I shot video for a while and was just about to wrap it up when 2 groups of people showed up. The first group had several dogs - which I don't mind - but there's a sign at the beginning of the trail saying 'no dogs'. Dogs aren't allowed on any trails in the Smokies. I saw a ranger a little while later and asked him. He said the list of reasons was long and referred me to the web site, but the big one was the wildlife. The fine is $75, so be warned.