A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Undiscovered Drives in the Smokies" is from the September 2003 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.
September brings the season's first color to the Appalachian high country. As our cities bear the last of summer's steady heat, the ancient Great Smoky Mountains stir with the cool beginnings of autumnal glory.
Fall tiptoes in unexpectedly early around these forested peaks. Soft blankets of fog snuggle into the verdant valleys and coves, while a bracing chill taps the ridgelines. Even though autumn's peak color generally occurs from October 15 to November 3, trees growing above 4,000 feet often show off between mid-September and early October.
This is the ideal time to explore the mysteries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Summer's crowds have left, and the hordes of leaf peepers have yet to arrive. On weekdays you may even have places to yourself.
Let's face it. Most of us prefer driving through this pristine wilderness instead of hiking. Of the almost 10 million folks who come here each year, 80% have a "windshield visit," notes Bob Miller, a park spokesman. However, we know, to paraphrase Robert Frost, that when two roads diverge in a yellow wood, it's the road less traveled that makes all the difference.
With that in mind, we've driven the back roads of the Smokies to discover the best auto tours. Though some roads are unpaved, all are suitable for two-wheel drive vehicles; you don't need a mountain goat or a fancy SUV.
As you tool down these quiet pathways, be sure to roll down the windows and turn off the stereo. When you choose to leave your car, you'll enter another world, one where streams and thick-shouldered boulders meet under dappled light. Tarry by emerald mosses, soft as velvet. Open your senses to the rich smells of humus and the whisperings of a breeze stirring dense boughs of green hemlocks and silvery beeches.
The best characteristic of these roads is that they help us to slow down. This is where we take in the grandeur of the land.
