The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is probably the most easily accessed portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A constant for much of the second half of the one- way tour is the road's namesake, Roaring Fork. A truly classic mountain stream, Roaring Fork is cold, clear, fast, and very noisy as it brawls its way down the mountainside to Gatlinburg in the valley below. Especially in spring and summer, Roaring Fork is also very green. The water and the natural air conditioning account for that. Moss, ferns, vines, overhanging deciduous growth, abundant rosebay rhododendron--all combine with the water rushing over and around boulders to create a world of green, white and gray. It is a peaceful place, a place where the sun struggles to break through. It is also a place where one can spend a minute or a day of relaxation and contemplation, where one can listen closely to the aptly named little creek and never hear the same sound twice. If you visit the Smokies and have only a few hours to see its grandeur, drive the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail on the outskirts of Gatlinburg. You won't regret the time spent in this beautifully representative portion of a wonderful national park.