Baskin Creek Cascade
A small stream cascade of the Baskin Creek, alongside the Roaring Fork Motor Trail within the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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An Eye on the Herd
A female elk grazing in a grassy meadow in the Oconaluftee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The elk looks up while grazing to keep tabs on the rest of the heard as they move across the meadow.
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Frolicking Fawn...
An elk calf strolling and grazing in a grassy meadow in the Oconaluftee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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Hanging Out
An elk calf strolling through the meadow in the Oconaluftee Valley with the rest of the elk heard in the meadow in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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A Storm's Brewing
Clouds billowing and climbing over Peregrine Peak, just north of the the Anakeesta Ridge and the Newfound Gap, in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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Stars & Storms
Lighting appears to be striking Peregrine Peak, just north of the Newfound Gap, as viewed from the Newfound Gap Overlook in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The lights seen on the side of the mountain, is motor vehicle traffic traveling south on the Newfound Gap Road (US Route 441).
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White Plumage
Lighting appears to be striking Peregrine Peak, just north of the Newfound Gap, as viewed from the Newfound Gap Overlook in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The lights seen on the side of the mountain, is motor vehicle traffic traveling south on the Newfound Gap Road (US Route 441).
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Thunderstruck
Lighting appears to be striking Peregrin Peak, just north of the Newfound Gap, as viewed from the Newfound Gap Overlook in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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Indian Creek Falls
Indian Creek Falls... a 25 foot waterfall off the Deep Creek trail, that flows into the Deep Creek in the southeastern portion of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The waterfall also appears to be more like a waterslide than a waterfall.
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Indian Creek & The Deep Creek
Indian Creek Falls, a 25 foot waterfall that flows into the Deep Creek in the southeastern portion of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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A Fall into the Deep Creek
The Tom Branch Falls, located just inside the Great Smoky Mounty National Park boundary in Bryson City, NC, stands about 60 feet above the Deep Creek.
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Tom Branch Falls
A 60 foot waterfall in the southeast section of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, along the Deep Creek trail and flowing into the Deep Creek.
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The Snake
The split rail fences were often stacked high and a "zig zag", or "snake" pattern. The fences were portable and could be moved as fields changed. Also these fences were designed to keep livestock out of gardens, fields, and yards rather than keeping animals confined. This particular fence confined the Mountain Farm Museum in the Oconaluftee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. (Great Smoky Mountain Association).
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Farm Architecture
(from left to right) The barn, corn crib and gear shed, and corn crib. None of these structures are original to the Mountain Farm Museum. The barn was moved from the Ewloe-Floyd farm, about 200 yards from its present position. Providing for various endeavors - shelter, storage, or workplace - the size of the barn depended on the size of the farm. The corn crib and gear shed was moved from the Jim Beard farm on Indian Creek, north of Bryson City. This structure stored corn for drying. The overhang provided covered storage for farm equipment. The corn crib was moved from the Davis-Queen farm. This structure protected the dried corn from the weather and animals.(Great Smoky Mountain Association).
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Where the Work is Done
The barn, corn crib and shed on the grounds of the Mountain Farm Museum in the Oconaluftee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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The Farmhouse & the Mountain
The John E. Davis house, built around 1899, sitting in display at the Mountain Farm Museum in the Oconaluftee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. On the left is a family garden, in the center is a meat house, and the left - Davis House.
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Davis House
This house was constructed with "matched" chestnut logs. The log was hewed flat on two sides, then split in half along its length to produce two building logs and used in "matching" positions on opposite walls. The ends of the logs were then joined with half-dovetail notches, which "locked" the logs together. The downward sloping surfaces of the north shed rainwater away from the structure. (Great Smoky Mountain Association). Mountain Farm Museum in the Oconaluftee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. (Great Smoky Mountain Association).
Farmhouse in the Field
The Davis House was moved from the Indian Creek/Thomas Divide area, north of Bryson City, NC. John Davis had sold the house to Joe Queen by that time. Built around 1899, it took 2 years to build for his family, where 3 of his 7 children were born. The woodshed (left) is a replica, and is what provided winter heat and fuel for cooking. Ashes were also used to make lye soap and fertilizer for garden soil. The meat house (right) was moved from the Jim Conrad farm in Little Cataloochee, NC, and was used to store meat (most often pork) during the winter months. While stored, the meat was often sweetened, cured, or smoked in the meat house. (Great Smoky Mountain Association).
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Web Overlook
This view along the Newfound Gap Road is from Web Overlook, named for Charles A. Webb. Webb, an editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times in the 1930's, was a strong and influential voice that helped lead the fight for the creation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This view from the Web Overlook oversee's the Deep Creek Valley and the northern end of the Noland Divide. The first ridge in the foreground is the Shot Beech Ridge, of which the Deep Creek is on the opposite side. The second is the Fork Ridge, and the third is Slick Ridge. Rising up behind the Slick Ridge and into the orange daylight peaking through the clouds is Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mount National Park.
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Eastern View
An eastern view from Clingman's Dome at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as weather begins to move over the mountain tops of lower mountains. Covered by the clouds moving in is Mount LeConte and the Newfound Gap. The highest point on the second ridge (center right) is the Newton Bald (distance: 8 miles)
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Southern View Snapshot
A view of the mountains ridges within the Nantahala National Forest.
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Northern View...
As weather rolls over the mountains of the north side of the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, from left to right the following mountains can be seen - Blanket Mountain (7 mile distance), Cove Mountain (11 mile distance), Bluff Mountain (20 mile distance), Balsam Point (6.5 mile distance), High Top (highest point on Mount LeConte - obscured by clouds - 6.9 miles/6593 foot elevation), and the Newfound Gap (also obscured by clouds)
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Western View
The mountain ridge of the far left is the course of the North Carolina and Tennessee state line, as well as the Appalachian Trail. To the far right is Cove Mountain in the distance (11 miles/4077 ft elevation). To the left of Cove Mountain is Blanket Mountain in the middle ridge (7.7 miles distance/4609 ft. Elevation)
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Parking Lot Panorama
A view from the Clingman's Dome parking lot
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Carlos Campbell Overlook
This overlook is named for Carlos Campbell, director of Knoxville Chamber of Commerce in the 1930's and a leading advocate for the creation of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.
This view demonstrates the botanical diversity of the national park, six of the forest types (mixed & pine oak, cove & northern hardwood, red spruce-fraser fir, and hemlock) and one shrub thicket called a heath bald. (NPS)3654great smokey mountain national parknational park Service
Chimney Tops
The "Chimney Top" peaks (left) of the Sugaland Mountain got their name from local mountain people due to the nearly vertical holes in the tops of these 4700 foot jutting rocks, making them look like natural chimney flues. The Cherokees call the mountain Duniskwalguni, meaning "forked antlers". (NPS)
Morton Overlook
The sun sets over the Morton Overlook and the Newfound Gap Road. The valley overlook displays views of the Sugarlands Mountain, Chimney Tops, and Mingus Mountain. The overlook is named for Ben Morton, a former mayor of Knoxville, TN and member of the Knoxville Auto Club. Ben Morton was an advocate for making the Smokies a national park during the 1920's and building the Newfound Gap Road.
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Sniffing the Susans
A female elk grazing in the meadow of the Oconaluftee Valley amongst the Queen Ann's Lace and the Black Eyed Susan's, in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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Just Elking Around
A female elk walking around in the meadows, feeding on the grass in the Oconaluftee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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Sniffing Through a Meadow
A female elk strolling and grazing in a grassy meadow in the Oconaluftee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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Tip Toeing Through The Tall Grass
A female elk strolling and grazing in a grassy meadow in the Oconaluftee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park
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Oconaluftee Elk
A female elk strolling through the meadow of the Oconaluftee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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A Morning Stroll
A female elk strolling around a grassy meadow in Oconaluftee Valley, looking for grazing opportunities.
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In the Clouds
A beautiful panoramic view from the Web Overlook. The peak in the Clouds is Clingmans Dome, as the Slick, Fork, and Shot Beech Ridges lay before it. The three humps on the left (southeast) represent the Jerry Bald Ridge, which rise above the clouds that flow through the Noland Divide
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Peaking Above the Clouds
A river of clouds flows through the Noland Divide from the west (right), eastward over the Upper and Lower Sassafras Gaps and around the Sunkota Ridge (left). The peak in the middle, above the river of clouds is Sassafras Knob...As seen from the Deep Creek Overlook of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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A River of Clouds
Clouds flow from west into the Noland Divide, above the Upper and Lower Sassafras Gaps and around the Sunkota Ridge to the east (left). The ridges in the foreground include the Beetree Ridge and the Thomas Divide (left), and the Jerry Bald Ridge (right), of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
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Valley of Clouds
From the Deep Creek Overlook looking westward as clouds flow eastward through the Noland Divide (right) and around the Sunkota Ridge (left). Below the clouds the valley floor of the Lower Sassafras Gap can be seen through the many lower ridges weaving through the landscape. The ridgline to the left is the Beetree Ridge as it slopes down into the Fork Ridge, just before it is draped in cloud cover, in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park
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The Luftee Gap
The Luftee Gap, as seen from the Oconaluftee Overlook looking west from the Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Big Skies & Rolling Clouds...
The Newfound Gap lays before the Anakeesta Ridge, and Peregrines Peak (left) as small clouds roll over these mountain tops, as seen from the Newfound Gap Overlook of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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The Mingus Mill
Named for the creek it received its power from, the mill was built in 1886 and ground corn into meal and wheat into flour. The Mingus Mill was the largest mill in the Smokies and used a turbine instead of a water wheel to power the mill. (NPS)
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The "Modern" Mingus Mill
As early as the 1820's millers began using turbines to power their mills rather than water wheels. Water would flow 200 feet down the flume from the Mingus Creek into the penstock, creating water pressure to power the mills 11 horsepower cast-iron turbine. (NPS)
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