Several weeks ago Mia and I spent an afternoon hiking about four miles round-trip from the parking area near Clingman’s Dome to Andrew’s Bald.  The trail was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and the scenery was amazing.  After a recent rain, the air in the Smokies was relatively clear and many of the trees were in the middle elevations were still ablaze with color.  On the way back we took the “bypass” trail to avoid the crowds huffing and puffing up to the observation tower on Clingman’s Dome, and the walked the paved path back down.

It was here, at the end of our short hike, that I encountered a most peciluar situation.  As we came off the trail, I noticed a small crowd of people in one corner of the parking lot.  As we approached I assumed they were all crowded around a chipmunk or perhaps a squirrel.  It wouldn’t have surprised me; people who don’t get out into nature much do some very strange things.  But it wasn’t a chipmunk, it was a construction crew.  Yes, construction.  I’m not sure exactly what they were “constructing,” probably repairing some concrete or something.  The point is: who cares!  This crowd of 10 or 12 people were surrounded with some of the most stunning natural beauty the Eastern United States has to offer, and they were busy watching the Bobcat earth-mover shovel dirt. Granted, he was moving said earth on the side of a very steep hill, but trust me, it wasn’t that perilous.  I had just hiked down and then back up the same hill.

Aside from this sad sight, the day was wonderful.  We finished it off with a stop in Cade’s Cove, and then returned to our campsite in Elkmont campground.  If you’ve never been, Elkmont is probably the most beautiful large campground I’ve ever had the pleasure of camping in.  Sure, it’s almost always crowded, and the sites are a little close for my tastes (if I can see, hear or smell you, then you are too close), but when you sit down next to the babbling mountain stream you forget about everything around you.

We relaxed and enjoyed the weather, which was nearly perfect.  The cool evenings and nights made sitting around the campfire a pleasure, and Saturday was warm and sunny, but not hot.  Our menu worked well, including the new ham dinner recipe.  A keeper, to be sure.

The campground itself was nice, but not my favorite.  The tent side had only vault toilets (more than enough for me, but a place to wash you hands can be nice after a day or two).  The sites are very private, with plenty of space and foliage between them.  The area sees fairly heavy use, which is evident in the amount of erosion around the sites.  It’s probably been a while since any work has been done, and the stairs and trails leading to the sites show it.  But I’ll take privacy over stairs and toilets any day.

We set off looking for the Rockcastle Narrows trail (#401), which should have left from Cane Creek near the campground, and along with the Sheltowee Trace, formed a nice 6.5-mile loop.  I am fairly confident we found Cane Creek, but never saw an obvious crossing that would have led us further along the trail.  Without a detailed map of the area, I couldn’t be sure of anything, so we chose to turn back.  Still, the brief hike along the river was nice.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend.  There isn’t a huge variety of trails leading from the campground, but it would be enough for a weekend if you can find them.  I’ll be sure to bring a better map next time.  The tent sites are very private and the area is quite beautiful, even with the water level well below normal.

On our previous visit we hiked a loop that runs around Bee Rock and the campground.  This time we’ll be hiking a longer loop on the opposite side of the river.  The trail runs parallel to the Rockcastle, then turns away from the river to meet up briefly with the Sheltowee Trace, then follows Cane Creek back towards the campground.  Total, the hike should be about 6.5 miles and relatively moderate in difficulty.

We found a new camp recipe to try this weekend, a slight departure from the usual foil packs.  The idea is the same: meat and veggies wrapped in foil and cooked in the camp fire.  The twist is the specific ingredients.  Instead of beef, potatoes, and carrots we’ll be using ham steaks, pineapple, and sweet potatoes.

The campground is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest, and here’s what the Forest Services has to say about Bee Rock itself:

The cliff known as Bee Rock was once hollow. Old folk tales relate that there were so many honey bees in the area that they blotted out the sun. Their invasion of local beehives became so great that local beekeepers dynamited the cliff and destroyed Bee Rock. According to the legend, there was so much honey that it flowed down the cliff and into the Rockcastle River.

Hopefully I’ll be un-lazy enough to snap some photos and post a few when we get back.