Guide to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

Facts about Great Smoky Mountains National Park 

- It is free to enter and exit the park 

- It is one of the most popular national parks for people to visit 

- The park is located in two states- Tennessee and North Carolina 

-The famous Appalachian trail traverses the park 
- The Smoky mountains are not actually on fire- the smoky appearance is a fog from the dense forest of trees on the mountains

 

Staying in or around Gatlinburg, TN

Gatlinburg, TN is considered the "gateway to the smokies" it is very much a tourist town. There are plenty of hotels and air bnbs/VRBOs that surround the area so do your research when looking for lodging because there are many options. 

Pro tip: Purchase your food before heading into the mountains and fill your gas tank. On our way to Gatlinburg we stopped in Knoxville, TN to get gas and we went grocery shopping for there for the week. The prices are so inflated in Gatlinburg area because you are so far away from everything else. Now we did go out for dinner one or two nights while we were there but we saved so much money by not grocery shopping in Gatlinburg. 

Additional Pro tip: Plan extra time when travelling anywhere in this area! When you look at maps of Gatlinburg and the National Park everything looks very close together and as the crow flies its probably only a few miles away but throw mountains and traffic into the mix and it will take you a lot longer. Plan ahead and allow for a lot of extra time to get around and through the park. 

There is a lot to do in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge (the town north of Gatlinburg). Honestly you could probably easily entertain yourself just in these two towns and never actually go to the park- but obviously we wanted to explore the park. There are lot of restaurants, "museums", distilleries and shops. We spent one evening touring Gatlinburg but honestly tried to steer clear of it because its so congested and it was summer 2020 when we visited.  

Bears are a very real threat in this area. Be sure to be aware of your surroundings. We never saw any bears in the actual park but we saw two right next to the condo we were staying in.  

Sugarlands Visitor Center and Trails behind it 

The Sugarlands Visitor Center is the main visitor center for the park. It's parking lot is HUGE because it sees so many people. Inside they have information about the park, a museum (it was mostly closed while we were there because of covid) and a gift shop. 

Behind the visitor center there is a series of trails. These are unpaved but a very easy hike. Many people with small kids were walking these trails. It's nothing spectacular, there is a cool cabin and a small waterfall but if you are looking for something with easy access from a parking lot and a creek to play in than this is your spot. Plus its a short drive. 

Recommended Stop: Carlos Campbell Overlook 

While driving on hwy 441 I highly recommend stopping at Carlos Campbell Overlook- it has some very pretty views of the mountains. Next to this area is a small trail with a pretty river where we had lunch before continuing our day. 

Recommended Stop: Clingman's Dome 

Clingman's dome is the highest peak within the park. there is an observation tower that leads to spectacular views of the park. To get to the tower you take the main road (441) from the sugarlands visitor center and turn onto Clingmans' dome road (there is plenty of signage). Keep in mind this road is closed from December-April.  From the parking lot you have to walk 1/2 mile of a paved, but semi steep trail to the observation tower. The views are very pretty and worth it in my opinion. This is a popular stop but there is plenty of parking. 

Views of the park from the parking lot 

The 1/2 mile hike to the observation deck

Beautiful Hike: Forney Ridge Trail to Andrew's Bald 

This hike was recommended to me as one of the prettiest hikes in the park. It is an out and back hike for a total of roughly 3 miles. There are some elevations but overall it is not a super difficult hike. The trail begins right next to the Clingmans dome hiking trail but you will notice that it is way less populated (due to the fact that you actually have to hike on the ground and not a paved surface) We hiked it with two 13 year olds, a 9 and 8 year old. The 13 year old's did great and loved it- the younger two complained a bit but were able to complete the hike without too much effort. Unfortunately when we got to Andrew's bald it was very foggy (or smoky as one would say) so we didn't get to see the breathtaking views that it was boasting. It was still a very pretty hike. We had a picnic lunch at Andrew's Bald.  Along the way we saw many types of ferns, mushrooms and mosses from the large amount of rain that this area gets.  Fair warning most of this hike was wet/damp/a little muddy so plan appropriate footwear. 

Grotto Falls Hike 

Grotto Falls hike is located on Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This is a one way road that winds through and passes several trail heads.  The parking on this road is very much "whatever you can find" there's not a lot of designated parking and many people just parked alongside the roads. We were recommended to do Grotto falls hike or rainbow falls. Ultimately we went with Grotto Falls because we heard that Rainbow falls gets very strenuous at the end and we were hiking with four kids. The trail itself is just under 3 miles out and back. The falls at the end are very pretty! It was an easy/moderate hike very doable for kids. 

The falls in the background and standing underneath them- the water is so loud!! 

 Cades Cove Visitor Center and Abram Falls Trail 

Cades Cove is considered a different section of the park than the Sugarlands area. It is roughly an hour way from Sugarlands by car. It is a lot different- there are lot less mountains and more prairies. There is a small visitor center in cades cove with it's own NP stamp. Most people say if you are looking for bears you are most likely to see them in this area. 

Cades cove is closed to the public on Wednesday's to give the wildlife a break from constant people- so make sure you don't' go on Wednesday!

When we visited Cades Cove we decided to do the Abram Falls trail. This is a 5 mile round trip hike to the falls and back. It is considered moderately difficult- I would highly recommend doing it in hiking boots because of the slippery nature of the trail. The falls were very pretty!! There is a gravel parking lot (see picture above) that has pit toilets and trash cans. 

Standing in the river to get the next photo                                                            

Pretty Abram Falls!! 

Overall

We really enjoyed our trip to the Smoky Mountains National Park- there is so much to do and it is so pretty. It is a very popular national park so expect high prices and lots of people but it is a cool place to visit.