Winter 2-night loop hike Smokey MTN. Suggestions?

I'm planning a photography hike, 2 nights, loop type preferred. The actual national park area will be my general location as it is close to my home, I'll be coming form the north carolina side.

Looking for some of the best winter landscape and nature potential. I might rent a 100-400 too for wildlife. I own a 24 TSE And zeiss 50 MP otherwise.

I'm highly experienced in wilderness living etc, please bring on the mileage, anything that doesn't require technical climbing gear is welcome, simply because I don't own any gear for that.

I get almost zero time to do landscape outdoor stuff between work and family, but I'll have a 2 night window in early Feb. so I don't want to waste it!

Thanks!

Try the cataloochee valley in GSMNP. The entrance is just off I40 not far from the TN NC border.

I've heard good things about that, I'm hoping to catch some of the Elk in the area if that is still a thing.

The elk are there. We were there for rut in late September. There are several old homesteads, schoolhouse and a church to shoot.

Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia - right on the NC border in the nw mountains of Carolina. They have wild (but fenced on a range) ponies. The Appalachian Trail is also accessible from there. Once on the AT.. Mt Rogers VA is about 3.5 miles. Mt Rogers is the highest point in VA....great vistas from the trail on the way to the mountain. The highlands is very open and has great sweeping views. One of the few places like it around the carolinas or tn.

If you got backpacking gear you can camp anywhere along the AT that strikes your fancy. Might be snow, might not be. In Feb it'd be pretty cold tho . Rogers is almost 6K feet.

Good luck choosing a location.

Thats about 1.5 hours shorter drive for me too, might help with it being only a weekend trip, thanks!