommodations, and choosing
16:59
between the gateway towns of Gatlinburg and Townsend,
17:02
everything for the Smokies series, current road
17:05
and trail conditions, the Firefly Lottery link,
17:08
and parking tag information. is at wildlandsnews
17:11
.com. I'm Sean Spanauer. This has been Wildlands.
17:17
Know the land before you reach it. See you Thursday.