GATLINBURG — With almost everyone out of school and off work for a few days, Thanksgiving weekend seemed to be the perfect time to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding areas.

Though temperatures were only in the mid-30s on Thursday morning, the parking lots of Sugarlands Visitor Center were full of nature lovers eager to spend a relaxing day on the trails.

Trevor and Gwen Cameron made the almost 500-mile trip from Hattiesburg, Miss., leaving at 3 a.m. on Wednesday to beat the holiday traffic. The couple, who spent their honeymoon in the area four years ago, was looking forward to viewing the mountains, streams and beautiful views.

"We're going to hike to Grotto Falls, drive through the park and do a picnic lunch," Gwen said. "It's even pretty without the leaves. (We're here) to enjoy God's creation."

Trevor adds, "We like to see the different sights and different seasons."

Though the pair packed turkey lunch meat for sandwiches at their picnic, they still planned on enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal near their hotel in Townsend.

"It's nice not to cook this year, but we miss the children," Gwen said. "(They) had other plans, so we decided to come at the last minute.

"(It's important to celebrate Thanksgiving) to count our blessings. We were doing that this morning. We're thankful for family; good health; the country we live in, because we're able to travel freely; strong faith and a vacation from work."

In contrast to the Camerons, Rachel Ablondi brought her entire family with her. Rachel, husband Dave, son Andrew and daughters, Amelia, Ava and Jenna all made the trip from Frederick, Md.

"We love the national park," Rachel said. "It's a great way to spend time as a family and explore. We enjoy being together."

After visiting the area 10 years ago, Rachel and Dave decided to bring the kids back.

"We enjoyed it when we were here 10 years ago," Rachel said. "There's lots of things to do. We wanted to come back and show the younger kids. (Plus), we wanted to get away for a few days."

The family planned on spending Thursday morning in the park hiking trails, though they were unsure about which ones. Later in the afternoon they were going to enjoy the waterpark at their hotel.

"We'll spend the morning in the park, then do other attractions," Rachel said. "We like to do things as a family."

Though the family had no plans for their holiday meal, everyone was thankful for the time they were spending with each other.

"I'm thankful for my kids being healthy and my family," Rachel said. "I'm thankful we have the opportunity to do these things together."

Heather Majors from Pendleton, S.C., was looking for a different holiday location, too. Following their family vacation in the park in August, she couldn't wait to get back.

"We came in August and had a blast," she said. "We enjoyed it. It was beautiful and relaxing. We wanted to come back."

Instead of getting together with everyone in her extended family, Majors and a few other relatives decided on Tennessee.

"We decided to do something different this year," she said. "We wanted to change it up. Today we'll go to Cades Cove and Clingman's Dome and hike a little bit. Then we'll eat at our condo in Cosby. We might drive into Gatlinburg to look at the lights. We're just trying to have some fun."

For Alvin Mister, the trip to the mountains has become a family tradition. Every year, when he was a child, they made the trek from New Orleans, La.

"My parents always came here for vacations," Alvin explained. "They first came here in 1967 for their honeymoon. Growing up, we came here."

Now that Alvin's parents have moved from their home state to New Jersey, Tennessee has become the the easiest destination for everyone to meet at.

"It's the half-way point," he said.

This year, Alvin's family of five and his parents spent Thanksgiving here. Arriving at 6 a.m. on Thursday morning, Alvin and his son Sam hiked trails before meeting everyone else at the visitors center. Once everyone met up, they planned to walk more trails, have a picnic and drive through the park.

Of course, Thanksgiving dinner and counting their blessings were also on the agenda.

"We have a lot of blessings in this country," Alvin said. "It's a nice time to sit back and think about how lucky we are. We need to realize how lucky we are and give thanks for that."

rosborn@themountainpress.com