Smoky Mountains Day 3

When I got up this morning my knees and legs were still complaining a little from yesterday's extreme workout, so I decided to do a couple of easier trails today. The first one was Laurel Falls. This trail's challenge rating is easy and was just what I needed to work out some of the kinks. It is mostly on a paved walkway and climbs just 456 feet in elevation. The round trip distance is 2.5 miles. As you might guess, since it is an easy trail, there were lots of people hiking but still enjoyable.

There are some interesting rock formations along the trail.

A side view of a smaller falls along the way.

The main Laurel Falls is 80 feet high and is named for the mountain laurel that is in the area.

A mountain laurel still in bloom.

The trail offers some beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.

 Now that I had my warm up hike in it was time to travel to Cades Cove for access to the Abrams Falls trail. Cades Cove is usually heavily congested with cars and today was no different. There are some wonderful meadows and valley views.

The trail head is located in the back corner of the cove area. The trail is 8.5 miles round trip and climbs 1,170 feet in elevation (twice). The trail begins on fairly smooth ground and follows along Abrams Creek.

There are sections with rocks to traverse.

I had to stop to let this little guy go across.

There are several sections with lots of exposed tree roots to work you way through.

The waterfall drops 25 feet over a rocky cliff. There were lots of people at the falls and some were swimming in the cold water.

After resting for a while and watching the swimmers, I headed back to the car.

On the way out of Cades Cove, a bear could be seen playing in the meadow.

An owl was also seen.

So, even on this "EASY" hiking day, I managed to get in 9 miles of trail and climbed the equivalent of 100 flights of steps (per my Fitbit). I am much more rested tonight than I was last night. The length and difficulty of the trail(s) I attempt tomorrow (my last day for hiking) will depend on how loudly my body is complaining in the morning.