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Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Hyatt Lane through Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Got 24 hours? Get the most out of them with this guide. Take a hike, touch the past, cruise a view, and more.

River in Pigeon Forge. Photo by Jon Grim

Do you love to take vacation photos in national parks? We’re looking for photos that capture the essence of your experience, so whether it’s a landscape, a night skies photo, or a wildlife pic, send it our way. You could win a Tamron camera lens and be featured in a 2018 National Park Journal!

How do you pack for the nation’s most visited park? Here are the top 13 items to bring to the park.

Autumn sunrise from Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Olympic has a reputation for rain—and true, parts of the peninsula receive 12 feet of rain every year. See the forecast and average temperatures here.

Options for trails and what to expect on the hike, from a moderate walk to a waterfall to a strenuous hike to the top of a mountain.

Female black bear. Photo by Grant Ordelheide

About 1,500 black bears live in the park. Females usually weigh about 100 lbs and males weigh 250, though bears as large as 600 have been found here.

Learn about waterfalls, mountains peaks, valleys, gaps, and overlooks inside the most visited national park in the United States.

The park’s largest animal, elk can weigh 700 pounds and reach 5 feet at the shoulder.

Rocking chairs outside of a vacation home

You can enjoy many types of campgrounds inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but there is only one lodge. Nearby gateways offer many hotels and cabins.

Where is Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

The park is in the eastern section of the United States straddling the border between Tennessee and North Carolina.

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Which entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park should I take?

Great Smoky has three main entrances and a smattering of smaller inlets. The Gatlinburg, Tenn./Sugarlands entrance is the most popular for tourists interested in attractions and auto touring. The Townsend, Tenn. and Oconaluftee/Cherokee, N. Carolina entrances cater more to the traveler interested in outdoor recreation and adventure vacations. The remote Cataloochee entrance is the best place for elk viewing, and the Lake Fontana entrance gives you access to lake sports and famous motorcycle rides right outside the park. The latter is also the way Appalachian Trail hikers enter the park.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance map

The majority of visitors enter through the Sugarlands entrance on the park’s north side by driving through Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Hiking the Baxter Creek Trail near Mount Sterling in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Go hiking, paddling, fishing, and climbing in a park with lush valleys and high mountain tops. It's waiting for you to explore.

Appalachian Trail Sign inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Appalachian Trail (AT) travels 72 miles through Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

How should I get to Great Smoky?

Most people drive to the park. Check out our road trip ideas. There are four major airports within a day’s drive of the park including Knoxville, Tenn. and Charlotte, N. Carolina. Once you get to the park, you will need a car or tour transportation to get around unless you ride the Gatlinburg trolley.

Park gateway town, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Getting there can be as fun as the park itself. Enjoy these scenic drives and road trips to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other spots in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Convenient airports include McGee-Tyson, Asheville Regional Greenville-Spartanburg International, and Charlotte Douglas International. See maps.

The Gatlinburg Trolley driving through Pigeon Forge. Photo by Ron Miguel via Flickr

The Gatlinburg Trolley Tan Line stops at Sugarlands Visitor Center, Laurel Falls parking lot, and Elkmont Campground.

Where should I stay on my Smoky Mountain vacation?

There is only one lodge in the park and it has a lottery reservation system. However, there are several park campgrounds and horse camps. There are a plethora of lodging options near the park entrances including cabins, campgrounds, resorts, hotels, and a casino hotel.

LeConte Lodge on Mt. Le Conte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Courtesy photo

LeConte Lodge is the only lodging in the park and is accessible only by hiking a 5-mile trail.

Upper Flats Wilderness camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The park operates nine developed campgrounds. All have bathroom facilities with running water, but no showers or hookups.

What is there to see and do at Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Auto touring through dense forests, exploring preserved pioneer communities, hiking to mountain views and waterfalls, and wildlife watching (especially for bears) are the main attractions in the park. During autumn, the mountains are ablaze with color, making leaf-peeping season the busiest time in the park. See our list of the top ten things to do in the park and beyond.

A young elk buck peeks out from the forest on the edge of Cataloochee Valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There are many types of animals in the Great Smoky Mountains, but dense forests can make them difficult to spot. Here’s a guide to better your chances.

Sunset over the Smoky Mountains in autumn

Don’t leave the park without ticking off at least one of these top ten Smokies to-dos including historic sites, grand overlooks, wildlife, and waterfalls.

Hyatt Lane in Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

See wildlife, colorful leaves, mountain peaks, and waterfalls, all from the convenience of your car. We show you the best pit-stops for exploring.

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Drive or hike to the higher elevations for sweeping views over the park’s 100-plus tree species painting the hills in bright oranges, yellows, and reds.

The John "Gull" Tipton family around 1930. John Tipton operated Cable Mill in Cades Cove for a time during the 1940s and 1950s. Photo by NPS Archives

Before this was a national park, there were thriving communities here. See photos of the mountain people who made their homes on the land.

Sign outside of Hot Springs, N.C. It was a health resort since 1800, changed its name from Warm Springs in 1886, and was an internment camp for German prisoners during WWI. Photo by Gloria Wadzinski

Don’t let your Smoky Mountain vacation sound just like your neighbors’. Set your trip apart by staying at unusual lodging options along the way.

Jon Fox of EcoVessel talks about why he launched his water bottle company and how EcoVessel is making a difference in the lives of school-aged children all over the world.