DAY 21, JUNE 3rd 2022 Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Today turned-out to be a bright beautiful day. It was a welcomed sight because the night before we had heard a lot of commotion outside our campsite. In the morning my husband Hussein found out there was a bear on the campgrounds and someone had taken a video.

It was HUGE, almost the size of a large garbage bin that had been situated on the campgrounds. The bear had went to work on the garbage bin and had ripped open the lid. He then started helping himself to whatever was in the bin.

We found-out that the commotion that we had heard the night before was the campsite residents. They ended-up making noise to try and drive the bear away. It must have been a challenging decision whether to scare away the bear. Sometimes we need to leave nature/animals alone because we’re the one’s living on their land. I would think that they feel more threatened then we do. If somebody’s life was at risk or in danger then their decisions and actions to scare the animal away would be justified.

 

Here are the breathtaking views of the SkyLift chair that transports you to a scenic park called the SkyLift Park or you can also take the Ariel tramway to get to the top.

We felt the 3 seater open chair lift would be a nice way to get to the mountain top. It was just built in 2017 and is a comfortable ride-up the mountain. Although, built recently it’s one of the oldest attractions in Gatlinburg. The original one dates back to 1954. If it’s raining to hard they don’t operate the lift.

We were really looking forward to the suspension bridge we had seen on our drive-up yesterday.

The Gatlinburg SkyLift transports guests from the heart of downtown Gatlinburg up 1,800 feet above sea-level to the top of Crockett Mountain where the record-breaking Gatlinburg SkyBridge is located.

The Skybridge is the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America. It’s really special because the views from the bridge are phenomenal.

As you arrive at the top, you’ll find the SkyDeck’s amphitheater seating where you can relax and take in sweeping vistas found nowhere else. The beauty is when you look over the town of Gatlinburg and across to the highest peaks of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It’s some of the best views of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Some more fun facts about this pedestrian bridge. The Skybridge stretches almost 700 feet across a deep valley. It’s actually longer then 2 football fields. The bridge boasts some of the most beautiful panoramic views. The bridge is 500 ft above the town. Not to be overshadowed by the other amazing facts about the bridge. I should mention the best part of it all is the 30 foot glass floor which is at the bridges highest point.

If you’re in the Gatlinburg area you don’t want to miss this amazing attraction. In my humble opinion you won’t regret your decision to visit this spectacular site.

I would love to come back for zip-lining across the great Smokies. There are several exquisite zip-lining outfits that we can choose from.

When we returned from our mountain excursion we went back to the Nantahala Outdoor Centre (NOC). We had forgotten to use our 20% off coupon at the store and we had decided to return a few things.

We also wanted to book the famous Pigeon River White Water Rafting for the next day.

It is Friday night. The Smoky Bear Campground was getting busy for the weekend. We rented a movie from the campground and had a restful evening. Looking forward to the early morning bus ride to Upper Pigeon River which is right at the border of the North Carolinas. North Carolina yet again!