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.

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