点评:Despite it being the height of tourist season the park didn't feel super busy. You aren't going to fight for parking or be elbow to elbow at overviews or just in a huge line of cars on scenic drives which is a nice break from a lot of the busier parks. We stopped at the Caynon Rim Visitor's Center to grab Jr Ranger books. Then we hiked the Endless Wall Trail. It's an easy to moderate trail. It's technically an out and back trail but you can just hike back to your parking space via the road (which was semi busy but had a wide shoulder). There is a parking lot at each end of the trial so if Fern Creek is full try Nutall. Pit toilets available at both trailheads. A few nice overlooks of the canyon along the trail but most of the trail is a hike through an Eastern hardwood forest. After the hike we went back to the visitor's center to complete Jr Ranger books and turn them in. One range was out front doing a presentation about local wildlife. All the staff was great with the kids and had lots of helpful information. My parents really liked the bridge observation deck. There are two levels the first one is fairly easy to get to. The lower one is probably 150 stairs down so a bit of climb and the view wasn't all that much better. LOTS of picnic tables around the visitor's center which is odd for a national park. We finished our afternoon by driving the Fayette Station Rd (which used to be the only way across the river until the bridge was completed). The NPS app has a great audio tour you can download for free. There was a parking area just past the old bridge where the kids could get out and splash around in a side creek that fed into the river.
If you are trying to visit the Appalachian mountains for the outdoors and solitude this should be your destination not Smoky Mountains.
翻译:尽管正值旅游旺季,但公园里却人潮不多。您不必为停车位而争抢,也不必在观景台摩肩接踵,也不必在风景优美的车道上排起长长的车队,这可以很好地缓解许多繁忙公园的拥挤。我们在 Caynon Rim 游客中心停下来拿了 Jr Ranger 书籍。然后我们徒步走 Endless Wall Trail。这是一条容易到中等难度的步道。从技术上讲,这是一条往返步道,但您可以通过公路(半繁忙但路肩宽阔)徒步回到您的停车位。步道两端都有一个停车场,所以如果 Fern Creek 满了,可以试试 Nutall。两个步道起点处都有蹲坑厕所。沿着步道可以看到峡谷的几个美景,但大部分步道都是穿过东部硬木森林的徒步旅行。徒步结束后,我们回到游客中心完成 Jr Ranger 书籍并交回。一个靶场在前面做关于当地野生动物的演示。所有工作人员都对孩子们很好,并且提供了很多有用的信息。我父母非常喜欢大桥的观景台。观景台有两层,第一层比较容易到达。下层大概有 150 级台阶,所以需要爬一点,而且景色也好不到哪里去。游客中心周围有很多野餐桌,这对于国家公园来说很奇怪。我们下午开车沿着 Fayette Station Rd 结束(在大桥完工之前,这条路曾经是过河的唯一道路)。NPS 应用程序有一个很棒的音频导览,您可以免费下载。老桥的旁边有一个停车场,孩子们可以下车在一条流入河流的小溪里嬉戏。
如果您想去阿巴拉契亚山脉享受户外和独处,那么这里应该是您的目的地,而不是大烟山。