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Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN

Photo: AppalachianCentrist, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorIconicOutdoor AdventureFree

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

107 Park Headquarters Rd · Gatlinburg, TN

Why you should go…

The park covers 522,419 acres along the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, split between Tennessee and North Carolina. You come for scenic vistas, more than 100 prominent waterfalls and historic buildings left by early settlers, such as those in the Cades Cove Historic District. The Appalachian Trail runs 71.6 miles through the park, and Kuwohi tops out at 6,643 feet. There is no entrance fee, but a parking tag is required if you park longer than 15 minutes.

  • #national park
  • #hiking
  • #waterfalls
  • #scenic drive
  • #camping

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Newfound Gap

    Free

    The lowest drivable pass across the Smokies, straddling the Tennessee-North Carolina line.

    Right next doorSwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Clingmans Dome

    Free

    The highest point in the Smokies, with a 360-degree observation tower above the treeline.

    5.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

    Free

    A quiet 5.5-mile loop past waterfalls and preserved log cabins deep in the national park.

    6.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Gatlinburg Space Needle

    Under $25

    A 407-foot observation tower with a glass elevator ride to a 360-degree viewing deck.

    8.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium

    Under $25

    Ten rooms of oddities, shrunken heads, and optical illusions on the Gatlinburg strip.

    8.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Family Favorite

    Ober Mountain

    $25–$50

    An aerial tramway ride up to alpine coasters, a ropes course, and mountaintop views.

    8.6 mi awayMore like this