Picture of a Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM

Other Resources

Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the National Parks Service website - NPS.gov

Hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park - NPS.gov

Waterfalls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park - NPS.gov

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Wikipedia

Cades Cove

Cades Cove - Wikipedia

Cades Cove - Scenic Drive

Clingmans Dome - Wikipedia

Tail of the Dragon - Things to Know

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is America's most visited national park with over 12 million visitors a year. The magnificent fall colors are a target for visitors to aim for.

North Carolina-Tennessee

2014

About The Park

The park straddles the ridge line of the Great Smoky Mountains which is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are a division of the Appalachian Mountain chain. The park contains some of the highest mountains in eastern North America including Clingmans Dome, Mount Guyot and Mount Le Conte. At 816 square miles it is the largest protected area in the Eastern United States.

The area was originally the homeland of the Cherokees. After President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 the Cherokees were forcibly removed from the land and relocated to Oklahoma via a forced march which became known as the infamous Trail of Tears. This cleared the way for white settlers to move in and logging became a major industry which over the decades caused the clearcutting of huge tracts of forest land. This destruction became the impetus for setting aside the area as a national park.

It is now both an International biosphere reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately it is also the most polluted national park in the United States according to a 2004 report by the National Parks Conservation Association. The passage of the Clean Air Act has led to a significant improvement in the air quality but it is still bad enough to reduce visibility from Clingmans Dome to 20 miles when, on a clear day, you can see for 100 miles.

The park is bisected, almost at its center, by Newfound Gap Road (US 441) and is the only way to get from the Oconaluftee visitor center near the North Carolina town of Cherokee to the Sugarlands visitor center near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Gap is the lowest mountain pass over the Great Smoky Mountains and crosses it at a peak elevation of 5,048’.

The Newfound Gap Road, as the main park road, provides access to many trailheads and overlooks. At the height of the season traffic can move along at a slow but steady speed. If they were expansive vistas to see it would make for a more enjoyable trip but, since the park is heavily forested, is pretty much a wall of trees on either side. Still, it is the one way to get to most destinations that you want to get to in the park.

The park contains over 800 miles of hiking trails. Just as US 441 bisects the park in a roughly east-west direction, about 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail bisect the park in a roughly north-south direction. The Trail passes thru the center of park and right over the summit of Clingmans Dome just below the lookout tower.

Clingmans Dome

This is probably the main attraction in the park and attracts the most visitors. At 6,643 feet high it is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains and the highest point along the Appalachian Trail which crosses Clingmans just below the lookout tower. Clingmans Dome is accessed near the top of Newfound Gap via a 7-mile road to the parking area. From the parking area there is a broad but steep paved one-half mile ‘trail’ up to the lookout tower.

Cades Cove

This is one of the main attractions of the park. The Cove is an isolated, broad valley surrounded by mountains and is one of the best areas for viewing wildlife in the park. Archaeologists have found evidence that the Cherokees hunted in the area but until the European settlers arrived in 1830 there was no evidence of any settlement there.

The road through the area is a one-lane, one-way 11-mile paved loop that, once you are on it, you are committed to whatever the pace may be. There are pullouts to stop in view the wildlife and tour the historic buildings. It’s certainly a must-see attraction in the park but if your schedule is tight it might be more of an investment in time that you can afford. The loop can take from 2 to 4 hours depending on the traffic and how often you stop. Once you are in the loop there is no turning back. The Cove is about 27 miles from Gatlinburg along a winding park road or a less direct 40-mile trip mostly on US highways that may take less time but also be less scenic.

There is a visitor center and numerous hiking trails that emanate from this area. There is no lodging in the area except for a large campground. You can download a self-guided auto tour booklet as well as an interesting booklet on the history of the Cove on this National Park Service link for Cades Cove. Traffic is heaviest in the Summer and Fall leaf season and on weekends all year round. I was there mid-week at the beginning of October and didn’t experience heavy traffic. There also vehicle restrictions in force on certain days and times that you should be aware of prior to driving to the Cove.

Waterfalls

Due to the park’s elevation, combined with ample rainfall, there are many waterfalls. From small cascades, impressive for the volume of water flowing over them, up to the 120 foot high Mingo Falls. Many of these can be reached by relatively short hikes (from 4/10 of a mile to 2.5 miles) and others can be in the 4-5 mile range up to about 8 miles round-trip.

Wildlife

Black bear, elk (reintroduced in the south eastern part of the park), raccoon, river otter, woodchuck, fox, bobcat, beaver, squirrel, opossum, coyote, chipmunk, skunk and white-tailed deer. There’s also over 200 species of birds.

Lodging

There’s no lodge in the park. There is, however, an abundance of lodging of all types in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. There’s also lots of lodging options on the Cherokee, North Carolina side of the park including a Harrah’s hotel and casino.

The Lodge at Buckberry Creek

We stayed here which is located right on the edge of the park just outside of Gatlinburg. It is situated on the side of the mountain with beautiful views and a balcony dining area overlooking the park.

Hiking

These are trails that I hiked. You can see some pictures of each of them in the photo gallery.

Alum Cave Bluffs

This is a 5-mile out-and-back hike to a giant rock out-cropping. There are some nice views of the valley along the way especially at Inspiration Point which is about 2 miles into the hike. The trail was steep at points and should be considered moderate to difficult.

Laurel Falls

This is one of the few paved trails in the park but the pavement is rough and uneven in places. It is a 2.6 mile out-and-back hike to an 80’ waterfall. There are some short, steep sections, with drop-offs, that require caution especially with small children. It is considered a ‘moderate’ trail.

Abrams Falls

The trail head for this hike is in Cades Cove. The falls are only 20’ high but a large volume of water rushes over them making it more dramatic than other falls which may be higher but the water flow much lower – especially at certain times of the year when they are reduced to a virtual trickle. It is about a 5-mile round trip and moderate in difficulty as far as the terrain and elevation gain but for some people anything of that length is getting into the ‘difficult’ or ‘strenuous’ class.

Grotto Falls

This was a pleasant 2.6 mile round-trip hike to a 25 foot waterfall with significant flow. It is rocky so boots are preferable to hiking sandals. Access to the trailhead is out of Gatlinburg and not from the Newfound Gap Road (US 441).

Other Points of Interest

Tail of the Dragon

If you have extra time to spend in the area you can take a drive around the eastern perimeter of the park to Deal’s Gap where you can find US highway 129 known as the Tail of the Dragon. Aptly named, this mountain road has no crossroads or driveways, and with 318 curves squeezed into 11 miles of road on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, it is an irresistible attraction to speed demons in cars and motorcycles. With blind curves and crests one doesn’t take one’s eyes off the road. In an 11 year period there were 27 fatal motorcycle crashes. In less than a year-and-a-half there were 178 crashes with 3 fatal. The police issued 3,200 citations during that period.

Despite that there is a website, Killboy.com, which has photographers at certain curves taking pictures of the cars and motorcycles riding the road which you can view and purchase on their website. Obviously, the idea is to catch a fast action photo. I viewed my ‘action’ photo and it looked like it could have been taken on any leisurely Sunday afternoon drive out in the country. I’m sure that leaning into a turn on a crotch-rocket motorcycle would make for a more dramatic picture. It can be a dangerous road but doesn’t have to be. In daylight, you can drive the road at normal speeds, for a road like this, and not be risking your life. There’s a picture in the photo gallery of their ‘Tree of Shame’ which is covered in broken motorcycle parts.

Blue Ridge Parkway

The famous Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from Afton, Virginia, at the south end of Shenandoah National Park, to the east entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Cherokee, North Carolina. If you are planning to visit both of these parks, as I did, then taking the Blue Ridge Parkway for its entire length is a terrific drive. You won’t see this kind of scenery on the interstate! The drive is interesting and follows, in many places, the spine of the Blue Ridge which is part of the Appalachian Mountains.

You can do this drive in two days. If you choose to go between these parks in one day, using the interstate for 200+ of the 354 miles, it will still be one long day of driving so, if you can spare an extra day, take the parkway. There are many cities and towns along the way so lodging is not a problem. If you are an AAA member their guide book for North Carolina can be a great help to book a room for a night on the fly. That way you can decide how far you want to drive based on how you feel that day.

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Just up the road from Gatlinburg is the town of Pigeon Forge. While Pigeon Forge is the antithesis of a national park it is quite a memorable sight with every tourist attraction you can find in a town totally dedicated to tourism: An upside-down building, King Kong hanging from another building, a wax museum, souvenir shops, inexpensive eateries, lots of miniature golf courses and Dollywood! If you don’t have kids Pigeon Forge is definitely a sight to see; if you do have kids you might not want them to see it because they may prefer it over the national park.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Photo Gallery

Picture of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains

Other National Parks Within a Day’s Drive

Congaree National Park Contains the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States. It is 275 miles to the southeast and about a 5 hour drive.

Mammoth Cave National Park Having the largest cave system in the U.S it is 280 miles to the west and about a 5 hour drive.

New River Gorge National Park Where you can see a steep gorge and a graceful steel arch bridge that rises 876 feet above the river. It is 290 miles to the northeast and about a 4.5 hour drive.

Shenandoah National Park Known for its famous Skyline Drive it is 396 miles to the northeast and about a 6.5 hour drive.
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