CONS:

• Trail is about 25 miles into the park takes a long time to drive to this trail from Gatlinburg.  Slow winding road.
• Spring Break Traffic in the park was busy and slow moving.
• No scenic vistas on this trail.

PROS:

• Seeing deer in Cades Cove
• Well marked trail
• Good 2 hour hike length
• Easy hike in difficulty
• Trail is wide in many places 2-3 people wide
• Neat bridges made of logs with a hand rail
• Falls are about 20 feet high and a good place to picnic, rest, and take pictures.

I would recommend this trail to anyone who likes waterfalls and it is a good trail that provides good exercise.

For more information about this trail you can follow this link to the Park’s website about the trail:  http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/abrams-falls.htm

We are working behind the scenes to make OXR better all the time.  One of the new features we want to highlight this month is the new review template.  We took some feedback from our members and made some positive changes.  The goal was to make it easy for you all to fill in the template as you post your reviews.  As you will notice we have added a button for you to click on in order to show others if you would Recommend or Not Recommend the experience you had.  Another feature we added is the Adventure Rating scale.  In your review you can now select a rating of 1 Star for bad adventures to as high as a 5 Star rating for the very best adventures.  Additionally, you can add decimal numbers.  For instance a poor review could be a 1.7 on the 5 Star Scale, or your adventure may have been a 4.8 out of 5 Stars.  These features will make it easy for you and others to read your review and see in a glance your recommendation and your rating.

Here are some new and upcoming reviews for you all:

• Ziplining in Gatlinburg, Tennessee at Foxfire Mountain: http://www.outdoorexperiencereview.com/hiking/foxfire-mountain-ziplines/
• Hiking in Zion National Park:  http://www.outdoorexperiencereview.com/hiking/angels-landing-zion-national-park-utah/
• Hog Hunting reviews
• Hiking in the Smokey Mountains
• Cabin/Chalet rentals in Gatlinburg
• Hiking in North Carolina
• Ziplining in North Carolina
• Kayaking in North Carolina
• Turkey Hunting

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The  scenery is absolutely gorgeous this time of year!!  The hike was really easy from the gravel parking lot.  We took our dogs with us, and it was easy for them as well.  There’s only a small creek you have to cross and it’s really not difficult.  There were some HUGE boulders to crawl on!  I could have spent the entire day there, just climbing and watching the river!  My husband and son crawled over some boulders and were able to stand in the middle of the river on some of the rocks.   Hiking in North Carolina is always a great eXperience for anyone!!

From what I understand it’s a “hotspot” for fly fishermen.  We passed several coming out as we were hiking in.  This is also a great river for kayakers.  We saw several the day we were there and they are always fun to watch maneuvering the rapids.

He shot me a worried look that said he didn’t know they were necessary.  Which makes perfect sense; they’re not necessary.  The trail only looks like they should be required.  You see, the last stretch of the trail to get to the top of Angels Landing, an outcropping of rock in the middle of Zion Canyon, is treacherous.  Technical climbing isn’t required, but rock scrambling is.  And although scrambling may not sound terrifying in itself, if you were to slip, there’s a real chance of death; it wouldn’t be the first time someone has died there.

For the sake of safety, there are permanently affixed chains and hand rails to assist with the climb.  But since these don’t surround hikers, and are even on the uphill side of hikers for much of the trail, they offer little assistance if you slip.  The National Park Service calls the hike ’strenuous’ and recommends against taking children on the trail.  But that doesn’t stop folks who are out of shape, afraid of heights, or ascending in less than ideal weather from making the attempt.  Angels Landing is the most iconic hike in the park; at least for most visitors.

Although a fear of heights must be suppressed for the end of the hike, the trail is actually a rather pleasant day hike.  Whereas Yosemite’s most iconic hike, Half Dome, requires permits and usually rising before dawn, Angels Landing requires neither.  It’s a much easier hike.  Three times easier to be precise.  The elevation gain of hiking to the top of Half Dome from the valley floor is more than three times that of Angels Landing, while the length of the hike is just under three times longer.  In total, Half Dome requires approximately 4800 feet of climbing and is fourteen miles round-trip, while Angels Landing requires just under 1500 feet and about 5.4 miles.

Getting to the cables is a simple hike, but a tiring one.  After loading the shuttle bus (assuming you visit during the peak summer season) and getting off at the trail head, you gradually start climbing in elevation before the trail gets steeper.  In order to prevent erosion, the trail is mostly paved and punishes your feet.  But after numerous switchbacks along the canyon wall, a brief respite is encountered; Refrigerator Canyon.  Shaded and cool, at least comparatively, the canyon also levels off compared to the last uphill slog.  But it’s only a brief chance to catch your breath, because now you’re at the Wiggles.  A series of 21 short switchbacks, Walter’s Wiggles leads up to the saddle where hikers can either continue on and complete the Angels Landing hike, hike up to the west rim of the canyon, or relax and call 3/4 of the way up pretty darn good.  This was where I confused my hiking neighbor by joking about climbing shoes.

I set off towards the cables and the end of the trail.  Having been under the impression that the cables were merely a fleeting convenience on the trail, I was surprised to learn that they went on for some time – perhaps closer to half a mile than not.  Owing to my earlier ascent of Observation Point, it was already mid-afternoon when I got to the last stretch of trail.  As such, a human bottleneck had formed on the cables.

Although it took much longer to get to the top than I expected, by taking turns with hikers going up and down, we were all able to ascend and descend safely.

Aside from the obligatory hello, the most common discussion between those groups of hikers going up and those coming down is always how much farther it is to the top.  Descending hikers are the authority on the remainder of the hike and it’s up to them to help keep ascending hikers’ spirits up.  Hikers near the end are easy to deal with, but keeping up the spirits of hikers towards the bottom can be much more difficult.

“Do you know if we’re almost to the top yet?”

“You’re almost there now.  Just a bit farther,” to those who are truly almost done.  Smiles, hugs, kisses, and thanks are unhesitatingly showered upon the down-hikers for bearing such glorious news.

“You’re the majority of the way there now, but it’s a little ways yet up the mountain,” to those who are more than halfway, but still have some elevation to gain.  Some are glad to hear they’re more than halfway, and bestow the previously mentioned praises and thanks for the good news.

Others are at the end of their rope and hearing that they’re more than halfway isn’t seen as good news at all.  “We’re only more than halfway.  Well, how much farther is it then?”  This is where these folks start doing some mental math to determine how much farther they have to hike and whether they want to keep going.  The answer could fill them with hope or hasten their retreat.

Sometimes, even if it’s a ways off, the trail gets easier.  “You just finished the last set of switchbacks.  The trail is mostly flat until the cable section.  It seems a bit daunting, but the pace will be quite nice, what with the multitudes of people, so there’s plenty of chance to take it slow.”  Even if they were dismayed by the distance remaining, this type of response tends to give the weary hikers some hope; the prospect of shade or a level trail can be enough to keep them motivated.  Of course, it’s got to be true.  Otherwise, you’re just being an jerk.

But sometimes, they’re so far from the end or the trail is so steep that it’s hard to be encouraging at all.  “You’re making good progress, but it’s a little ways yet,” is about as good as it gets.  Regardless of trail length or the difficulty of the hike, if you can see the mountaintop, viewpoint, waterfall, or wherever, you can just point to it and say, “Yep, that’s where you’re going.”

But no matter what the situation is, or how encouraging or discouraging you can be, always add, “It’s worth it.”  That’s the key.  Unless, of course, it isn’t worth it.  In that case, add, “It isn’t worth it.”  You’ll get strange looks for that comment, but if the hike is truly no good, there’s no sense keeping up false pretenses.  If you’re lucky and someone actually believes you, once again praises and thanks will be showered upon you.

Angels Landing was definitely worth it.  Which was lucky for me, because a lot of people were asking.

“Are we almost there yet?”

“Yep, you’re almost there.  Just take the last bit more slowly and it’s much easier than you would think.”

“Are we almost there now?”

“Well, not quite, but you are more than halfway.  There’s a bit of shade though and the last bit is mostly flat before the cables.”

“Are we almost to the top?”

“That’s where you’re going.”  I point to the end.  “But don’t worry.  It’s worth it.”

I can imagine that hiker reaching the top, looking up and down the canyon, and sitting down for a bite to eat, exhausted, but utterly thrilled for having made it to the top.  Angels Landing was worth it.

They provided us with 2 guides for this adventure.  To start out, the guides fitted us with our gear as we watched a safety video.  Our guides Eric and Bobo gave us easy to follow directions and they did all the work.  All we had to do was follow directions and zip.  Safety was very important and rightfully so.  They made us feel comfortable, were very open to questions, and shared interesting facts about the ziplines and the area.  One of the great features of Foxfire ziplines is there is no walking or climbing.  All you have to do is Zip from one line to another.  Another great feature of their location is the spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.  From one of the ziplines you can see the mountains of North Carolina in the distance.

On the Zipline Tour there are 9 towers and 7 ziplines.  Each tower has a unique name and/or theme.  The ziplines start out with smaller lengths and get longer as the tour progresses.  Below is a list of the tower names and the length of each zipline to the next tower.  My favorite line starts at the Eagle’s nest tower where you will zipline 1550 feet of cable at a height over 200 feet above the ground at speed approaching 45-50 mph.

• Water tower – walk bridge
• Tree house  60ft. Line
• Deliverance  300ft. Line
• Safari  500ft. Line
• Hunters  600ft. Line
• Iron Mine  650ft. Line
• Eagle’s Nest  1550ft. Line
• Cliff Dwellers  1100ft. Line
• Last Line

There is a minimum age requirement of 8 years old and a maximum weight restriction of 275# for the ziplines.  Foxfire Mountain offers free parking.  They also offer additional outdoor eXperiences like: ATV tours, nature hiking, and a safari tour.  Currently, they are finishing a new swinging bridge and a barbecue eatery.  You can pick up coupons for Foxfire Mountain at just about any brochure rack in Pigeon Forge or in Gatlinburg.

Foxfire Mountain is located at 3757 Thomas Lane, Sevierville, Tennesee.  Foxfire Mountain is approximately 12 miles from Gatlinburg, TN.  There are directions on their website and if you get lost call the office for help.  Amy is a whiz with the directions.  She can get you there with no problem.  Yes, she helped me get there!  There is good signage to Foxfire along the route, just look for the signs with the picture of the fox.

Foxfire Mountain can be reached by phone at 865-453-1998 or use the link below to get more information at their website:  http://foxfiremountain.com/zipline-tour/

If you are in the Gatlinburg area, I highly recommend going on the zipline tour at Foxfire Mountain.

*4 bedrooms          *4 1/2 baths

* 3 fireplaces          * hot tub

*grill                          *deck

* heated garage     *radiant heat flooring

*large dining and family room * large pantry

* kitchen with all major appliances

*media room and rec room with Foosball

Three out of the 4 bedrooms would be considered Masters because they had deluxe baths and showers. Each bedroom was on it’s own level so they felt very private.  There were also televisions, hair dryers and humidifiers in each room. The 4th bedroom had an adjoining bath that also served the rec room.

Though the positives did outweigh the negatives we did see some areas that could be improved upon. We were disappointed that the condo was not ready at check in time. Once we were let in we realized the place could have used at least another hour in the cleaning department. We ended up buying Lysol wipes to disinfect all of the surfaces, toilets and door handles to make it bearable. We had also hoped it would be decorated for Christmas but there wasn’t one single Christmas decoration. I think it would have been really nice to have lights or some sort of decor. Thankfully we brought our own stockings and bought a lighted garland to put on the mantel.

Overall we loved the place. When searching for it on the Internet we felt it was one of the best priced places for the amount of space, new condition, and scenic views. So we gave it a try and we were glad that we did. We would recommend this to other families or groups. 

For more information on renting this condo go to:

www.goldslope.com

This review is about the mountain bike trail.  The trail is 10.5 miles of one way single track specifically designed by Hoosier Mountain Bike Association.  If you are a first time or beginner rider I would suggest that you NOT ride this trail.  There are several steep long uphills and several fast technical parts of the trail that are not suited to beginner riders.  Once you start on this trail there is no getting off until the end, it is a one way trail that makes a loop around the lake with no short cuts.  The fastest of the fast will turn 45 minute laps with average skilled riders turning laps in the 1.5-2 hour range.

This trail is a well maintained fun trail for anyone who has some mountain biking skills to bring with them.  Beautiful scenery and peaceful times are to be had here.  Camp and bike here for an excellent weekend!