The Smokies with some Swag

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The Swag...nestled atop it's own mountain in Waynesville, North Carolina borders Great Smoky Mountains National Park and offers it's patrons a slice of mountain paradise.

As soon we arrived, the Swag staff treated us like family. After checking-in they let us pick out our own hiking stick and took us on a great tour of the resort. We absolutely loved our room which was located right next to the dining hall.

The property stretches over 250 acres of mountainside.

Fun stuff includes playing badminton, croquette, and horseshoes with other guests, or just relaxing in the hottub or one of the hammocks scattered throughout the resort (usually with a view). The Swag also features it's own network of nature trails to navigate and explore.

The meals at The Swag were awesome! Tam and I drove the entire night to make sure we arrived in time for The Swag's famous Gourmet Cookout Picnic. This is a weekly lunch held on Wednesdays and served on the resort's highest peak. We had our own "beach chair" - equipped with an oversized umbrella, and enjoyed the incredible view as we ate our wild bore sausage and antelope burgers.

Looking back at the great time Tam and I had at The Swag we thought the price tag on the room was reasonable and definitely worth it! We would recommend "Swaggin' it" to any couple looking to add some luxury to their vacation in the Smokies.

It was hard to leave, but after living it up for two days we headed out to the park where we spent the next 3 nights at Smokemont campground.

This had always been a hiking trip from the beginning so we picked up Kevin Adams' "Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park" to guide us around. The book offers color commentary for all 82 trails in the park and organizes the hikes by length, difficulty, and the sights you see on each trail (views, waterfalls, wildlife, etc.). Using this we were able to decide on 4 hikes that gave us a great taste of everything the Smokies had to offer.

HIKE #1 "Kephart Prong" - After getting our campsite set up we wanted to start out easy since it was already late in the afternoon. The hike was 4 miles round trip running alongside a nice size creek that the trail crosses over 3 or 4 times. All in all, this was a pretty relaxing hike to get us going. Ruins from a 1930's conservation camp/fish hatchery and the footpaths over the creek made for some great pics.

HIKE #2 "Charlies Bunion" - This is a popular trail taking hikers to one of the highest peaks in the park. However, the highlight of the trek was not in the book! After we had hiked about 2 miles of this 8.2 mile RT we came face to face with a medium size black bear WALKING TOWARDS US on the trail! After he saw Tam and I he slowly wandered off the path and eventually climbed a tree right in front of us about 15 yards away. We were a little nervous at first but it was absolutely amazing! Oh yeah, and the view at Charlies Bunion was nice too 😉

HIKE #3 "Abrams Falls" - This trail is part of Cades Cove on the Tennessee side of the park. Cades Cove is a one-way, 11 mile loop visitors drive around and features a ton of wildlife grazing in it's meadows. The 5 mile trail ends at a 20 foot high waterfall (the largest in the park in terms of water volume) and plunge pool that's great for swimming.

HIKE #4 "Clingmans Dome" - On our last day before leaving the park, we climbed Clingmans Dome. This short paved trail is very touristy and climbs to the highest point in the entire park (6,647 feet). It was a little disappointing. The fog was so bad up there we couldn't see anything! What was really depressing about it though was that all the trees on top are dead - the biggest cause being pollution-based acid rain.

In the end we were really happy with how this trip turned out. Got some great pictures and great memories. It was a perfect mix of relaxation and adventure - and a place everybody should visit.

- Ryan & Tam -

R&T's "1000 Places to See Before You Die" rating - (9)

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Photos

Kephart Prong
(a river runs through it - notice the fly fisherman in the background...tam wants you to imagine it's brad pitt)

Charlies Bunion
(let's see...i think the book says we turn around now)

Abrams Falls
(frank! what's up frank!)

bear!
(sorry i didn't get the shot of it standing on the path. i didn't know whether to take a picture or throw my camera at it)