Rain, Rain, Go Away
Pictures from Rachel and Alex’s proposal in August 2023 at Cades Cove.
Predicting the weather in the Smokies can be a problem.
No, wait - it is a problem. That is because the Great Smoky Mountains has hundreds, if not thousands, of mico-climates through its 522,427 acres. To its west is the Tennessee Valley, where tropical storms can shoot up from the Gulf of Mexico. To its east is Maggie Valley, its leeward side, and often while the Tennessee side is getting flooded, the North Carolina side has a light rain. And to top it all off, the Smokies are a temperate rain forest - and sure, why do you think they’re called “the Smokies,” it is all that fine mist rising from its ravines.
Don’t Rely on Long Term Forecasts
If you look at The Weather Channel or Accuweather, you can find usually a 10-day outlook. The Smokies laugh at that. I will get sometimes panicked emails from would-be proposers who looked at the forecast and see rain or snow predicted. Really, just . . . don’t. Generally, at most two days before the anticipated proposal date is a better prediction. Even then, things can pop up at the last minute. I recall one proposal where it was early May - the month of MAY - and the trip to Clingmans Dome had to be rerouted to Cades Cove when the road to Clingmans was closed . . . due to 4’ of snow that fell the night before. Snow. In May. Go figure.
The Weather at Your Cabin Is Not the Weather Elsewhere
Most of the couples stay in cabins around Gatlinburg (including Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Wears Valley). Naturally, people tend to look at the weather report for Gatlinburg but it can be misleading. I mentioned the number of micro-climates found in the Smokies. Now take also elevation into consideration. Once upon a time, it was a summer’s day in August and the temperature was about 85 F (29 C) in Gatlinburg. I went up to Clingmans Dome ton watch the sunset. It’s a great place to watch the sunset as well as a great place for star gazing. The sun set. The winds whipped up. And before I knew it, the wind chill was in the upper 40s F (just over 7 C). Clingmans Dome is at 6600’ (2012 m) in elevation. Add some wind and the temperatures drop with night. Good thing I had a jacket
Even if you are proposing at an elevation about the same as Gatlinburg, the weather can vary. Raining at Greenbrier while sunny in Cades Cove. The physical distance is not that much but the Smokies has mountain tops and valleys that can hold back weather in one area while protecting another from it.
Weather and Road Closures
Depending on the type of weather expected, it can result in the rangers shutting down roads.
Three things will always make the rangers nervous: snow, ice, and wind. Distances between two points in the Smokies can be short BUT reached only with two lane roads that go up, go down, bend sharply to the left, bend slightly to the right, and have hairpin or 360 degree curves. That is the reality of driving in the mountains. I have had Florida clients tell me how much they are white knuckling it driving in those conditions for the first time.
US 441 is the trans-mountain road going from Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Cherokee, North Carolina. That is a road that the rangers will close out of precaution nearly always when snow and ice threaten. They just don’t want to see anyone take a turn, slide on ice, and plunge off the road some 400’. Ruins a vacation, y’know? But even with roads at lower elevations, driving can become perilous.
And then there are the trees. Wait, what? The Smokies are a wilderness, meaning the National Park Service does not employ an army of arborists to check on the health of trees. Every living thing has a life span and that includes trees. So snow, ice, and wind can mean branches and entire trees coming down . . . right across the roads. That’s a big concern in summer, the wind - we can get ferocious thunderstorms but the lashing rain and lightning is less of a concern than the wind. In East Tennessee, we do not have a high incidence of tornados but what we can get is tornado force winds. Check out this video from March 2024 when Cades Cove had to closed due to downed trees:
So How Do We Handle This for Proposals?
The truth is that there are few spots available for a proposal with complete shelter from the elements in the national park. There are old cabins and churches . . . and that’s about it. There are tourist attractions in Gatliburg and Pigeon Forge, but even then, most are designed to be enjoyed outdoors, like Anakeesta or the Gatlinburg Skybridge. Possible indoor spots for a proposal would be Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies or the Titanic Experience - but do not expect privacy.
But you are coming to the Smokies for the great outdoors and that means you are going to have to deal with the elements, whatever they may be. Hey, if you’re willing to freeze/get wet/be windblown, so am I!
We watch the weather, of course, and based on experience advise clients what to expect. One of the things that can help is flexibility. Be flexible with timing, dates, and locations. Mother Nature won’t work with you but I can. And the good news is that there are a lot of spots where it is easy to pull up, park, and walk a short distance to be in a beautiful location for your proposal. Better to be soaked at a site like that than to have to hike to and from one in dripping clothes.
Safety First, Always
You do not want to be atop a mountain during a thunderstorm, right? Me - you know, that person standing with a metallic lightstand - I also don’t want to become a lightning rod atop a mountain. Or even if the roads are open, sub-freezing temperatures may require some fast picture-taking, hopping in and out of cars, rather than face hypothermia. Even a rain the day before can turn the route to a proposal spot into a muddy, slippery mess and no one wants to deal with a turned ankle because of that.
Let’s be safe out there.
And Doesn’t It Make a Great Story?
The pictures of your marriage proposal are not your engagement pictures. Sure, they can be if you choose, but chances are you will ahve formal engagement pictures made. However, the proposal pictures are the illustrations to the start of a fantastic story, the story of your lives together.
So pouring rain, freezing temperatures, or even a wayward bear photobombing your proposal - this is the stuff of a great tale for others and for your memories. Look, only very small parts of life can be scripted and frankly, that is a good thing. If everything was perfect, then nothing is special. Let your proposal be as “organic” as possible and we will handle whatever Mother Nature wants to throw at us.
Now let’s enjoy a little more of Rachel and Alex, who braved the storm: