For me there is an advantage to BBF that generally seems to escape the discussion - taking a high-stress photo, my fine motor skills stink, and I can "miss" the halfway point with the shutter button. But I can mash the BBF button with my thumb and click the shutter with my index finger. This is SOOC not a crop, and I don't think I would have gotten this fellow as well without BBF.

There is a facebook group called "hike the smokeys" that is chock full of daily comments and pictures of hiking trails. There is an American Hiking Society guide to hiking the Smokeys available from Amazon that is very detailed. Depending on your intentions regarding the commercial attractions in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, you can avoid a lot of that traffic and congestion by not getting off the interstate at the normal exit (I think it exit 407), but continuing on to Alcoa Highway/Smokey Mountains exit in downtown Knoxville, and end up at the Townsend end of the park. Townsend is also the nearest entrance to Cades Cove, and the trailheads for several popular hikes.