plan a weekend in smoky mountain national park

smoky mountain national park is one of the few free national parks left in the us. the views are absolutely amazing! we never made it to this area of the country while i was growing up but i’ve been twice now and would love to go back again!

save this info for later

what to know before you go

getting there

both visits we drove from nashville to gatlinburg for our time in smoky mountain national park. having a car is a necessity for visiting this national park, just like it is for many others.

where to stay

air bnb

both times we stayed at air bnbs in a set of condos on top of a mountain by gatlinburg. the views were to die for!

if you haven’t used air bnb before, use this link to get money off your first stay and get us credit towards our next trip!

hotels in gatlinburg

there are many hotels and cabins you can rent on the main drag in gatlinburg. this will have you closer to the action in gatblinburg and closer to the entrance to smoky mountain national park by about 10 minutes.

prices and availability can vary greatly depending on time of year and if there are events or conferences in town at the time.

camping

you can always camp in smoky mountain national park. i have never done it, but i am always a fan of camping! there are a lot of different campgrounds to choose from if this is your type of accomodation.

hiking

most people visit smoky mountain national park to go on hikes! there are many varying degrees of difficulty in the park to suit any skill of hiker. here are some options that i’ve done before.

laurel falls

this is an easy hike that is paved most of the way up to the falls. the trail continues on past these falls but is no longer paved and guided.

the falls are beautiful and it is a popular trial due to its ease.

place of 1000 drips

this is a scenic drive in smoky mountain national park where you can see a small waterfall from the roadside. there are multiple spots where you can stop along this drive on roaring fork motor nature trail to view other small springs and falls.

this is a great way to see some beautiful nature for those who are limited in mobility or if the weather isn’t good for a longer hike.

appalachian trail

the appalachain trail continues in smoky mountain national park. you can start hiking here and cross from tennessee into north carolina all while in smoky mountain national park.

we hiked for an hour or so from the trailhead before turning around. it is fun to get to say we hiked part of this famous trail!

cades cove loop drive

this drive is a very popular short loop in the park. personally i would recommend skipping it if you are short on time. during our trip there was so much traffic we sat for way to long waiting to be able to move.

the views were nice, but nothing compared to what we saw on our hikes or from the bed in our air bnb.

fireflies

during the summer months fireflies in smoky mountain national park are a sight to behold. if you will be visiting in the summer look up when they will be active because you won’t want to miss this.

these fireflies all light up in sync with each other and people come to the park just to see them. we weren’t there at the right time either trip, but all the videos of it are amazing.

bears

we also saw a larger bear just off the road on one of our drives around the park. smoky mountain national park is a great place to see bears. on our hike to laurel falls we saw a small cub right on the trial.

now is time for a wildlife safety lesson. these bears are wild animals. do not approach bears under any circumstance or attempt to feed them. if bears get food from humans they begin to expect humans to provide food and it can lead to them harming people and having to be put down.

wildfire damage

between my two visits the smoky mountains were ravaged by forest fires. the damage was evident everywhere nick and i went. cabins were in ruins and acres of nature were destroyed.

the bright side was seeing small bursts of green among the burned forest promising regrowth.

other things to do

this area of tennessee also boasts the popular tourist destinations of gatlinburg and pigeon forge.

gatlingurg

gatlinburg is an entrance to smoky mountain national park. this town is very touristy but boasts some beautiful views. check out my post about things to do in gatlinburg.

dollywood

dollywood is the amusement park founded by dolly parton located in pigeon forge. we haven’t been there but have heard it’s a great place for families.

smoky mountain national park has a lot to offer. what is your favorite hike here?

follow us on social media to stay up to date on all our adventures! facebook, instagram, twitter, and pinterest are great places to get travel and adventure inspiration!

save this post for later