Traveling Newfound Gap Road

A 32-mile stretch of road that connects Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to Cherokee, North Carolina, Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) features scenic overlooks, picnic areas, mountain streams, and the Sugarlands and Oconaluftee visitor centers. Numerous hiking trails can be found along the way such as Chimney Tops (4 miles round trip), Alum Cave Bluffs (11 miles) and a portion of the famous Appalachian Trail. The highest point along the road is Newfound Gap with an elevation of 5,048 feet. Newfound Gap offers a spectacular overlook, as well as the Rockefeller Memorial, which marks the spot where President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940.

Clingmans Dome

At 6,643 feet above sea level, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. Clingmans Dome was named in honor of North Carolina Senator Thomas Lanier Clingman, who helped measure it in 1858. Take a short but (steep!), 0.5-mile hike along a paved walkway up to Clingmans Dome’s 54-foot-tall observation tower for a spectacular view of the Smoky Mountains. To reach Clingmans Dome, take a 7-mile side road off Newfound Gap Road. The road to Clingmans Dome is typically closed from December through March because of icy weather conditions.

Chill Out at Westgate Resorts’ Wild Bear Falls

The 60,000-square-foot, indoor Wild Bear Falls at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort is the largest indoor water park in the South and features a retractable roof for year-round enjoyment. Other features of Wild Bear Falls include the 900-foot Cades Cove lazy river; Clingman’s Dome, a 360-foot body slide; and Laurel Falls, a 300-foot tube slide, as well as a 15,000-square-foot mezzanine with a restaurant, retail shop and game room. Younger children will enjoy Little Pigeon River, a pool and toddler play area, as well as Wild Bear Falls, the treehouse that dumps gallons of water periodically on guests below.

Opened in March 2007, Wild Bear Falls costs $18.95 plus tax for single-day admission, $39.95 plus tax for three-day admisison and $66.95 plus tax for five-day admission. There are free tubes and life jackets available, as well as lockers for rent. Coolers are permissible.

For more information about Wild Bear Falls at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, visit www.escapetothesmokies.com.

Pigeon Forge to Host 2008 Storytelling Festival

Some of the country’s top storytellers will descend upon Pigeon Forge February 7-9, 2008, during the 17th-annual Smoky Mountain Storytelling Festival, which also includes concerts, workshops, National Youth Storytelling Showcase and Haunts ‘n’ Haints Trolley Tales aboard the Pigeon Forge Trolley. Scheduled storytellers include Waddie Mitchell, Bil Lepp, Carmen Agra Deedy, Willy Claflin, Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton. Day passes for all storytelling activities (excluding Haunts ‘n’ Haints Trolley) are $10 for adults and free for ages 17 and under. Weekend passes are $25, while Haunts ‘n’ Haints tickets are $5 per person.