Oh and…the Cherokee People actually named the Smokies “The Great White Mountains.” They named them for the chestnut blooms from the giant chestnut trees that died because of an invasive aphid. The trees were so gigantic that their blooms made the ridges appear snow covered in spring. What they call ALL the mountains in East Tennessee was Shaconage. Pronounced “shuh con o hay.” It means “Land of the Blue Smoke.” The 11 mile loop isn’t a “bear loop.” No idea where that came from but it no doubt started around 2020 when we became overrun with idiots who thought there were gonna move here and become famous photographers 😂. It’s actually called Cades Cove. I sure hope you brought some Valium with you if you don’t deal well with going 3mph when you’re not completely at a standstill in the Cove. It can take anywhere from 3-6 hours to go that 11 miles…especially around any and all holidays and weekends.
