The next morning, we wanted to hike up to Rainbow Falls but needed to stop at the ranger station to find out where to park and if the trails and roads were open. One question was answered quickly. As we headed to the main station, we had to detour around the northern part of the Park. Upon arriving at the station, we learned that there had been a pretty major rockslide as a result of all the snow and rain. The rockslide occurred sometime just after we drove through to Cades Cove. Phew we weren't a little later! Anyway, due to the road closures we couldn't get to Rainbow Falls but a helpful ranger sent us back over to Cades Cove to climb the Rich Mountain Trail Loop which offers spectacular views of the Cove. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was warm and completely clear and the sun finally made us feel officially dry. The total loop was about 8.5 miles and we got see some deer and the views were great. Toward the end of the hike, we explored a late-19th century cabin which was pretty neat.
Pictures below are our beautiful views and last days in the Park. If I continue to stay in Indiana, I'm hoping to make several more trips to the Smokies.
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