linda lagace

Also go very early or very late to cades cove to avoid crowds and get best lighting (well most interesting lighting) for pics. Take picnic lunches and breakfasts. Find out if park reservations are required to even pass through the park (as they are for Yosemite). Of course mid week is best to minimize crowds but remember smokies are is one of the most visited parks in us.and everyone wants to see fall colors there. I went backpacking in middle of Indian summer.even tho it was on Appalachian trail, it was not crowded.

rmmason

Perhaps less crowded: Cherokee National Forest (near Tellico Plains, TN). Bald River Falls is accessible by road https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/cherokee/recreation/recarea/?recid=35130

Billynikon2

Cherokee is interesting. I don't think anything has changed since we used to go in the 50"s

PhotoSteve Loc: South Carolina

Cades Cove has so much to capture with your camera. Be extremely watchful. My last trip, I thought I saw something black briefly above the grasses, I stopped and got the camera ready and sure enough it was a black bear at a distance of about 100 yards. There is an old cabin or church that I found interesting. For Gatlinburg, think Myrtle Beach without the Ocean for traffic. Saw some elk over by Cherokee. Lots of waterfalls near Brevard. The creek that runs between the divided highway from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg has some exceelent photo ops.

geezer7 Loc: Michigan

There is a National Park office called the Sugarlands Visitor Center. They are very helpful and have a good collection of books relevant to the Smokies. We have one entitled "Waterfalls of the Smokies". It is very good. Sugarlands is just outside Gatlinburg.

Mike Foster

Gatlinburg is a mess. It used to be nice, but it is wall to wall tourist traps. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. The park is nice. Go to Clingerman's dome. It is a bit of a climb/walk but the view is terrific.

tommymac Loc: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Thanks…I’ll check them out.

NCshooter Loc: Newton, IL & Bryson City, NC

We live in Bryson City, NC, so I'm a little predjudiced towards "the quiet side" of the Smokies. I can only reinforce what others have said about the crowds that time of year. Get there early. There are so many places, but on the TN side, I love Cades Cove ( I think this is closed to vehicles Wed mornings, but check with visitor center) and also the Greenbrier area. The TN/NC border has Newfound Gap, the overlooks close to the top on both sides, and Clingmans Dome. I enjoy closing out an evening at the Clingmans Dome parking lot. Parking will be an issue in all of those areas, but take your time and enjoy. In NC, the Deep Creek Trail near Bryson City offers a nice 2.4 mile, 3 waterfall loop. Easy walking on an old road bed. As mentioned Soco Falls is beautiful, but to get a picture like the one shown, you have to go down some pretty steep and slick rocks and there is very limited parking along Highway 19. Any section of the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP), including Waterrock Knob, has great views. I'll be glad to answer any other questions you might have. Enjoy and come back again!
I forgot to mention the wonderful Cherokee Museum and several shots with authentic Cherokee crafts and art. Also, there should be a lot of elk around the Oconaluftee Vistor Center and now often in Cherokee.

tommymac Loc: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Thanks…so much to see, so little time (relatively).

profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA

Tommy, someone else mentioned Cades Cove. The loop there can be done easily in a care in a day with a few stops for short hikes and many photos. But you can stretch it as long as you wish. Be sure to visit the visitor's/ranger's station as you head out of Gatlinburg to the national park. In Cades Cove the Primitive Batist Church and the drive back there is worth seeing and walking around.

As someone else said, Gatlinburg is not what I expected when we visited the Great Smokey's 12 years ago, and I'm guessing it has o nly gotten worse. But the national park was well worth our time. You have plenty of time, and I'm sure you will find a lot of see and photograph. --Richard

Bayou

For long distance scenic views, the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway offers much more than within the park. Do visit both areas.

Chuckwal Loc: Boynton Beach Florida

Live in Western NC you will have so much ton do
ie Blue ridge pew ,waterfalls ,sunrise, sunsets, etc
look up on line Gatlinburg and enjoy Cades Cove
a lot of Bears
chuck

DHooch

Not specific locations, but when taking photos of forests, waterfalls and many other hard to photograph images, correctly, make sure you take a tripod and bracket all your photos. Forest photos are tricky because of their dark nature. When daylight filters through the trees, the contrast wrecks many light meters and camera sensors. HDR post processing can help, if bracketing your images. Flowing water can be captured with a quick or slow shutter speed, depending on what you are trying to present. Same with waterfalls. Don't forget to take close up images of flowers, leaves, insects, etc. Experiment and have fun.

linda lagace

try the https://www.gsmheritagecenter.org/
great smoky mountain heritage center in townsend tennessee