March, 2013, came in like a lion in the form of snow in the Smokies. After entering the park from Townsend, Tennessee, we turned right onto Laurel Creek Road. Our first stop was West Prong Falls. The water flow was high enough to make the right side seem more like a pair of fountains than part of a waterfall. At this elevation, the only snow accumulation was in shaded areas.
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| West Prong Falls |
Our second stop was at the confluence of Laurel Creek and the West Prong Little River. At this elevation, the snow was covering more of the ground.
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| Laurel Creek on the right flows into West Prong Little River |
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| Snow is beginning to accumulate |
We also stopped at a roadside pullout further up Laurel Creek. At this elevation, the snow was accumulating rapidly on all surfaces, including the roadway. Without the snow plows that were running several times per hour, the park service would have had to close the road into Cades Cove.
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| Snow completely covered the grass |
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| Even the pullouts had to be plowed |
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| Leaning tree trunk is covered in snow |
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| Winter Wonderland |
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| Laurel Creek |
Once we entered Cades Cove, we stopped in the picnic area for a few pictures of Abrams Creek.
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| Abrams Creek |
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| Abrams Creek at the upstream end of the picnic area |
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm.