Hi,

We just placed our first box. Here's the info:

The Allens' Deep Creek Letterbox

This box is located in Deep Creek Campground in the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park next to Bryson
City, NC, in Swain County. It was placed August 21,
2002.

Enter the park at the entrance to Deep Creek
Campground. There is a private business in Bryson City
called Creekside Tubing right at the entrance. By the
way, they have great food and service if you go when
they're open, from May 31 through Labor Day. Pick a
tube up here too ($2-$3) so you can tube down Deep
Creek after your find.

Drive straight through and don't turn right to go to
the tenting area, unless you want to tent. The price
is $14...great deal, friendly camp host, clean
bathrooms, but frequent bear visitation. (Leave all
food, soap, & shampoo in your car overnight and throw
all trash in the dumpster!)

You will eventually come to a parking lot. Not the big
one beside the creek on your right, but the one
further up on your left. You'll know if you've gone
too far because you will come to a gate you can't pass
with a car. It's a path used by tubers, hikers, and
joggers.

The parking lot you find will have a 0.3 mile trail to
Juney Whank Falls leading off the back of it. Follow
the signs until you come to the falls and a log
bridge. And I do mean a log bridge...one log. In case
you ended up at the falls and bridge using a different
route, look at it this way - if you are looking at the
front of the bridge, you need to be on the left side
end. So, standing at that end, look to your far right
at a group of large rocks just right for sitting.
Climb over the rocks and to your near left, just a few
feet down the slope, will be a rock leaning against the base of
a tree, with the top of it embedded in the tree. Look
behind this rock and under some more and you should
find the Deep Creek Letterbox. We carved this stamp
around the fire while camping here.

***This is a much traveled trail. Be careful to find
and hide the box as secretly as possible.***

Stay awhile and visit the park. Many families,
including ours, have made it a tradition to return
each year. It's great for camping, tubing, picnicking,
hiking, and ranger talks. A couple of last
warnings...when tubing, always wear water or tennis
shoes to fend off rocks and peruse all sunny rocks as
you go down...they make great tanning beds for snakes.
:)

Have Fun!
The Allens