Snapshot Planning Your VisitWhen we visited the park We have visited this park and the surrounding areas several times over the last 10 years. We have always done something different when we have gone too. We have traveled by ourselves, with our kids, and with friends here - and there is truly something to do for everyone! We have only ever gone to the Great Smoky Mountains in the summer time. It is beautiful there, and we wanted to be able to get out and explore the park during the day, then enjoy some of the great things to do in town at night. We have always gone to the Gatlinburg, TN side of the park, however we drove through Cherokee, NC in our most recent visit. It is quieter, and offers some great things to do that may feel less touristy.  weather-us.com  Things to Consider 1. The first thing to know is, you now need a parking pass (as of March 2023), in addition to a park pass, to be able to stop and park anywhere in the park for more than 15 minutes. (People just driving through the park, do not need this parking pass.) This pass can be purchased from recreation.org and it costs $5 for a day pass, and $15 for a week pass. You must print your pass ahead of time and have it displayed in your car, along with a license number. Staff will not print your ticket, and will not accept digital versions. The parking pass is not location specific, but does need to be displayed while in the park. 2. There is so much to do around this National Park. It is the most visited park in America, so plan for crowds and others to be using the space. 3. Because there is so much to do, use the Smokies Travel Hub App to help you organize and plan your trip. It is overwhelming the amount of things there is to do in the area, so planning ahead can help you prioritize and organize your days. Click on the image to the right to download the app on Apple device. 4. The Junior Ranger program is a little different than other parks we have been to. You need to purchase a book for $4.50. You only need one per family to complete and then turn in. Each child in the family will receive their junior ranger badge for a turned in book. Honestly, this is one of the best Junior Ranger books we have seen. I love that they consulted with Cherokee Tribal Representatives when creating it, and have the Indigenous language woven throughout the book and park signs. 5. Be aware that part of the park is in Tennessee, and I would say it is the busier side with far more tourist attractions. If you are looking for a quieter side of the park, look into the North Carolina side, especially in Cherokee.  How to Get There Gatlinburg, TN entrance From interstate highway I-40 take Exit 407 (Sevierville) to TN-66 South. At the Sevierville intersection, continue straight onto US-441 South. Follow US-441 through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge into park. Townsend, TN entrance From the north: From interstate highway I-40 in Knoxville take Exit 386B to US-129 South to Alcoa/Maryville. At Maryville proceed on US-321 North/TN -73 East through Townsend. Continue straight on TN-73 into the park. From the south: From interstate highway I-75 take Exit 376 to I-140 E towards Oak Ridge/Maryville. Merge onto I-140 E via Exit 376B towards Maryville. Turn onto US-129 South (Alcoa Highway) at Exit 11A and travel towards Alcoa. Turn onto TN-35 and follow it to US-321 North. Follow US-321 North/TN -73 East through Townsend. Continue straight on TN-73 into the park. Cherokee, NC entrance From the north: From interstate highway I-40, take Exit 27 to US-74 West towards Waynesville. Turn onto US-19 and proceed through Maggie Valley to Cherokee. Turn onto US-441 North at Cherokee and follow the road into the park. From the south: Follow US-441/US-23 North. At Dillsboro merge on US-74 West/US-441 North. At Exit 74 merge onto US-441. Follow US-441 through Cherokee and into the park. Additional Maps provided by the Park Where to Stay Inside the Park LeConte Lodge Located atop Mount LeConte, this rustic lodge offers breathtaking views and a unique experience. Guests stay in cabins without electricity but with comfortable beds and home-cooked meals. Note that reservations need to be made well in advance due to limited availability through www.lecontelodge.com, email at [email protected], or phone (865)429-5704. This is the only lodging offered within the park between March-November. It is about a 5-8 mile hike depending on where you begin to reach the facilities. Campgrounds Inside the Park There are 10 different campgrounds available in the park. Below is a list of the campgrounds you can reserve ahead of time through recreation.org.
Outside the Park Gatlinburg, Townsend, Pigeon Forge, Cherokee, Bryson City These nearby towns offer a wide range of lodging options, including hotels, cabins, and vacation rentals. They serve as excellent base camps for exploring the park and provide various amenities and dining choices. Camp Leconte We stayed in a safari tent at Camp Leconte, right outside of Gatlinburg. This was a quiet location, but easy to get to all the attractions located in Gatlinburg. They have tent sites that start at $36/night, RV sites that start at $78/night, Retro campers that start at $135/night, Safari tents that start at $166/night, and a treehouse that starts at $187/night.  The view from our rental (to the right) Cabin Rental We have stayed with friends before and rented one of the gorgeous cabins that overlook the Smoky Mountains. There are so many options for rentals in Tennessee, depending on location and size of property needed. We rented through one of the rentals on the linked website, but I can't remember which one. We knew we wanted to have a place that looked out over the mountains, and found a great place in Pigeon Forge. It was actually closer to Gatlinburg attractions, so we spent most of our time in Gatlinburg. Dancing Bear Lodge Located near the park's Townsend entrance, this charming lodge provides a luxurious and relaxing experience, featuring well-appointed rooms, a spa, and fine dining. There are a variety of options for rentals and accomodations, ranging from $245-$450 per night. Click on the link above to look over what they all have to offer here. Teneessee Visitor Center WebsitesNorth Carolina Visitor Center Websites  Treetop Walk - Anakeesta What We Did Our Most Recent Visit One of the first things we do when we get to a National Park is track down the visitor center. We do this because we can check in with the rangers, get our junior ranger packets, and see if there are any weather or park updates we need to know about. We also get a map and start to make a plan of how we want to proceed with the day. So, we headed to Sugarland Visitor Center, which is considered the gateway to Smoky Mountains National Park. It is between Gatlinburg, TN and the park, and considered the main visitor center of the four in the park. This place was very busy! There are three other visitor centers for the park at different locations. We have not been to the other ones, but in my experience, most are smaller than the main visitor center. Even though it was busy, we were able to get our questions answered, learn about the unique ranger program they have in the Smokies, and make our plans for the day. From the Sugarland Visitor Center, we decided to head to Cades Cove. There is a lot to see on this scenic drive, and learn about some of the history of the park. The historic buildings used and still standing offer a glimpse at what life in the Smoky Mountains used to be like. It was great to be able to get out and walk around this area. After this drive, we decided to head into Gatlinburg, TN. We headed to the Anakeesta attraction, right in downtown Gatlinburg. This place offers so many cool things to do for families. Anakeesta is a mountain top experience in the city, and there are multiple restaurants, a tap room, outdoor seating, shopping, and a couple of "rides" or "experiences" you can do while you are on the mountain. For the adventurous, you can ride the chairlift up and down the mountain, with limited gondolas for those not comfortable on the chairlift. There is also a tram that will drive you to the top of the mountain. There are additional costs with visiting a place like this, but I am so glad that we did. The thing that drew our attention was the treetop walk. This walk is so fun, and easy! My almost 2 year old did it easily, even though my nerves were off the charts. We did it in the evening, and then again right before we left after it was dark. It is included in your admission ticket. While we were on the mountain, we actually saw the most bears of our whole trip, as they use the mountaintops to get through the cities. We saw a mom and her two cubs, then two other bears while we were there. This is an experience I would highly recommend for anyone who is planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains. We learned that Anakeesta means "a place of high ground" in Cherokee, and you will see the name fits well here after visiting. After our evening at Anakeesta, we returned to our Safari tent at Camp LeConte (about 10 minutes from downtown near the Greenbrier area of the park). We decided we wanted to feel like we were outdoors here, but weren't prepared to bring our camping gear for a longer trip. This was a happy medium here, and also offered a quiet night on the front porch. The next day we were heading to our friend's lake house in Georgia. We decided to drive the Newfound Gap along Hwy 441 through the middle of the park. If you visit the park, you need to add this to your plans! The views and overlooks are stunning here. There are tunnels, waterfalls, and hiking all through this road. You drive up the summit of the mountain, and then back down. It feels like you are in the clouds at top and understand why they call it the Smoky Mountains with the way the peaks are covered in clouds. It also takes you to the North Carolina part of the part by Cherokee. This part of the park is quieter and has a completely different feeling than the Tennessee side. If you are looking for a quieter trip, I would look into the Cherokee area over the Gatlinburg area. There are some great hikes along this trail as well that we have done in the past, or I have flagged to do in a future trip. I would recommend the Laurel Falls hike or Clingmans Dome hike. These 1.5-2.5 mile hikes should be easy for most people and kids should be able to complete them as well.       In Previous Visits In previous trips to the Great Smoky Mountains, we have done similar things. One thing we did that was unplanned, but a great day was explore the Greenbrier area with friends. We found a spot to hike and fish here along a creek. I wish I could remember the name of the creek, but we were the only ones on the path that day, and enjoyed exploring this quieter part of the park. We brought along some food for a picnic while we were in this area as well. We probably spent more time just hanging out along the creek than we did actually hiking after we found a great spot for lunch. We also hiked Laurel Falls with our friends. This was clearly a more popular trail in the park on the main highway. It is about a mile hike to reach the waterfall, with a slight incline, but well maintained trails. When you reach the waterfall, you will realize why it is so popular. Many people cool off in the pools here before heading back. You can scramble over rocks as well to see different views of the falls. Another thing we did while in Gatlinburg was to visit the local brewery. Smoky Mountain Brewery had a fun atmosphere, and we got to try some new things we hadn't tried before. They also had beautiful grounds surrounding the building. It was a nice break from the outdoors and a good resting place. Things to Do Still Even with visiting here multiple times, we always just had it as a short stopping point before heading on to the next thing. Here a couple more things I would still like to see in the park in the future. Clingmans Dome - 1.2 mile hike (round trip) to a lookout tower near the summit of the mountains. Weather can change quickly here and viewing can be compromised. Midnight Hole via Big Creek Trail - A swimming hole that is about a 3 mile (round trip) hike along the Big Creek Trail. Deep Creek Loop Trail (3 Waterfalls) - There are three waterfalls to stop at along this trail. It is about 5 miles (round trip) to complete this moderate loop. Firefly Viewing This is a lottery ticketed event for a couple weeks during late May or early June. There are 19 species of fireflies and they synchronize their flashing patterns in the Southern Appalachians. Where this fit in our Road Trip In our Southeast US road trip, this was the second stop of the 18-day trip. We usually stop here on our way to or coming back from a final destination. It offers a lot to do and see, and is a good halfway spot for most of our trips. We have also stopped in Asheville, NC as a stopping point of road trips, which is not very far from this park. Asheville is another place that has something for everyone. NPS App and All Trails Maps I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking. There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful. These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere. The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information.
Don't forget to follow along on Instagram @wanderlust_with_three
0 Comments
|
RSS Feed