My family, which includes 4 kids ranging in age from 5 to 18, did the "On Top of Old Smoky" hike offered by A Walk in the Woods on Monday, August 9. Our guide was Vesna, who met us at the Visitors Center and then led us up the parking lot of Clingman's Dome. From there, we hiked a bypass trail to the top of the Lookout Tower, and along the way, it was pure heaven. Vesna showed us so many things in the forest that we would never have noticed on our own - we looked at plants (tasted a few, too!), rocks, bugs, and learned how to tell if a male or female deer left the print that we saw. We observed recent bear scratchings on a tree, as well as deer imprints of where they sleep. We stopped periodically, where Vesna would encourage us all to drink water. She produced some snacks about midway through the hike, and then had my kids break into two teams for a scavenger hunt...they were to look for things such as a feather, something sharp, something square, etc. The kids loved it!
Although the hike was over 2 hours, time flew, and I would highly recommend this company if you visit the Smoky Mountains. You learn a whole new appreciation of the park, and your children can have fun and get educated at the same time! How cool is that?!