Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina over several days, starting with a long drive from Pigeon Forge, north of the park, to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the southern side of the park (plus a bit further to the southernmost visitor center of the Blue Ridge Parkway; see a separate post about that).

The NPS map; click or tap to interact:

An interactive map of our route:

Entrance sign

Parking tag required:

Parking tag required

View

Loop

Tunnel

View

Elk were re-introduced to the park in 2001:

Elk

Oconaluftee Visitor Center:

Oconaluftee Visitor Center

Relief map

Passport stamp

Exhibits

Farm exhibits:

Farm exhibits

Chickens

Farm exhibits

Pigs

Stream

Farm exhibits

Elk in front of elk sign:

Elk in front of elk sign

View

An interactive map of our route for our second visit, to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Clingmans Dome:

Sugarlands Visitor Center:

Sugarlands Visitor Center

Exhibits

Clingmans Dome:

Clingmans Dome

Passport stamp:

Passport stamp

Visitor center

Split rock:

Split rock

Path to the lookout; we decided not to go up there:

Path to lookout

View:

View

An interactive map of our route for our third visit, to Cades Cove:

Tunnel

Horses:

Horses

Old church:

Old church

View:

View

Visitor Center:

Visitor Center

Old farm buildings:

Old farm buildings

Snakes

Water mill

Old farm buildings

New River Gorge National Park: Thurmond and waterfalls

We visited the Thurmond area of New River Gorge National Park, plus a scenic drive to a couple more waterfalls.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Thurmond and the waterfalls:

Waterfall on the way to Thurmond:

Waterfall

One-way car and rail bridge to Thurmond:

One-way road and rail bridge to Thurmond

Bridge

Thurmond:

Thurmond

Train engine:

Train engine

Passport stamps:

Passport stamps

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Train engine:

Train engine

Train

Historic Thurmond:

Thurmond

Back over the one-way bridge:

Back over the one-way bridge

Glen Ferris falls:

Glen Ferris falls

New River Gorge National Park: Canyon Rim and Bridge

We visited the Canyon Rim area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Canyon Rim section has a visitor center that overlooks the iconic New River Gorge bridge, plus has a winding scenic drive down into the canyon, that passes under the bridge three times.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Canyon Rim etc:

Going over the New River Gorge Bridge:

New River Gorge Bridge

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Gorge viewpoint:

Gorge viewpoint

Bridge viewpoint:

Bridge viewpoint

We did the scenic Fayette Station Road driving tour, that goes down into the gorge:

Fayette Station Road driving tour

Narrow road

Bridge virw from road

One way bridge:

One way bridge

A view of the New River Gorge Bridge from the one-way bridge:

New River Gorge Bridge

Bridge view

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge National Park: Sandstone Falls

We visited the Sandstone Falls area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Sandstone Falls section features a 1500 feet wide waterfall on the New River.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Sandstone Falls:

Sign

Boat

Path

“Masks are optional”; haven’t seen any mention of COVID-19 for a while:

Masks are optional

Visitor center exhibits:

Visitor center

Viewpoint overlooking Sandstone Falls:

Viewpoint

Sandstone Falls boardwalk:

Sandstone Falls

New River Gorge National Park: Grandview

We visited the Grandview area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Grandview section overlooks a bend in the New River.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route for visiting Grandview:

Grandview sign

A small visitor center:

Visitor center

Grand Canyon of the East:

Grand Canyon of the East

Path to the main viewpoint:

Path

View

Road to the Turkey Spur Overlook:

Road

View:

View

The Other Grand View

Path with 150 steps to upper viewpoints:

Path

Steps

Train:

Steps

View

Shenandoah National Park

We visited Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, a drive-through park southeast of Washington DC.

NPS map; click or tap to interact on their site:

An interactive map of our route, heading south through the park, then returning outside the park:

Shenandoah National Park north entrance entrance sign:

Shenandoah National Park north entrance entrance sign

Shenandoah National Park north entrance entrance

Shenandoah National Park

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Shenandoah National Park

I’m sure the vistas would be much more impressive in the fall:

Shenandoah National Park

Picnic lunch:

Picnic

Flowers

Highest point on drive, elevation 3,680 feet (aww, how cute):

Highest point on drive elevation 3690

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Deer

Shenandoah National Park

There are a few commercial waysides in the park:

Shenandoah National Park

Wayside

Leaving Shenandoah National Park

Congaree National Park

We visited Congaree National Park in South Carolina, one of the least-visited parks.

There isn’t a huge amount there; it’s basically one visitor center, a couple of primitive campgrounds, a boardwalk trail, some back country trails, and a bunch of wilderness.

Here’s a map; click or tap to interact with it on the NPS site:

An interactive Google map:

Nearing the park, a tortoise crossing the road:

Turtle on the road

Entrance sign:

Entrance sign

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Mosquito meter; we didn’t put on bug spray (but had it), and didn’t get bitten:

Visitor center

Trail info:

Visitor center

We did the 2.6 mile boardwalk:

Boardwalk

A self-guided boardwalk tour:

Boardwalk

Loblolly pine:

Boardwalk

Lake, with a couple of alligators and turtles:

Lake

Boardwalk

Snakes:

Snakes

Lizard:

Lizard

Boardwalk

Self-guided tour marker:

Marker

Caterpillars:

Caterpillars

Boardwalk

Millipede:

Centipede

Boardwalk

Dry Tortugas National Park

We visited Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the most difficult national parks to get to, requiring a ferry, seaplane, or private boat to reach it.

Dry Tortugas map.

An interactive map:

We opted for the seaplane, since it was much faster than the ferry, and we’d never been in one before. It was a great experience.

The seaplane is offered by Key West Seaplane Charters, flying out of Key West International Airport (a rather small airport).

An info sheet:

Info document

Our seaplane:

Our seaplane

Jenn got to ride up front, since she said it was her birthday when they asked if anyone was celebrating (we did go on her birthday in February):

Jenn got to ride up front

Just 10 passengers:

Just 10 passengers

Flying fairly low over the keys:

Flying fairly low

Keys

Sunken ship:

Sunk ship

Approaching Dry Tortugas:

Approaching Dry Tortugas

A close pass by a nice catamaran when preparing to land; sailing here on your own boat would be amazing:

Catamaran

Our pilot, who flies in Alaska in summer, and the Keys in winter:

Our pilot

Approaching Dry Tortugas

Landing on water:

Landing

Approaching Dry Tortugas

Handing gear to shore:

Handing gear to shore

Us in front of the plane:

Us in front of the plane

The other seaplane and the fort:

Seaplane and fort

Fort Jefferson, the largest brick structure in the Americas, started in 1846, but never finished:

Dry Tortugas fort

Old dock and the beach where we left our stuff:

Old dock and beach

Moat:

Moat

Dry Tortugas fort

Cannonball furnace, where they heated cannonballs to slice through wooden ships like butter, and set them on fire:

Canonball furnace

Dry Tortugas fort

Dr Mudd was imprisoned for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth concerning the assassination of Abraham Lincoln:

Dry Tortugas fort

Mariners Beware! I was wearing a Seattle Mariners shirt, so found that sign amusing:

Mariners Beware

Dry Tortugas fort

Birds; Dry Tortugas is an important habitat for some seabirds. the adjacent Bush Key was closed for nesting season:

Birds

Dry Tortugas fort

Pelicans:

Pelicans

The ferry arriving. Another nice thing about the full-day seaplane option was that we got to enjoy exploring the island for a couple of hours before most people arrived; just the 20 people from the two seaplanes, and a few overnight campers:

Ferry

Once the ferry arrived, we headed back to the beach where we had left our stuff:

Beach

A hermit crab:

Hermit crab

Bricks on the beach:

Bricks on the beach

We went for a swim. Here’s the fort from the water:

Fort from the water

We brought our snorkel gear, but the water was too murky to see much at the time.

Another pelican watching us:

Pelican

We went back into the fort to kill some time:

Dry Tortugas fort

Then back to the seaplane for the return journey:

Back to the seaplane

Departing Dry Tortugas:

Departing Dry Tortugas

Flying

A private island:

Private island

Key West and Fort Zachary Taylor:

Key West and Fort Zachary Taylor

The “Southernmost” Point:

Southernmost Point

Marina:

Marina

Disembarking our seaplane:

Our seaplane

A fun bucket-list experience.

Video

Video: Homestead to Sugarloaf Key, Florida motorhome travel timelapse

A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 122 miles from Everglades National Park in Homestead, Florida to Sugarloaf Key, Florida, including a picture-in-picture from the 360 camera on the truck being towed behind the coach.