Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Last Updated: 3/28/2024
“The Great Adventure is What Lies Ahead”
We have been raising our kiddos in Tennessee for over 18 years, but we have never taken them to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For a family that has a goal to visit all the national parks, this should have been a no-brainer…better late than never.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park was such a feast for the eyes. Just like the Osborne Brothers said, “Don’t let Smoky Mountain smoke get in your eyes. If you do, I’m telling you, you’ll want to live there the rest of your life.” We visited the last week of September. The weather was just right for camping, and the leaves were starting to change. I can just imagine how beautiful it would be at the height of fall!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America’s most visited National Park, which also means it is one of the busiest. I had hoped going at the end of September would mean lower crowds, but I was wrong. So glad we had a plan going into the week. Follow along to see how we spent 4 amazing days in the Smoky Mountains.
Day One: Newfound Gap Road
Hopping on the Newfound Gap Road offers you a beautiful drive across Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park mile posts start just outside of Gatlinburg, TN and end 31 miles later near Cherokee, NC. Along the Newfound Gap Road you have access to visitor centers, several hiking trails, overlooks, and beautiful picnic areas. We spent the whole day hiking and exploring along the Newfound Gap Road. Some highlights included:
Carlos C. Campbell Overlook - Pullout that offers some of the best views in the park.
Chimney Tops Trail - Challenging 3.5 mile round trip hike that offers spectacular views.
Newfound Gap - Here you will find the Rockefeller Memorial that is half in TN and half in NC.
Clingman’s Dome - Half-mile hike to the highest point in the Smoky’s.
Collins Creek Picnic Area
Mingus Mill - A grist mill that was built in 1886, and restored in 1937.
Oconaluftee Visitor Center & Mountain Farm Museum
To really explore all that Newfound Gap Road has to offer you would need several days. But one day gave us a wonderful taste of all this road has to offer. We definitely will be back to explore more in the future.
Day Two: Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a popular town bordering Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We spent the day exploring around and taking in all that Gatlinburg had to offer. We started the day out with breakfast at the Pancake Pantry. We arrived around 9:30 and got seated right away. When we looked out the window a half hour later, there was a long line waiting to be seated. After our filling breakfast, we visited a lot of shops up and down the Parkway. Then we had fun at Ripley’s Believe-it-or-Not.
Day Three: Cades Cove Tour
Cades Cove is a valley where nature and history can be enjoyed in an awe-inspiring setting. The main access to Cades Cove is the 11-mile, one-way Cades Cove Loop Road. Definitely grab a Tour Book at the Orientation Shelter or Sugarland Visitor Center. The tour book cost $1. Some stops we made along the way…
John Oliver Place (Stop #3)
Primitive Baptist Church (Stop #4)
Methodist Church (Stop #5)
Missionary Baptist Church (Stop #7)
Elijah Oliver Place (Stop #10)
Cable Mill Historic Area & Visitor Center (Stop #11)
Dan Lawson Place (Stop #15)
Carter Shields Cabin (Stop #17)
About halfway around the loop you come to the turnoff for Abrams Falls Trail. We reached this point around lunch time, so we had a picnic in the parking lot before starting on the trail. Abrams Falls trail is a 5 mile round trip hike. It took us about 3-4 hours to complete, including time hanging out at the falls.
Day Four: Alum Cave & Elkmont Historic District
Our main goal today was hiking the 4.6 mile (round trip) Alum Cave Bluff Trail. You will find the parking lot around mile post 10.4 on the Newfound Gap Road. The trail starts off alongside the Alum Cave Creek. At about 1.5 miles a set of stone steps will take you up through Arch Rock. At around 1.8 miles you will reach Inspiration Point. Here you will be rewarded with beautiful panoramic views of the area. The last half-mile of the hike is the hardest, but then you will reach your destination…Alum Cave Bluff.
After our hike we stopped at Chimney Tops Picnic Area to eat lunch. And then it was on to explore the Elkmont Historic District. The first settlers arrived in Elkmont around the mid 1800s. But when the land was made a national park most residents were offered money for their land. Some families negotiated leases that allowed them to continue vacationing in their homes. Presently, the National Park System is restoring the remaining houses and they are open for exploring.
The beautiful Laurel Falls!
Our last morning we packed up camp, and headed to hike the Laurel Falls Trail. This hike is a 2.6 mile roundtrip hike. It is a moderately difficult hike, but we enjoyed the exercise before riding in the car for 6 hours. We had an amazing time at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our kids are already asking when we can go back. Have you visited the Smoky Mountains? If so, what was your favorite hike? Happy Adventuring!