Adventures: Smokies vs. Shenandoah

Things to Consider Before Taking Your Classic National Park VacationThe Southern Appalachian Mountains are blessed with two major national parks within their midst, Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah (Ok, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a third, but work with me here).Both share much in common – spectacular scenery, pioneer history, diverse flora and fauna and easy access by millions of outdoor enthusiasts from the Eastern Seaboard, Midwest and South. Residents of the Tri-Cities are a little closer to the Smokies but both are a simple drive distant.Both parks were actually in competition as to being established. In the early 1920s, members of Congress responded to constituents' ongoing demands for a second national park east of the Mississippi River. Acadia National Park in Maine was the first, established in 1916.Other sites were being considered, but somewhere in the Appalachians seemed the most workable. And it was likely only one national park would be established in the Southern Appalachians.A five-man committee was formed in 1924 by Secretary of the Interior Hubert Work to determine the next park location. The group toured the Appalachian Mountains from northern Georgia to West Virginia.After seeing the Smokies, the committee report concluded, "The Great Smoky Mountains easily stand first because of the height of mountains, depth of valleys, ruggedness of the area, and the unexampled variety of trees, shrubs, and plants." The Smokies won.Those advocating a park in northern Virginia, headed by one George Pollack, kept the push on, even after it was clear a park was going to be chosen in the Smokies, and by 1936 both national parks were established and open to visitation.After eight decades, both parks remain popular destinations. It can be challenging to choose between the two for a vacation. Here are some factors to consider:Parks Gone Wild: Shenandoah National Park stretches for nearly 100 miles north to south. Yet it is only a few miles wide in most places, a little wider in others. Therefore it is hard to find large wild swaths of land, though much of the park is federally designated wilderness. Almost all views include populated valleys below.In contrast, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is in a rectangular shape roughly 60 miles wide east-west by 30 miles north-south. Hikers and backpackers can truly find the "back of beyond" and get the feeling of being out there in the Smokies, though not one acre is federally designated wilderness. Speaking of views, Shenandoah has far more exposed rock outcrops – and far more natural vistas – than does the Smokies.Get in the Car and Go: While both parks have ample roads for auto touring and are in fact connected by that third national park, the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive at Shenandoah National Park offers a superlative windshield tourist experience over the Smoky Mountains.Skyline Drive stretches literally from Shenandoah's northern tip at Front Royal all the way to Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro. Along the way it offers seemingly countless overlooks and also connects to all the major park features, whether they are campgrounds, lodges, trailheads or picnic areas. Just get on Skyline Drive and along the way you can see do just about everything at Shenandoah National Park.No single road captures the entirety of the Smoky Mountains but Newfound Gap Road comes close. It bisects the Smokies, traveling from its lower reaches in the Tennessee lowlands climbing nearly a mile high, before dropping into North Carolina and reaching Cherokee. You can enjoy numerous ecosystems but visiting most other areas of the Smokies requires driving non-park roads.Places to Lay Your Head: The Smokies has 10 campgrounds spread from one end of the park to the other, from low to high, from walk-in tent camping to large campgrounds suitable for a motorhome. Hiking, casual bicycling, wildlife viewing, fishing, swimming can be done from most campgrounds. Two campgrounds are open year-round.Though the Smokies was built in the classic park model, the only in-park overnight accommodations are atop Mount LeConte, where a primitive lodge operates during the warm season. The shortest walk to the lodge is five miles uphill.You have your choice of overnighting in two developed, auto accessible mountaintop lodges at Shenandoah. Showers after the hike! At Big Meadows Lodge you can dine, shop for a bear magnet or other souvenirs, then retire to your room, or to your own cabin, or delve into more modern hotel type accommodations. Skyland Lodge has a similar offering of ways to smooth out your outdoorsy vacation. Furnished cabins are also available at Lewis Mountain. Four drive-up campgrounds are stretched along Skyline Drive, but you may still have to get in your car to expand your park explorations beyond the immediate trails.Backcountry camping at the parks is managed very differently. The Smokies has 102 designated backcountry campsites and shelters. You must stay at designated sites and shelters only. All campsites and shelters require reservation. There is a nightly fee for backcountry camping. Campfires are allowed.There are no designated backcountry campsites in Shenandoah, save for the Appalachian Trail shelters. The rest of the backcountry camping must be done at sites chosen by backpackers using the following regulations – 20 yards from a trail, 10 yards from a stream, and ¼ mile from a road or developed facility. Plus a few more rules.And no campfires are allowed, which cuts down on cold season backpacking. The Appalachian Trail runs 101 miles through Shenandoah but crosses Skyline Drive too many times to count. The AT crosses Newfound Gap Road once in its 70 mile journey through the Smokies.On the Border: If you are looking for pulled taffy, all-you-can-eat buffets, country music dinner shows, wacky museums and crowds of fat tourists who really don't go on the trails, the Smokies wins hands down.Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee are actually the antithesis of the natural experience and lie just outside the park boundaries. Over in Cherokee, North Carolina, you can get the same type of stuff, except the Indian version. Buy a headdress or a leather whip. And they have gambling! These tourist towns do have all manner of food and lodging to aid your legitimate park exploration.Shenandoah has no comparable border towns, not for pure tourist schlock. Front Royal is practically a suburb of D.C., but to the south Waynesboro is pure down home Dixie. And the other towns like Luray and Elkton are subdued, more in line with the back-to-nature national park experience sought by many.One last thing. The Smokies has no entrance fee whereas Shenandoah does. So despite the fact that the Smokies and Shenandoah are both Southern Appalachian national parks, they also have a lot of distinctions that can help you discern the natural getaway that works best for you.