Photo Opportunities in the Smokies #2
Last week I posted the first of a series of blogposts (I hope) on the various parts of the Smokies. This week I continued exploring the same stretch of the Little River in the Tremont area. The road to this stretch is found about of a quarter of a mile along the road to Cades Cove. As soon as you turn off along the Tremont Road, reset your odometer. About 4.5 along this road you will come to this scene (called Big Bend by some people}. It is about 300 to 400 yards after you cross a one lane bridge and the Little River moves from your left hand side to being on your right. The spot that was showcased in last week’s post was straight after the bridge and a few hundred yards downstream from here.
Note, most of the photographs in this post are not good examples of what is available along this stretch. The conditions this morning were not conducive to photography in this area. The river level was low and the sun too strong, even at 7 am in the morning.
Just a few yards downstream from this spot (back from which you came) is a section known as the 3 channels. It looks like this:
Please don’t judge these photos! They really are just quick snapshots to give you an idea what to look for. It’s up to you to go and take good photos of these areas in better conditions.
Also let me warn you to be very careful. The bank along here is very steep and can be dangerous. The rocks are extremely slippery and you really need excellent shoes. This morning I was wearing a well known brand of hiking boots and I fell several times, hurting myself badly on one occasion. Those boots will never make it out to the Smoky’s again! If you want to get down the bank at this location, you may even consider using a rope to pull yourself up again, but don’t let that put you off. There are great shots available from the side of the road. Also be careful where you park your car because it will end up in your picture if you are not careful.
While there are many photo spots along this section of the river, so many that you could be kept busy for a long time, the following is another notable spot at about 4.8 miles. It is called “the pool” by some people but the photo included here is of the rapids/falls immediately upstream. Again this area’s suitability as a subject varies with the season, the time of day and the amount of water flowing down the river.
The next point along this road is at the 4.9 mile mark (which exists only on your odometer!). It is called the Horseshoe Falls. There is no place to park right next to the Falls, but there is a cut out about 100 yards or less further along. In fact, you are so close to the end of the road, that you could go the full 5.1 miles and park at the parking area which marks the beginning of the trail to the Lynn Camp Prong Falls. The Horseshoe Falls look a little like the following image, except that there is normally water flowing over the rock on the left forming a horseshoe. I will come back and add to this post at a later date when the water levels do justice to the falls!
Piers van der Merwe
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