Summit View Information
Summit View, a gated community of luxury log cabins superbly situated on a mountainside with magnificent views, is just 1.5 miles from Pigeon Forge and with its proximity to Gatlinburg, and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Summit View offers guests an on-site management services, a recreational area with a cabana, log tables and chairs, and a small lake with landscaped shores, a boardwalk, and stocked with fish. This is an area with incredibly beautiful scenery, unspoilt countyside, fantastic amenities, and the favourite destination in the U.S.A. for American family vacations. Log cabin rentals are much more economical for a family than renting hotel rooms of comparable luxury and standards. Log cabin rentals also provide greater privacy for guests than hotel rooms.
The Great Smoky Mountains are a major mountain range in the southern Appalachian Mountains chain. Also called the Smoky Mountains or the Smokies, they straddle the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, and are entirely west of the Eastern Continental Divide.
The crown jewel of this region is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the largest National Park in the U.S.A., established in 1934 to protect the last of the Southern Appalachian Forests with over 520,000 acres of beautiful lush forests. It is the most-visited national park in the Eastern United States. Much of the range is also protected by the Nantahala National Forest outside of the park. The Cherokee described these mountains as shaconage, meaning "blue, like smoke". The bluish mist which clings to the mountainsides and fills the valleys, gives the park it's name, The Land of the Blue Mist, and remains amongst its most distinctive features. The Smokies teem with a wondrous diversity of life with over 10,000 species of plants and animals documented to date. The park is home to deer, elk, river otters, raccoons, and the largest number of black bears in the eastern states. The most popular sights include Clingmans Dome, the sheer rock pinnacles of Chimney Tops, the 100ft waterfall Ramsey Cascades, and the scenic and historical sites at Cataloochee Valley, Cades Cove, and Oconaluftee.
The highest point in the Great Smokies and in Tennessee is Clingmans Dome (6,642 feet), which is located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A paved road leads to within 300 feet of the summit, and from there visitors can walk a trail to the top. A handicap-accessible tower is located at the summit, and on clear days visitors can see four states (Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia). The Smokies rise prominently above the surrounding low terrain. For example, Mount LeConte (6,593 feet) rises more than a mile above its base.
The name of the area comes from the natural haze that often hangs over it. As in the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains just to the east, hydrocarbons produced by trees and other local vegetation, as well as higher humidity produce a bluish cast to the sky, even over short distances.
Many wildflowers grow, including bee balm, fire pink, Solomon's seal, Dutchman's breeches, various trilliums, and even hardy orchids like showy orchis.
Several rivers rise from streams in the Smokies, including the Little Pigeon River, Oconaluftee River, Nantahala River and several others. The French Broad River actually originates in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and flows through Asheville and all the way across the northeastern end of the Smokies. A Southern Railway line runs along the river as well.
Tourism is a huge draw to the area, particularly to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina. Rafting, either leisurely tubing or in full whitewater, is common all summer. Skiing and snowboading are also done in winter, though for a short season, at places like Cataloochee and Ober Gatlinburg. Other activities include golf, horseback riding, cycling, fishing, wildlife watching, water sports on Douglas Lake, or just enjoying Southern hospitality.
Major tourist destinations within driving distances include:-
Lynchburg, home to the world famous Jack Daniels Distillery, is just 160 miles away, and receives in excess of 250,000 visitors each year.
Nashville, 213 miles away, is famous for its connection with country music, the Grand Ole Opry, the honky tonk bars like Robert's, Tootsie's, and Legend on Lower Broadway, is also a treasure trove for tourists with nine shopping malls.
Gracelands, now a shrine to the memory of Elvis Presley, is 245 miles away in Memphis, where the visitor should not miss spending an evening on legendary Beale Street.
Country music legend Dolly Parton epitomises the spirit of Tennessee and was born and raised in Sevierville, and lending her name to Dollywood, her 125 acre adventure park at Pigeon Forge, with more than 40 rides and attractions, spectacular show, and the opportunity to view master craftsmen at work.
Pigeon Forge is also home to many dinner theatres and attractions, and caters for the shoppers with more than 300 outlet and speciality shops and six outlet malls filled to the brim with bargains. Pigeon Forge also enjoys arts and crafts festivals, and many special events throughout the year. Bass Pro have opened a new huge sportsmen's shopping facility, and the Disney Adventure Group have just completed the largest indoor waterpark in the U.S.A . Pigeon Forge restaurants with a variety of cuisines are sure to satisfy even the most discerning palate.
Each year more than 11 million people come to Pigeon Forge to enjoy the magnificence of the Smokies, the attractions, the music, and the southern hospitality. Summit View is just 1.5 miles from Pigeon Forge, and with flights now being available into Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, and Atlanta from most airports in the United Kingdom and Europe, the consensus of opinion is that the Smokies will soon become a sought after destination for the Europeans with an escalating demand for accommodation in luxury log cabins.