Your weekend in the Smokies

3 day itinerary

A massive park which spans the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains is a perfect park for a long weekend, with an abundance of hikes, stunning views, and dramatic activities which will keep your adventure cravings (mostly) satisfied during your next working week.

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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. For this itinerary, we recommend staying towards the east of the park, perhaps in Asheville, NC. You can also apply for a permit to camp inside the park if that's more your vibe.

Head into the park via I-40 to Big Creek. 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. The hike should take a couple of hours, being 4 miles round-trip out-and-back. Factor in a little longer so you can make a few stops as there's opportunities to swim in the pools below some of the more gentle waterfalls - but the water will be bracing especially in late spring and early summer! Midnight hole, with an emerald pool sheltered by two large boulders probably being the best pick! Just take caution of any strong currents.

Take a bit of time to really explore your base of Asheville in the afternoon. 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!

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Day 2

Enjoy a longer hike or two today, with a few options available based on length and duration. Before your visit, check out this NPS map for a more detailed look at all of the hikes the park offers!

For more experienced or fitter hikers, we recommend tackling 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 that has been closed since 2016. Instead there is now an observation area, but the hike remains challenging up until that point, and excellent regardless.

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 along Newfound Gap Road, a great spot for sunset if you finish your day of hiking late in the afternoon.

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 exercise 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 80ft 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.

All of these hikes should leave you some time after for man'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 the fittest hikers might consider a challenging hike 8.0 mile round-trip hike to Charlie's Bunion - along the famous Appalachian Trail!

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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! 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 quite 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 designated viewpoints, and is also the highest point of the entire parkway at 6053ft. 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 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. Make sure to take plenty of time to stop at one of these overlooks to watch the sun set on an awesome few days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

If you want to explore more of the Appalachians, check out our New River Gorge guide - with our Shenandoah NP 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!