Great Wildflower photography without a long hike in the woods!

Spring is a wonderful to be in the Great Smoky Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains national park is one of the best places to see a huge variety of beautiful wild flowers in the Southeastern United States. Photographers wait all year to come here to the Smokies and may hike miles to find the wild flowers that are looking for.

Well we will let you in on a little secret, if you rent a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains, you me be able to take see stunning wildflowers and other fantastic nature photographs right from a cabin in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge or Sevierville!

To prove this point we picked out a location that is so close to both downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge you can see it in the distance. You can also see from this mountain the famous triple peaks of Mt LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains national park and Bluff Mountain near Wears Valley.

Here we found a few outstanding log cabins for rent - all with great views and facing west and semi west for great sunsets from the decks of these vacation rentals that all have hot tubs outside.

3 of these great cabins are all on the same street walking distance from one another and here is where I started to look for wildflowers that were only a short walking distance from these cabins in the Smokies.

I first looked with about 100 yards in both directions which was hard to do as the weather in the Smokies today was perfect and I could see all the way out to the Cumberland Plateau from all of these cabins.

Right next to the cabins were flowering trees and bushes and I took the picture of the dogwood tree with large white flowers and the red and yellow Columbine flower across the street.

Along the street you will see a rock wall and if you walk uphill along this rock wall you will see the nature has created a beautiful rock garden with Hepatica, wood anemone and great chickweed. There is also a beautiful contrast of colors and patterns on the leaves of wildflowers just waiting to bloom!

A few paces up on the left are vines with beautiful showy trumpets of yellow with a red throat. Stop here for a while and keep your eyes open as hummingbirds have been on this mountaintop now for almost a week and if you are careful you will see them darting around looking to get a tasty snack. Make sure you look out here at the awesome view too .Walking maybe another 75 more feet uphill is you will have passed by at least 8 clumps of common blue violets which have been blooming for weeks.

A little further up and you will see the fresh green and red leaves just unfurling to catch the light and warmth of the sun poking out between sprays of more Great Chickweed dancing in the afternoon breeze.

Walking higher up on the right are 3 clumps right now of a sure sign of spring in the Smokies - some Fire Pink flowers that are actually bright red.

Ok we only have a little ways more to go to get to the top of the mountain! Enjoy the view on the left and the other wildflowers on the right. Be sure to be careful or you may miss the pretty Daisy Fleabane some of which was poking out by some moss along the side of the road.

Ok not much further to go to get to the peak where you make a rich down the new paved road and you will see one of the best vistas in the Smokies and score of flowering bushes!

So what are the names of the cabins for rent so close to all of this beauty?

One of them is Angels Abode which is a 3 Bedroom Log Cabin for rent in Pigeon Forge with 3 Bathrooms and sleeps 8 people

 

Evening View which is a 3 Bedroom Log Cabin for rent in Pigeon Forge with 3 Bathrooms and sleeps 8 people.

 

Both smaller and larger vacation rentals units are also close by at American Mountain Rentals Cabins in the Smokies.

The Spring Rod Run: Cruzin the Strip on the Pigeon Forge Parkway in Tennessee in style

Twice a year the Pigeon Forge Smoky Mountains becomes a classic car and hot rod Mecca for car enthusiasts and gear heads of all types. If Detroit made it, you will find it here on display or for sale at the Spring Rod Run.

All weekend long Pigeon Forge is playing host to the 2009 Spring Rod Run in the Smokies and in a matter of hours hundreds and hundreds of cars of all makes models and year - detailed to the max will be cruising up and down the Pigeon Forge Parkway US 441. This is a sight to behold whether you love classic cars or not!

If you miss the show of mile and miles of killer cars cruising the parkway at night, you can catch it tomorrow night. Since many people who come to the spring rod run stay longer to take a vacation in the Smokies, expect to see beautiful cars all around Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville all week long.

It's sure great to have one of the biggest car shows in the Southeast going on in the beautiful Smoky Mountains during spring while the weather is comfortable and the scenery is breathtaking. Between the fresh green grass of spring and the blooming cherry, dogwood and redbud trees and the majestic Smoky Mountains. Even without all the cherry cars, there is beauty everywhere you look!

Thousands of cars line up along the Parkway in Pigeon Forge - most with the showroom quality shine and gleaming chrome - tons of it! So much bright gleaming chrome a dark pair of sunglasses is in order for anyone wanting to look at all the cars in the Rod Run show.

Side to side the cars are lined up and you will see miles of the most incredible cars from every era and in all sorts of condition along the parkway and as many cars as there are here for the show, there are stories about each car and an owner wiling to bend your ear about it.

Most of the cars are heavily customized or completely restored - some are even rotisserie restorations where the car is stripped down to the frame and one part at a time restored to what it looked like when it rolled off the assembly line decades ago.

First of all you can't see the whole spring rod run in one day - it's impossible. While the whole Pigeon Forge Parkway has cars parked along side it with the owners relaxing in folding chairs many with umbrellas, the show really begins at traffic light #3. In Pigeon Forge and in Gatlinburg the traffic lights are numbered so you don't have to remember street names.

Some cars are grouped together by make and model as clubs tend to stick together: the Ford pickup trucks, corvettes, California hot rods, Packard's, old Caddies, new Mustangs they're all here!

Count of having to move your car a few times as you certainly won't want to walk the whole way both sides and the back to your car. Yes, there are classic cars for the Pigeon Forge rod run on BOTH sides of the parkway!

If you want a snack or a meal during the day or into the night you have hundreds of restaurants or places to buy a snack or a refreshing cool drink along the parkway in Pigeon Forge.

What could be more fun than the family friendly Rod Run in Pigeon Forge? And the price - it's free!

If you are bringing a car to the Smokies to show off at the Rod Run, why not stay in a beautiful private chalet less then 5 minutes from the parkway in a location with no hills, all paved streets and driveways and enough room to park a trailer sheltered under the chalet? Rent a vacation home in Riverpoint.

Easter vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains

This Easter weekend is going to be a very special treat for anyone coming to vacation in Gatlinburg Tennessee, Pigeon Forge or Sevierville in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The crowds are lighter than usual and even though the wildflowers are out and there has been lovely spring weather in the Smokies for weeks, last night there was a light dusting of snow in the mid elevations on the mountains and even a few inches of snow in the upper elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains national park.

The weather for this Easter Weekend is expected to be in the mid 50s to 60s and the high points in the national park will still have some snow on the ground which can be seen in the distance. What could be more perfect for an Easter vacation in the Smoky Mountains?

We suggest a drive through Cades Cove in the GSMNP where the valley floor is warm and the deer will be out enjoying the green grass and you will find plenty of beautiful wildflowers.

For the adventurous at least one momma back bear and her cubs have been spotted in Cades Cove this past week from the roadway even though it's still early to see them.

Dollywood is now open for the season and you can now get discounted Dollywood theme park tickets with a cabin and chalet rental and get to miss most of the crowds that come in the summer!

As always there's lots of indoor activities in the Smokies but with spring weather in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and winter weather just a few minutes drive away this Easter Vacation in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee can't be beat!

The outlet malls in the area are looking for business so prices have been slashed in most of the stores making this a perfect time to pick up some really good deals on clothing, shoes, housewares, home accessories, tools - just about anything you can imagine is on sale in the stores all around Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville Tennessee.

There are also some specials deals to be had in the whole artist community in the outskirts of Gatlinburg Tennessee. The artist community stretches for miles which will make for a beautiful drive past the rolling hills and green fields of the farms framed by the Great Smoky Mountains with fresh snow at its peaks!

Hurry and rent a cabin or chalet for an Easter getaway in the Smokies now as there are some real bargains still left but they won't last long.