Great Smoky Mountains National Park pulls in enormous crowds, and anyone who has circled a trailhead parking lot in October knows it. About 90 minutes west of the park's southern entrance lies a far calmer option: Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a 3,800-acre tract of old-growth woodland within the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness in western North Carolina. Here, sycamores, oaks and poplars that have been standing for roughly 400 years shade trails where you can walk for hours and count other hikers on one hand.
The hiking spans every appetite. Newcomers should start with the Joyce Kilmer Lower Loop, a gentle 2-mile circuit past a brook and some of the region's biggest trees. Beyond that, the terrain ramps up fast. The Big Fat Branch and Slickrock Creek Trail is an 8.9-mile point-to-point route with waterfalls along the way. The full Slickrock Creek Trail, though, is in a different league: nearly 13 miles, unmarked and overgrown in places, with more than 4,500 feet of climbing, and a reputation as one of the toughest hikes in the country.
Two more serious objectives sit in the same wilderness. The Hangover, a rocky outcrop below the 5,249-foot summit of Haoe Mountain, is a demanding 5.9-mile out-and-back with a primitive campsite at the top for anyone who wants a night up there. Bob Stratton Bald, reached via a strenuous 7.8-mile trail, is a grassy bald with wide views across the Unicoi Mountains.
You don't need hiking boots to enjoy the place. Picnic tables line Little Santeetlah Creek just steps from the parking area, and the driving in the region is genuinely fun. The Cherohala Skyway sweeps along the crest of the Unicoi Mountains from Robbinsville, North Carolina, to Tellico Plains, Tennessee, with big views and long curves, while the nearby Tail of the Dragon packs 318 curves into 11 miles of U.S. Highway 129, a magnet for motorcyclists.
Paddlers get looked after too. Santeetlah Lake has unspoilt shorelines and mountain backdrops, and Santeetlah Marina hires out pontoon boats, kayaks and ski boats. Anglers do well here, with bass, walleye, bluegill, crappie, bream and lake trout all regular catches.
For travellers who love the idea of the Smokies but not the queues, this is the workaround: the same ancient forest atmosphere, the same blue-ridge drama, minus the crowds. It suits solitude-seekers, strong hikers after a genuine challenge, families on a scenic driving trip, and anyone combining a lake day with a backcountry trek. Knoxville is about two hours north and Chattanooga around three hours west; the closest airports are McGhee Tyson (TYS) near Knoxville, roughly 90 minutes away, and Asheville Regional (AVL) about two hours' drive.
Story via Explore.com.
