Great Smoky Mountains NP

Getting to the Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains are located on the North Carolina/Tennessee border. Before you make any lodging plans, you will need to decide which side of the park you want to stay in: North Carolina or Tennessee. The towns that are most associated with either side are Gatlinburg, TN, and Cherokee, NC. The Smokies are easily accessible from other towns and cities like Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, and Asheville, NC.

If you need to fly in to the park, the best airports are:
1) McGee-Tyson Airport (TYS) just south of Knoxville (1.5 hour drive)
2) Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte (2.5 hour drive)

Fees & Cancellation Stamp

Entrance and all points of interest within the Smoky Mountains are completely free!

Cancellation stamps are located at any of the four Visitor Centers.

Time Required in the Smoky Mountains

If you are looking for more than a day trip, I recommend 3 days minimum regardless of whether or not you wish to hike. If you do want to hike, add a day for every long hike. The smaller hikes are easy to combine with the touristy attractions. It’s easy to do two hikes in one day if both are on the shorter side and the starting locations are close together.

Smoky Mountains Visitor Centers

The Visitor Centers are pretty spread out. Sugarlands, Cades Cove, and Clingmans Dome are all easy to get to in one trip since they are near (or inside) popular destinations. If you are staying on the TN side, Oconaluftee will require a special trip that will take most of the day. I recommend Cades Cove for souvenirs. The Clingmans Dome Visitor Center is very small, I recommend this one for cancellation stamps only. Sugarlands is closest to Gatlinburg.

Lodging Inside the Smoky Mountains

Unfortunately, there are no hotels, cabins, or short-term rentals inside the park, except LeConte Lodge. The only way to get to the lodge is to hike a minimum of 5 miles. Advanced reservations are a must, as it fills up almost a year in advance. If you wish you stay in the park, your only other option is to camp.

Camping Inside the Smoky Mountains

There are 10 campgrounds in the Smokies. None of them offer showers, electrical, or water hookups. If you plan on tent camping and need a shower, you will have to go to a facility in a nearby town that offers showers. Here are links to some of the more popular campgrounds, all on the National Park Service website.

Must-do’s while in the Smoky Mountains

Cades Cove

There is so much human history in Cades Cove. Sometimes driving tours can get a little mundane because they end up being mostly monuments. However, there are many buildings and cool things to explore in Cades Cove. There’s also a Visitor Center and gift shop. If you are interested in seeing every part of Cades Cove, this will take you most of the day. I was able to squeeze in Spruce Flats Falls afterwards, but it was later afternoon by the time I was finished.

Clingmans Dome

I did not have the best weather for my visit to Clingmans Dome. The clouds cleared when I got back to my car and I was able to get some good pictures from the overlook in the parking lot. Even though there was no view at the top of the tower, the whole experience was worth it. The walk is a little steep but there are big benches the whole way up if you need to rest.

Chimney Tops

The Chimney Tops is where the famous wildfire occurred back in November 2016. Obviously the area will continue to regrow over the years and I’m sure it looks even more different than this picture from 2019. However, I think it’s cool to be able to stand and look at where one of the largest fires happened. There is also a very popular hike in this area, but was still closed due to the fire during my visit.

Elkmont Historic District

Once a fully-functioning town, the Elkmont Historic District is now full of buildings and cabins from the 1800s that are being restored. Some are already restored and are open to walk-through and day rentals. There is a campground and a few small trails nearby. One of the more well-known hikes in the Smokies, Laurel Falls, is a few miles down the road.

I did not get the chance to visit Elkmont. It was on my itinerary for the same day as Cades Cove, but that took more time than I thought. After Cades Cove I either had time for Elkmont or a hike and I chose the hike. I knew Elkmont would require a few hours and I didn’t want to rush through it. It will definitely be part of my next visit!

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

This is a 5.5 mile one way driving loop that features mountain streams, old-growth forests, and a number of cabins, grist mills, and historic buildings. I did not get to do this on my first trip, but plan to do it this summer.

Hiking in the Smokies

There is so much to do and see in the Smokies that is not hiking. It was hard to decide which hikes to do and which ones to pass up. Ultimately, I chose one hike with a view, one with a waterfall, and one with unique features. Once I narrowed it down to those categories, I chose based on mileage and location to whatever else I wanted to do that day. These are the 3 I chose, but I look forward to adding a handful more this summer when I return.

Spruce Flats Falls

Distance: 1.8 miles (Moderate) – Out & back
Elevation Gain: 412 feet
Review: This is a short, fun hike with beautiful falls. I was there in October and the pools of the falls covered in leaves was very picturesque. The rocks were fun to climb on and around. I did this hike because it was down near Cades Cove and was easy to do after exploring that area. I don’t think I’d recommend driving that far into the park for JUST this hike, but if you are planning on Cades Cove, I definitely recommend adding it to your itinerary either before or after!

Alum Cave to the Bluffs

Distance: 4.6 miles (Moderate) – Out & back
Elevation Gain: 1,200 feet
Review: To this day, after all the parks I’ve been to and all the hikes I’ve done…this is one of my favorite hikes. I was a very new hiker at the time and this was an easy 1,200 feet. The first part of the trail is pretty flat, you are basically following the river. I picked it for its unique features, which there are many. There’s Arch Rock with the stone steps and wooden bridge, Inspiration Point (panoramic views), and then the bluffs at the end. You can continue up to Mt. LeConte, or turn around. I regret not going the whole way up to LeConte, but I’ll get there some day!

Charlies Bunion w/ The Jump Off Spur

Distance: 9 miles (Moderate) – Out & back
Elevation Gain: 1,886 feet
Review: Starting at Newfound Gap, the hike to Charlies Bunion and back is only 8 miles and is almost entirely on the Appalachian Trail. You can easily add The Jumpoff overlook for only about an additional mile, which is what I did. In my opinion, The Jumpoff has a better view, but Charlies Bunion is more popular. I loved this hike so much. At the time, it was the longest hike I had done. Since it’s on the Appalachian Trail and there is ample parking at Newfound Gap, be prepared for this trail to get busy, but it’s worth it!

Other Popular Hikes

For my trip in July 2022 I put Laurel Falls, Andrews Bald, and Mount LeConte on the agenda. Mount Cammerer is a bucket list hike for me, but doesn’t come before LeConte, so I guess I’ll have to go back a 3rd time!

Abrams Falls (inside Cades Cove)
Andrews Bald (starts at Clingmans Dome)
Laurel Falls (close to Elkmont)
Middle Prong Trail (Tremont area)
Mount Cammerer (Cosby area)
Mount LeConte
Ramsey Cascades (Greenbrier area)

Insider Scoop

There is so much more to the Smokies that I didn’t not mention. It would be impossible to do absolutely everything there is to do without going multiple times. It will take me two trips to cover all the major touristy sites. While I’m excited to do everything, I look forward to the trips where I can really dig into the park and do the stuff that’s less heard of.

My advice for planning your first trip would be to go ahead and do the things that make the Smokies the Smokies: Clingmans Dome, Cades Cove, etc. If you are doing any hikes off of Newfound Gap Road, or that are closer to the park entrances, get there early. Have patience on the main roads and know that traffic coming in and out of Gatlinburg is the ABSOLUTE worst.

Last updated: April 7, 2023