Summer Morning in the Great SmokiesA summer morning in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

In July, I visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee for the first time. The park is gorgeous, with lots of things to do and see. Above is an early morning photos of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.

Possibly the biggest attraction in the park is Cades Cove, an isolated valley in the Tennessee portion of the park.

Cades CoveMeadow in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Cades Cove VistaA view of Cades Cove in the summertime from up high. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Gravel Road in Cades CoveHyat Ln, a gravel road, in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

If Cades Cove is not the largest draw to the park, then perhaps the bears are. I was only in the park for a short time and still encountered bears several times. The black bears aren't aggressive, as long as you keep your distance. Fortunately, I have a very long lens for my camera.

Black bear mother and cub 1A mother black bear and her cub snuggle in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Black bear mother and cub 2A mother black bear and her cub in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Black bear cubA black bear cub in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Young bear in tree 1A juvenile black bear in a tree in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. Young bear in tree 2A juvenile black bear in a tree in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. Young bear in tree 3A juvenile black bear in a tree sticking out its tongue in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Besides Cades Cove and all the bears, I really enjoyed going up to the top of Kuwohi (formerly known as "Clingmans Dome"). Kuwohi is the tallest peak in the Park and it features a large observation platform. There's a long ramp (photo below) that leads up to the platform.

Kuwohi rampGreat Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, USA – July 3, 2025: People climb the ramp up to the observation tower on Kuwohi (also known as "Clingmans Dome"), the highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

From atop Kuwohi, you can get a 360-degree, unobstructed view of the entire park. It's a great place to shoot a sunrise:

Sunrise in the Great Smoky MountainsSummer sunrise in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

It's also a great place to shoot at dusk:

Dusk in the Great Smoky MountainsDusk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

You can see why they call them the Smoky Mountains.

Watching the fog dissipateA small bird sits atop a tree overlooking early morning fog in the Smoky Mountains in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

The park also features some great waterfalls. I particularly liked hiking the Trillium Trail along the Roaring Fork stream to Grotto Falls.

Grotto FallsGrotto Falls waterfall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Roaring ForkGrotto Falls waterfall and the Roaring Fork stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Tree filtered sun on Roaring ForkMorning sunlight filters through the forest canopy over Grotto Falls waterfall and the Roaring Fork streat in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

I had a great time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and got some really good photos. I hope you enjoyed them!