Great Smoky Mountains National Park, part of the Appalachian Mountains, straddles the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee.  It got its name from the low fog layers that made the park vistas appear smoky to early settlers, and is the most visited park in the U.S., with over 10 million people per year.

Entrance Sign to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The famed Appalachian Trail bisects the park from southwest to northeast, but there are also 900 miles of backcountry trail access to make any level of hiker happy. Largely undeveloped, the forests that line the mountains in the park are still the same as when America was first discovered, making for a thriving and diverse eco-system. When one thinks of “getting back to nature,” Great Smoky Mountains National Park is usually what they have in mind.

Nearest major city: Gatlinburg, Tennessee (6 miles northwest); Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (15 miles northwest); Asheville, North Carolina (60 miles east)

Famous for: Hiking; horseback riding; wildlife spotting; camping; backpacking

Park Hours: Open year-round.

Admission: There is no fee to visit the park.

Families with young kids will like: Participating in the Junior Ranger program and earning a badge; the 2-hour hayride tour that departs from the Cades Cove Riding Stables

Families with teenagers will like: The Cades Cove Trail for its great views and wide variety of wildlife. Guided horseback tours also are available in the Cades Cove area of the park.

Other park highlights: Hiking the Appalachian Trail segment within the park is popular with visitors.

For something different, old-fashioned carriage and wagon rides ($8/person) are a unique way to see the park and are available at the Cades Cove Riding Stables.

Easy site seeing: The park has numerous self-drive tour loops. The two most popular are the road from Sugarlands Visitor Center west to Cades Cove Visitor Center, and the main highway that bisects the park from its western entrance in Tennessee to its eastern in North Carolina.

Best hotel in the park: LeConte Lodge on Mount LeConte is the only non-campground lodging located in the park itself.

Best campground in the park: The park has 10 campgrounds. Cades Cove tends to be the most popular due to the large amount of wildlife that tends to live in the area. RV sites are available in most campgrounds, but there are no water/electrical hook-ups or shower facilities at any of them. Rates for all campgrounds range from $14 to $20/night per site.

Other Lodging Options: For non-park hotel options, try Gatlinburg, TN. Near the eastern entrance area to the park, Maggie Valley, NC, has some charming bed & breakfasts to choose from. There are also campgrounds lining the edges of the park in both states.

Best months to visit for weather: Late-April/May and September/early-October for cooler weather.

Best months to visit to avoid crowds: May before Memorial Day and September after Labor Day. Mid-summer is the most crowded.

Getting There:

  • Flying – Knoxville, TN (30 miles west) and Asheville, NC are serviced by most U.S. airlines
  • Bus – Greyhound services Knoxville and Asheville

More info can be found at the always helpful NPS.gov site: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/

[Photo courtesy NPS]

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