The Complete Smoky Mountains Adventure: 5 day itinerary
- christopherwanstal
- Sep 26, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 10
5 day itinerary
Many people are surprised when they hear that Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the entire system! Part of that is due to its location - at just 3.5 hours from downtown Charlotte & Atlanta, and 4 hours from Nashville & central Tennessee. But above that, the Smokies are a stunning location, with rolling Appalachians, the beautiful nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, and hikes amongst woodland leading to rivers, ponds and views.
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Day 1
To make the most of your trip to Great Smoky Mountains NP, there's a few options of where to stay. You can apply for a permit to camp inside the park itself, but most people stay in one of two towns. Asheville, NC, to the east, is quieter, hosting a rising art scene and plenty of popular food options, but is 30-60 minutes from the parks various entrances. Alternatively Gatlinburg, TN, to the west, is a popular holiday resort with more hotels, an amusement park & aquarium, whilst being right on the doorstep of the park. It depends on what sort of environment you would prefer, largely for the evenings, as both provide good access to the park! Naturally when planning your trip, identify what areas of the park you'd like to focus on, which may help you to then decide where to stay! This itinerary has activities throughout, so both Asheville and Gatlinburg are fine choices!
Early on you'll witness your stunning location on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee by driving Newfound Gap Road. Turn off halfway along and drive up towards Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park at 6634ft. By the visitor centre is a large observation tower giving 360 degree views of the park. Being the third highest point east of the Mississippi, it's a must stop on the trip! It can be one of the busier locations in the park though, so if it's a bit overcrowded, then consider a challenging hike 8.0 mile round-trip hike to Charlie's Bunion - along the famous Appalachian Trail!
In the afternoon, head north towards Gatlinburg to spend some time there, especially if you're staying in Asheville. Close to the border of the park is Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a 5.5-mile-long, one-way loop road that offers rushing mountain streams, glimpses of old-growth forest, and a number of well-preserved log cabins, gristmills, and other historic buildings.
Gatlinburg itself has plenty of shops, bars and activities. One of our favourites is spending a couple of hours soaring through the trees on a zip-line adventure. Or if you are looking for a different way to relax, then taste some of Tennessee's famous moonshine on a Wine & Shine Walking Tour.
Day 2
Enjoy a longer hike or two today, with a few options available based on the length and duration. Check out this NPS map for a more detailed look at all of the hikes the park offers! For more experienced or fitter hikers, take on Chimney Tops. Leaning towards the demanding end of moderate, this hike is one of the most famous in the park. Traditionally it concluded with a steep, almost rock climbing section up to the summit but it has been closed since 2016. Instead there is now an observation area, but the hike remains challenging up until that point.
The hike is short at 3.5 miles but the continuous incline means a decent level of fitness and motivation is needed. However the views from the top are excellent and worth the sweat of reaching the summit! Give it 3-4 hours to allow enough time to enjoy the views at the summit. After the hike, check out Morton Overlook nearby, which can be particularly special at sunset if you happen to pass by on your return to your accomodation in the evening.
Rainbow Falls is another great hike with a beautiful climax, at 5 miles out-and-back and a similar level of elevation gain. But the gradient is a little softer and more constant as you ascend to one of the best waterfalls in the park! Feel free to take off your shoes and refresh your feet in the cool water of the pool - perfect in summer! Black bears are often seen in the area of this hike, and while they're shyer than their grizzly brothers & sisters, please exercise caution and ensure all your standard bear precautions.
The final option for the day is an easier, flatter hike to Laurel Falls. This paved trail is also one of the most popular hikes, so consider starting early to make sure you get a parking spot. Laurel Falls is an 80 ft waterfall with an upper and lower section, and a small walkway crosses between them. The spray and shade is particularly nice during the summer when temperatures in the park often reach 85F. One of the most photogenic waterfalls in the park, it's well worth the couple of hours spent visiting it.
Day 3
In late spring and early summer, white water rafting is the perfect challenge as the river flow is perfect for beginners and intermediates alike! Some of the best rafting in the area is along Pigeon River. Navigate 70 rapids with your guide ranging from class I to IV along 6.5 miles of thrilling river, the longest Pigeon River experience available! The pickup is from Hartford, TN, just a few miles northeast of the park.
Once you've found a good spot in the sun to dry off (or just changed into your spare clothes) drive to the south of the park. Just outside Cherokee is where the Blue Ridge Parkway begins, one of the most famous roads in America - certainly east of the Mississippi! At 469 miles long, the road weaves the wider Appalachian Mountain Range linking two amazing national parks - Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah! And while the road doesn't venture through Great Smoky Mountains NP itself, the range and views are still awesome. Travelling from Cherokee, Richland Balsam Overlook is one of the first, and is also the highest point of the entire parkway at 6053 ft. Cowee Mountain Overlook just after is an absolute must-stop too, really capturing the amazing layers of rolling hills and mountains which are iconically associated with the Appalachians!
Continue along east to the segment just past Asheville - one of our favourite parts as you leave the town and climb again! You could also go straight to this section from your morning rafting if you prefer. The overlooks continue to come thick and fast, and keep your eyes out for black bears throughout your drive. Haw Creek Valley and Lane Pinnacle Overlooks offer great and varied perspectives before Craggy Gardens offers some of the furthest and broadest views you'll have seen! This is probably a good turn around point. Feel free to stop at your favourite overlook to watch sunset before heading for dinner in Asheville. Jettie Rae's Oyster House, Vinnie's Neighbourhood Italian, and The Corner Kitchen are all popular and well reviewed options depending on what type of food you want to treat yourself with after a long day!
Day 4
Enjoy a slower paced day by exploring the eastern edge of the park. A delightful trail is Mouse Creek Falls, via Big Creek Trail. This largely shady hike largely follows the river, with some beautiful waterfalls. The dimmed lighting makes them perfect to practice some long-exposure photography. There's also opportunities to swim in the pools below some of the more gentle waterfalls (with caution of course) - but the water will be bracing especially in late spring and early summer! The hike should take a couple of hours - a little longer if you make a few stops - so you should have the afternoon available.
Take a bit of time to really explore Asheville, especially if you didn't grab dinner there the night before. This town in the foothills of the Smokies is becoming increasingly popular, with the opening of pleasing restaurants, up-and-coming breweries, live music and plenty of art galleries & museums. Biltmore Estate, River Arts District, Asheville Pinball Museum & Lexington Glassworks are just some of the choices available! And while you are welcome to explore downtown yourself, a guided e-bike tour and night-time walking ghost tour are both extremely popular with visitors to this vibrant North Carolina city!
Day 5
After 4 days in the park, you'll have completed virtually all the main sites and areas - but there's just one more to go today! Tucked over in the west of the park is Cades Cove, a valley with a long history. For hundreds of years, Cherokee Indians hunted here and Europeans were believed to have settled in the cove sometime in the early 1800s. Cades Cove offers the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the national park!
An 11-mile, one-way loop road circles Cades Cove, offering motorists the opportunity to sightsee at a leisurely pace. Give yourself at least two to four hours to tour Cades Cove, and add on a little longer if you walk some of the area's trails. A 5-mile roundtrip to Abrams Falls is popular, but the short nature trail located in the valley may well be enough for you after plentiful hiking earlier in your week. Traffic on the loop road can be heavy during the tourist season, notably in summer & fall, as well as weekends throughout the year. Deer, turkeys and bears may all be visible as you explore the valley!
Leave the loop road via Laurel Creeks Road and choose from one of your favourite areas of the trip to spend your final evening and watch sunset. We love the choice of overlooks on Newfound Gap. Campbell Overlook offers great views of Mount LeConte, the 3rd highest in the park, while Newfound Gap itself is a must if you haven't ventured there thus far. And that brings a close on a memorable adventure in the nation's most visited park!
If you want to explore more of the Appalachians, check out our New River Gorge guide - with our Shenandoah guide coming soon! Or if you want to explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park as part of a wider road trip, then consider getting in touch for a personalised custom itinerary!
