Oconaluftee River Trail | Oconaluftee Visitor Center to Cherokee, NC | Great Smoky Mountains

From the GREAT smoky Mountains National Park Oconaluftee Visitors Center, outside of Cherokee, NC; the Oconaluftee River rages nearby. Wedged between the River and a field that is visited by elk is a beautiful winding nature trail which will make your Great Smoky Mountains vacation memorable. Gatlinburg is the main Tennessee entrance to the GSMNP, and this is the main entrance to the Smokies in North Carolina. The Oconaluftee River Trail passes by an old mountain farmstead, and offers some unique photos not typically found in other parts of the GSMNP. After your walk in the woods, check out the town of Cherokee. There you will find Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, the Oconaluftee Indian Village, Onto These Hills an Outdoor Drama, Museum of The Cherokee Indian, many places to dine, and much more. Don't forget to check out nearby Mingo Falls as well. The little over 3 mile out and back trail is one of two trails which allows dogs. This is one of the easiest trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Perfect for Beginning Hikers, and Experienced Hikers alike.
Filmed with a GoPro Hero 9
Photos via iPhone XR
Editing done on iPad Pro
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Checkout more information on Oconaluftee Visitors Center at the following links:
www.romanticas...
www.greatsmoki...
Oconaluftee River Trail:
www.nps.gov/gr...
Cherokee, NC at the following links:
visitcherokeen...
cherokeesmokie...
www.tripadviso...
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#CherokeeNorthCarolina

[@IssaHudgins]

The elk usually come out later when it's just starting to get dark. At least I've seen them near Franklin.

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Sorry for the delay in response. We have been section hiking the A.T. Anyway, we were just unlucky. Still a beautiful area to visit and hike.

[@JordanDayTourAndMore]

Oconaluftee River Trail | i loved , Thanks for sharing , new friend her travel fans , hope to see you in my sky , be safe

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Thanks it’s a great little trail

[@michelleb749]

How long did it take to walk it? What time of year was this? Thanks.

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

It was early Spring (April), and it took us a couple hours to walk it to Cherokee and back. Very flat trail

[@dansmith5023]

Elk viewing is by appointment only, and you have to pay the usage fee. The best way to see bears is to over yourself with bacon and peanut butter.

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Great tips. We will take a slow hiker with us next time and try to bacon and PB trick! 🤣

[@Artisanwoodworks73]

The stone bridge, is that the Blue Ridge Parkway Bridge?

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

I don’t think so. Not sure of the name. It is just a short bridge that spans the Oconaluftee River just outside of Cherokee. Close to the National Park entrance.

[@Artisanwoodworks73]

@@BushesOnTheTrail thank you. We’ll be there this week. Plan on fishing right there and north into GSMNP.

[@IssaHudgins]

Thank you so much for this video 💜 we're heading up in 2-3 weeks

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

I hope you have a great time. Let us know how it goes. When there, be sure to check out Mingo Falls near Cherokee. We did a video on that as well. Our next video releases on Saturday morning. Chimney Tops in the GSMNP. May be one for you to try when you are back in the Smokies.