Tennessee
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Location of the Nikonians' ANPAT 1 and ANPAT 6.
The Great Smoky Mountians National Park is the most visited park in the country. Better still it is free, based commitments made at the park's creation when public donations were solicited.
The park is divided into regions. Don't underestimate the time and effort required to navigate the winding mountain roads through the park. The main road in the park connects Gastlinburg, Tennessee with Cherokee, North Carolina. This is the only road through the park, and takes just under one hour to make the trip.
The high point on the route is Newfound Gap, where you will cross the Appalachian Trail. Near Newfound Gap is a spur road to Clingman's Dome, the highest peak in the park. This area provides the park's prime sunrise and sunset locations. For sunset in the summer (April 20 through August 20), Morton's Overlook provides the classic image. For sunrise and sunset the rest of the year, the Clingman's Dome parking lot is the prime location. The road to Clingman's Dome is a great location for wildflowers. Blooms run about 6 weeks later than the lowest locations and temperatures are 20 degrees cooler. The road to Clingman's Dome is closed from December 1 until April 1 due to frequent snow and ice.
In the Spring, the Chimneys trailhead and the Chimneys picnic area are great locations for wildflowers. The peak period is typically the first three weeks of April, when the trillium and phacelia are in full bloom.
Cades Cove is the prime location for wildlife viewing. The area has an 11 mile loop road with two cross roads - and the complete route will take 1-2 hours. Black bears - and their cubs - are the prime attraction. People spend hours circling the loop road through Cades Cove to get a glimpse of bears. The best time to see bears is in the first two weeks of August when they are in the tops of the wild cherry trees. White tail deer are plentiful - especially early in the morning. Antlers are in velvet in the late summer, and are at peak through December into January. Wild turkeys are plentiful - especially near the horse pasture as you enter Cades Cove. For landscape photographers, the area provides wonderful compositions emphasizing the early morning fog, quiet country roads, and old cabins and barns. Summer wildflowers and birds are plentiful along the two crossroads - Sparks Lane and Hyatt Lane. The loop road in Cades Cove is closed to vehicle traffic until 10:00 AM on Wednesday and Saturday. Other days the park ranger opens the gate around sunrise - and the line forms 30-45 minutes earlier.
The best book for photography in the Smokies is The Smoky Mountains Photographers Guide from Bill Campbell and Nye Simmons. The book is available onlne through the park giftshop.
Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge
Located 40 miles northeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Hiwassee Wildlfe Refuge is home to the largest migration site for sandhill cranes in the Eastern U.S. The Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge is 6,000 acres (2,500 acres land and 3,500 acres water [Hiwassee River]) located on Chickamauga Lake at the confluence of the Hiwassee River with the Tennessee River.
More than 16,000 sandhill cranes make the stop at the refuge between mid-November and mid-March. Many cranes winter over in the refuge. On typical visits in December and January, you will be able to observe 3-5,000 adult crames. Corn has been planted to attract wildlife.
The refuge is a regular stopover point for Operation Migration - an effort to reestablish the whooping crane in the eastern states. Occasionally you can see a few whooping cranes among the thousands of sandhill cranes.
The area is home to large numbers of birds including more than 20 bald eagles, great blue herons, and a wide range of migrating ducks. If you have binoculars or a spotting scope, be sure to bring it along.
http://www.tnbirds.org/IBA/SitePages/Hiwasee.htm
Access is restricted to a viewing platform during the crane migration. Birds are typically at a distance of 75 yards to several hundred yards, so long lenses are desired. Typical images of individual cranes are best at 300mm and longer. There are lots of opportunities for photography from the roads around the refuge.
Directions From I-75, (Cleveland/Dayton) take Hwy. 60N to Birchwood, TN. Go R. on Shaddon 1 1/2 mi. north of Birchwood. Continue approximately 1/2 mile and make a sharp right on Blythe Ferry. Continue approximately 0.4 miles and turn left into the refuge on Priddy Lane. Follow signs 1.0 miles until the road turns to gravel and then dead ends at the viewing area. NOTE: The signs are very small and hard to see, but there are not many alternative turns.
