Great Smoky Mountains, Strawberry Loves The Great Outdoors, Travel

GSMNP – Cades Cove Scenic Loop

So there’s the wildlife

The weather was starting to clear as I entered the loop, but there were still some pretty scary clouds lurking about off to the south. I stopped at many of the turnouts to take pictures as the wind howled. The first traffic stoppage was due to a small deer in the woods. There were maybe six cars stopped to take a picture of one deer. I saw five times more deer than that along every ten miles of interstate back in Michigan. Sleep well, little Michigan deer!

Cades Cove Scenic LoopCades Cove Scenic LoopCades Cove Scenic LoopCades Cove Scenic Loop

Coming around a bend, there was a large backup and I got this fuzzy shot of purple lady photographing a single black bear. I shot this while still driving (around 5mph, back off judgers) and through my fairly dirty windshield. There was a park ranger there in a vain attempt to limit human idiocy. I kept on driving after snapping my shot. I also spotted another black bear lurking in a meadow near the edge of a forested area, but he was two far away to photograph, so I just wrote him a nice note thanking him for his efforts and let the wind carry it to him.

Cades Cove Scenic Loop

Can you find the wild turkey in this picture? Stop looking for a bottle, brother.

Cades Cove Scenic Loop

As I came around a corner, I saw a sign pointing to the Abrams Falls Trailhead, which I’d researched but was not on my original hike list. I pulled in and quickly decided that I would indeed hike today! Here are the details on my hike to Abrams Falls. After the hike, which was great, I drove the rest of the loop and stopped to get some pictures now that the blue sky had reappeared.

Cades Cove Scenic LoopCades Cove Scenic Loop

After I left the loop and was heading back towards Townsend, I crested a hill to see a park service vehicle with yellow lights flashing along my side of the road, and cars everywhere. Of course, there was a mother bear and two cubs foraging through the woods thirty feet off the edge of the road.

You Might Also Like

Leave a Reply