>>374773>How far do you have to get from the city to get into some GSMNP wilderness?I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking. The park is only like 30 or 40 minutes away. More like 1 or 2 hours if you’re going to Fontana. If you hike more than 3 miles away from any trail head, foot traffic drops to next to nothing. I recommend checking out the Fontana side of the park BTW. There are GSMNP campsites along the length of the lake on the north side. At least 2 of can only be reached by boat. Plus, a hell of a lot fewer tourists than cades cove and Gatlinburg. The ranger station on 129 provides overnight parking and easy access to some nice backcountry sites too. You should also check out Cherokee WMA. It’s massive and they allow primitive camping.
>what do you like about the area.Tons and tons and tons of everything /out/. The land is beautiful and it’s one of the most biologically diverse places in the northern hemisphere . Camping, hiking, caving, rock climbing, canoeing, hunting, fishing, pretty much everything but surfing and scuba diving is here.
>what do you dislikeLocal politics and religious nuts. And the meth addicts camping around the boat docks in the summer.
>”redneck” factorOh, it’s through the roof. But there’s nothing for it. That’s the American SE for ya.
