The Townsend Wye — Attraction in Gatlinburg

Tuesday we hiked the Roundtop Trail. Total distance 7.5 miles. We left one vehicle at the Townsend "Y" and our other vechicle at the TH on Wear Cove Road. Pics 2 and 3 were taken at Bunches Bald on the BRP about 12 hours apart. Early morning elk pics were taken at Cherokee in the field next to the Visitors Center. We started at the TH on Wear Cove Road. Elevation gain is slow and steady, path is wide, but in several places covered in acorns 🌰🌰 which makes falling easy. With no rain for over 7 days the only water we had to deal with was at the Townsend "Y" crossing the Little River. Even with no rain there were multiple places where the water was chest+ deep based on the swimmers we saw, so you want to check the river when you leave your vechicle, make sure you can cross. On the way home we saw a big bull elk 🦌who was working hard to keep his heard together and challenging anything that came close. His message was simple: "Leave my girls alone, find your own" Rut Season is in full swing, give then their space. Until next time, Safe Hiking...

Total blast. Don’t forget to pay the $5 daily fee that requires your license plate info and display that on your windshield. Everyone regardless of age and certainly under age 16 should wear a solid life jacket. The Wye is 2 rivers conjoining and currents can be strong and swift enough to pull you unexpectedly. Bring a chair and enjoy from the shore or bring your tube and cruise down the river. Not recommended for anyone with physical challenges as it is a steep roughly 60’ drop from the road down large rocks to access the shoreline. People bring coolers and chairs but it is very uneven and full of large rocks making blanket-style lounging/picnicking difficult. Small children & toddlers can play in areas with ankle to knee deep water depending on recent rainfall. NOTE: After a heavy rain the water level can be high “tide” and the river shore...

We love to come to the Wye!! Swimming is great here, current isn't too horrible for a strong swimmer. It is not super duper kid friendly so I wouldn't bring children probably under age 10 here unless you have a group of people to help you keep an eye out. We like to bring a lot of stuff and find a shady spot to sit in to stay cool. My toddler liked to play in the puddles and rocks so it is pretty kid friendly if you stick to that and keep away from some of the dangerous water. These pictures were taken back in July of 2018. If you bring your own intertube, you need to make sure you're very careful tubing down the small rapids that are there because my husband flipped backwards and scrapped his back on a rock when we were there last year. It can happen to anyone and it could be your head so make sure you wear a life jacket...