Oconaluftee Islands Park is located just outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee, North Carolina. It is located between Big Cove Road and 441 & just before you reach Route 19 (as you are headed away from the National Park). My husband and I decided to stop here to relax for a few minutes and take in the natural beauty of this park, while we were visiting the area over the July 4th holiday. We parked and made our way across the wooden foot bridges that takes your out onto the "islands" in the middle of the river. Here you can relax at one of the picnic tables, wade in the shallow waters, swim in the deeper sections of the river, watch the ducks or play in the open grassy areas. The park has some grassy areas that taper off to pebbly beaches along the river, where you can wade in the water and play on the river rocks. We saw several children splashing and playing in the river & they seemed to be having a great time. I can imagine that this would be a great FREE way to cool off on a hot July day!! We also saw some men wading in the river and fishing up stream from the island. In addition, we saw several families having picnics at some picnic tables & benches set under the large shade trees in the park. We also saw a large family having a party at a covered pavillion---playing instruments, singing and cooking some lunch on a grill. In addition we saw lots of ducks sitting around the park and swimming in the river. I believe there was also a volleyball net on location at the park too.

It was very relaxing to just walk around the "islands" and take in the natural beauty of this park & the simple fun that the park provided to its visitors. I would visit this park again if I were in Cherokee, NC. It is a nice place to relax and stretch the legs. It would also be a nice place to have a picnic, cook-out on the grills, and cool off in the river.