Fall trip - Smoky Mountains and WindRock (pic heavy)

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J.W.

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Member III

3,432
Cincinnati
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J
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W
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We had so much fun last summer that we decided to take another trip to The Smoky Mountains this week. We took Friday off so we could extend it to a 4 day excursion in hopes of seeing the last of the Fall foliage.

My “Director of Finance and Recreation” wanted to stop on the way and do a little shopping so I made the best of it by stopping in at Smoky Mountain Knife Works while she updated her Fall wardrobe and added more clothes to what we already packed. I also made a quick stop at The Beef Jerky Outlet for some venison sausage and then we were off to the back roads!

We drove around Smoky Mountains National Park, through Cades Cove and then headed back toward town because it was getting dark. The forecast called for 19° that night. Too cold for my old bones. So we grabbed a room, changed clothes and headed out in search of frosty adult beverages. I recommend the Cherokee Red and the Black Bear Ale at Smoky Mountain Brewery.

The next morning, after a breakfast that would offend any cardiologist, we decided to check out some of the forest service and logging roads in the area. Several of them were already closed because they were calling for snow in a couple of days but we managed to find a few. Also, if you’re looking for some great scenery with gravel roads that don’t require any special equipment, check out Greenbrier Road and a couple of other roads off the Beaten path.

Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest are stunning. There is no other way to describe the area. It was too cold for kayaking but perfect weather for avoiding bugs and snakes. Great hiking and scenery. If you haven’t been there, please go.

Or last stop was WindRock Park. It’s $20 a day (cheaper if you pay for multiple days) but that’s not too bad for over 300 miles of off road trails. Great scenery and the weather was perfect. 62° and not a cloud in the sky. We don’t do much rock crawling but we decided to test our new Cherokee Trailhawk just to see what it could do. Some guys in lifted Wranglers joked that we didn’t have a “real” Jeep and then ate their words when we followed them to the top of the mountain. It was all in good fun and we made some new friends.

We had a great time and can’t wait to go back. Now for the important part, pics!

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TNjohn

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We had so much fun last summer that we decided to take another trip to The Smoky Mountains this week. We took Friday off so we could extend it to a 4 day excursion in hopes of seeing the last of the Fall foliage.

My “Director of Finance and Recreation” wanted to stop on the way and do a little shopping so I made the best of it by stopping in at Smoky Mountain Knife Works while she updated her Fall wardrobe and added more clothes to what we already packed. I also made a quick stop at The Beef Jerky Outlet for some venison sausage and then we were off to the back roads!

We drove around Smoky Mountains National Park, through Cades Cove and then headed back toward town because it was getting dark. The forecast called for 19° that night. Too cold for my old bones. So we grabbed a room, changed clothes and headed out in search of frosty adult beverages. I recommend the Cherokee Red and the Black Bear Ale at Smoky Mountain Brewery.

The next morning, after a breakfast that would offend any cardiologist, we decided to check out some of the forest service and logging roads in the area. Several of them were already closed because they were calling for snow in a couple of days but we managed to find a few. Also, if you’re looking for some great scenery with gravel roads that don’t require any special equipment, check out Greenbrier Road and a couple of other roads off the Beaten path.

Pisgah National Forest and Nantahala National Forest are stunning. There is no other way to describe the area. It was too cold for kayaking but perfect weather for avoiding bugs and snakes. Great hiking and scenery. If you haven’t been there, please go.

Or last stop was WindRock Park. It’s $20 a day (cheaper if you pay for multiple days) but that’s not too bad for over 300 miles of off road trails. Great scenery and the weather was perfect. 62° and not a cloud in the sky. We don’t do much rock crawling but we decided to test our new Cherokee Trailhawk just to see what it could do. Some guys in lifted Wranglers joked that we didn’t have a “real” Jeep and then ate their words when we followed them to the top of the mountain. It was all in good fun and we made some new friends.

We had a great time and can’t wait to go back. Now for the important part, pics!

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Windrock is a fun place. It's even more fun with ATVs or Side X Sides. The head of security is a friend of mine. I do security there for their concerts. He and I have ridden all over that mountain. He knows it like the back of his hand. When I had my Polaris RZR he and I would go on weekdays and ride the unmarked trails checking for dumping and poaching. Always a ton of fun at that place. I think they manage ~82,000 acres now.
 
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J.W.

Rank VI
Launch Member

Member III

3,432
Cincinnati
First Name
J
Last Name
W
Member #

17839

I think they manage ~82,000 acres now.
Yeah, it‘s massive. I think we are going down with a group in the spring. Should be fun. Any idea when they post the concert schedule?