Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Little River

The Little River begins on the north slopes of Kuwohi, the tallest mountain in Tennessee. From there it meanders through Great Smoky National Park for 18 miles before it exits the park and then flows towards Knoxville. Inside the park, someone kindly built a road that runs along a good portion of the river. And they were also nice enough to put in lots of convenient pull-offs for people to stop at and take pictures.



This overlook also had a bonus attraction with this great view of Meigs Falls.



I headed down the road but didn't make it too far before stopping at another pull-off. The river has crystal clear water, which flows over and around large rocks and boulders.









And headed back on the road, the amount of traffic steadily increased as it got later in the morning.



I stopped at another pull-off along a slower stretch of the river. Here the shore was flat, a nice place that we would return again with the kids.







And at another pull-off was this nice little waterfall, so I dutifully stopped to get a few more pictures.







And the view looking upriver.



I needed to get back to our place in Gatlinburg. I had promised the family that I would return at a certain time, which was quickly approaching. There isn't cell phone service in the park, so there's not a way to call and say you're going to be late. So I reluctantly turned around, but luckily I would be able to have more time later on our trip to see more of the Little River.

I did make one last stop, getting a few shots from this really scenic spot: