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Parks Worth the Drive

Parks Worth the Drive

Created by hiking_soul • May 29, 2026

Park reviews, rankings, and the unvarnished travel reality.

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hiking_soul
Are the Great Smoky Mountains actually great, or just nice?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is pleasant. Forests, mountains, waterfalls, fog drifting through the trees, black bears wandering around looking vaguely unemployed. It’s nice. Just nice though.The Smokies are probably the most “default settings” national park in America. If you asked a child to draw nature, they’d accidentally recreate this place: mountains, trees, creeks, maybe a little cabin somewhere.

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  • Are the Great Smoky Mountains actually great, or just nice?

    Great Smoky Mountains National Park is pleasant. Forests, mountains, waterfalls, fog drifting through the trees, black bears wandering around looking vaguely unemployed. It’s nice. Just nice though.The Smokies are probably the most “default settings” national park in America. If you asked a child to draw nature, they’d accidentally recreate this place: mountains, trees, creeks, maybe a little cabin somewhere.