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*Last updated March 9, 2024
Best Things to Do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Table of Contents
How Long to Stay at Great Smoky Mountain National Park
I have been numerous times and can keep coming back. Therefore, I think it is safe to say you could stop for one day passing through or you could spend an entire week and have plenty to do. I’ve included some of the main things to do, both in and around the national park.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States. It is one of the closest national park to Ohio (before some recent additions in Ohio and Indiana). The busiest season is the fall when the leaves change colors.
Additionally, it is one of the first parks I visited as a kid and I’ve been more times than I can count. I’ve included a picture of the sign, both when I was a child and with my oldest daughter when we first took her. The accessibility of the Great Smoky Mountains makes it a park that people can return to again and again.
Camping
There are a lot of options for staying both inside and outside of the park. Inside the park, there are a lot of different primitive camping options. Additionally, there is also backcountry camping available by reservation. Finally, there are a lot of hotel options in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
We stayed at Greenbrier campground during our last visit, which has the option of RV hookups and a nice swimming area in the nearby creek. It is walking distance to downtown Gatlinburg and a short drive to the national park. However, last time I checked the prices were getting high.
Hiking
One of the more popular easy hikes is Clingmans Dome, which is a short walk to a lookout platform, easily reached from the main 441 highway that goes through the center of the park. The famous Appalachian Trail that stretches nearly 2200 miles from Maine to Georgia runs right through the park and has 3-sided shelters that backpackers can reserve.
- Mt LeConte
- Clingmans Dome
- Chimney Tops
- Rainbow Falls
- Laurel Falls
- Abrams Falls
- Appalachian Trail
Wildlife
There are lots of wildlife that you might encounter. Cades Cove, listed below, is a great spot as it is more open and less wooded than other areas of the park. If you are lucky, here are some of the animals you might see in the park.
- Black Bear
- White Tailed Deer
- Elk
- Coyotes
- Fox
- Racoon
- Woodchuck
- Turkey
- Salamanders
- Turtles
Cades Cove
Cades Cove is a popular driving loop through a valley. Due to being grassland, it is a good spot to view wildlife. In fact, last time we were there we saw a small black bear strolling through the grass. The traffic pattern moves slow and during busy times it can grind to a halt. Make sure you aren’t in a rush and enjoy the ride. There are a few hikes that start from Cades Cove loop as well.
Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg is the more mature sibling of it’s nearby neighbor to the north, Pigeon Forge. Also, it has a walkable downtown area with restaurants, art galleries, miniature golf, a few chair lifts (Anakeesta, Gatlinburg Skylift and Ober Gatlinburg).
Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge is the more sprawling and raucous sibling of it’s neighbor to the south, Gatlinburg. Primarily, it is one long multi-lane, miles-long road loaded with arcades, go-carts, bungee jumping, numerous shows and Dollywood.
Also Consider Nearby
Also consider visiting Mammoth Cave NP in Kentucky, Ocoee River Rafting (home of the Atlanta Olympics rafting course) in southern Tennessee, or some other sites in the Southeast region.