Like these two travelers from Germany, most people visiting Newfound Gap can’t resist standing with one foot in Tennessee and the other in North Carolina. They were riding one of Cherokee Transit’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park shuttles connecting Cherokee, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. On nice days, the drivers make a ten-minute stop at Newfound Gap to let passengers enjoy the view …and straddle the state line.

Cherokee Transit’s shuttles run back and forth across the mountains several times a day March thru October. Riders can then transfer to local transit systems in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Cherokee.

Photo courtesy Cherokee Transit

Robert Davis says he’s “lucky and blessed to have the most beautiful drive going to work and home again that anyone can have”, a drive which leads alongside the Little Tennessee River. One foggy October morning, he stopped long enough to capture the above image, which later won second place in the Marianna Black Library’s annual “Life in Swain” photo contest.

Some of the best views of the Little Tennessee River in Swain County are along Needmore Road. From Bryson City, drive about eight miles west on US 74. At Smoky Mountain Jet Boats, turn left on Needmore Road. Proceed about two miles to the river.

The two most popular vistas in the Great Smoky Mountains are at Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome, primarily because both are accessible by car …although there’s a fairly steep half-mile walk from the parking lot to the Clingmans Dome observation tower.

The spectacular view from atop Mt. LeConte requires considerably more effort. It can only be reached on foot, the most popular route being the rather strenuous 5.5 mile trek along the Alum Cave Trail. From the parking lot on US 441, hikers climb 2763 feet to reach the 6593 foot peak, averaging more than 500 feet elevation gain per mile. But the reward is the breathtaking view that Shari Jardina enjoys above.

Most make it a day hike — an 11-mile hike roundtrip. While there are overnight accommodations at the rustic LeConte Lodge, space is limited and in high demand. Reservations generally fill up months in advance.

Shari is an Indianapolis photographer who’s captured many images of the North Carolina Smokies. This one was made by her husband Eric.

This week’s double postcard illustrates the perfect beginning and end to a day in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. The misty morning view is what John and Nancy Greenfield see from their condo at Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier (Photo by Nancy). And Bruce Watson, a visitor from Huntersville, NC captured the spectacular sunset from the ‘Moonshine’ Cabin, near Bryson City.

If you want to know what happens between sunrise and sunset, simply browse through the more than 100 Postcards From The Smokies we’ve published over the past two years. It’s a composite picture of small town life in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

Julia Thompson photographed this winter scene at the top of Deep Gap Road in the Alarka community south of Bryson City. At 3000 feet, the scene includes a spectacular skyline view of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.