At the beginning of the week, the husband, Hudson and I headed up to the Great Smoky Mountains for a little vacation! Before the husband joined the Marine Corps, we took a camping trip every summer out west. We hadn’t been camping since 2014 (the trip we got engaged on), so we were excited to go to the mountains for some hiking and camping!

Before we left, we grabbed a bigger tent (in hindsight, we didn’t really need it quite yet) and a blow up bed for Hudson (we didn’t really need that either). Camping with a 1 year old is a LOT different than going camping as a couple. We started the week with a teething Hudson who wasn’t too keen on sleeping, thus leaving us with a very tired and cranky little boy.

The first night we stayed in a hotel since we arrived at our destination pretty late. The next morning we stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We got to see some elk walking in the stream! Hudson was excited at first, but the novelty wore off when he discovered there were rocks and sticks to play with. After walking around a bit, we headed up to Gatlinburg to get our groceries and then begin our hiking adventures.

Our first adventure was driving through Cade’s Cove. We stopped at John Oliver’s Cabin to do a little hiking (and playing in the water). Our neighbors were so sweet and let us borrow their hiking carrier so Hudson didn’t have to walk the whole time. It was a lifesaver and Hudson absolutely loved it!

After that, we drove the rest of the loop around Cade’s Cove. It was beautiful! We even got to see a few bears (from the safety of our car)! We also stopped and explored the mill and let Hudson run around a bit.

That night, we set up camp in a beautiful campground right next to a stream. We had a very tired and still teething Hudson on our hands when we stopped to set up camp, so we didn’t quite get around to setting up a campfire (thank goodness other people did so we could still smell a campfire!). Hudson was also a little afraid of the inside of the tent that night, though we aren’t quite sure why. You could say he was not a happy camper (see what I did there?). Even though it was a rough night, we got some pretty awesome cuddles out of it so it wasn’t all bad.

The next morning when we woke up, we decided to do a little hiking and exploring and then head back home instead of camping another night. We started the day with a drive through the Blue Ridge Parkway and saw some pretty amazing sites! The husband got to hike to Clingman’s Dome (the highest point in North Carolina and Tennessee), while I waited in the car with Hudson, who decided to take a nap on the way there. After that, we made our way to see Mingus Mill and stop by the Oconaluftee Visitor Center one more time to get a book for Hudson and have a picnic.

Our last stop before heading home was Crabtree Falls. The husband camped there as a child (and had the campground been open, I think we would have convinced ourselves to camp another night). There, we hiked to a gorgeous waterfall! I missed the sign at the beginning that said it was a strenuous hike, so I wasn’t quite prepared! I’m not sure which way was harder- downhill the whole way there (with a lot of rocks and twisted ankles) or the uphill climb the whole way back! It was definitely worth it for the view though.

After our hike, we fed Hudson and got him all cozy in his PJs for the drive back home. Though I don’t personally recommend camping with a 1 year old, we still had a wonderful time exploring and hiking the beautiful Smoky Mountains!