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If the White Mountains of New Hampshire and New River Gorge National Park had a baby, it would be Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It was so green, lush and beautiful – I really loved it!
I want to start this off by saying that I already want to go back to GSMNP. I’ve only been once and I feel like I barely saw anything! In my defense, the majority of Newfound Gap Road through the main part park was closed, so I had to skip a lot of the things I originally had planned. For example, to go to Kuwohi, instead of taking the road through the park, we had to drive almost two hours around into North Carolina. There was also a lot of other construction going on in the park, so besides Newfound Gap Road, a handful of trails were closed too.
September was a great time to visit – I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds. Since this is the most visited National Park, I assumed we’d be fighting for parking spots, but we didn’t have any issues. The most crowded area we came across was Cades Cove, which was to be expected since this is one of the most common areas to see bears. The weather was perfect – most days were in the mid to high 60s. We lucked out with lots of sun!
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝: September 2025
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: June 15, 1934
𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Tennessee and North Carolina
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 F𝐞𝐞: No entrance fee but a parking pass is required – $5/daily, $15/weekly, $40 annually
Hike Recommendations:
- Moderate Hikes
- Kuwohi Observation Tower Trail – It’s not long and it’s paved, but it’s all up hill and may be harder for some than others, depending on fitness level
- Click here for AllTrails
- 1.4 miles, 312 ft. elevation gain
- Andrews Bald – This was a beautiful trail that took you to large opening with expansive views. Beware, the return trip is all uphill!
- Click here for AllTrails
- 3.6 miles, 875 ft. elevation gain
- Meigs Creek Cascade via Meigs Creek Trail – This is such a great hike. There are Rhododendren tunnels, multiple creek crossings and a magical waterfall with lots of salamanders. I loved this one!
- Click here for AllTrails
- 4.1 miles, 794 ft. elevation gain
- Kuwohi Observation Tower Trail – It’s not long and it’s paved, but it’s all up hill and may be harder for some than others, depending on fitness level
- Hikes I want to do but haven’t yet
- Charlies Bunion via Appalachian Trail
- Peregrine Peak via Alum Cave Bluff Trail
- Grotto Falls via Trillium Gap Trail
- Too many to list!
Things to see and do in the park
- Cable Mill Historic Area – This is off of the Cades Cove loop. Park by the visitor center there and explore the historic mill buildings.
- Cades Cove – closed to vehicles on Wednesdays for bikers and walkers; GO EARLY – lots of people drive the loop slowly looking for bears. Your best chance of seeing them is in the morning!
- Scenic Drives – There are many scenic drives in and around the park. Give yourself plenty of time to stop at the overlooks and points of interest. We loved Little River Gorge to Laurel Creek Road on the way to Cades Cove.
- Wildlife Watching – Look for elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and in Cataloochee Valley. Bear roam throughout the park and in downtown Gatlinburg so make sure to be bear aware!
Lodging suggestions:
- Roamstead – We loved this property!
- They offer a few rooms in the lodge or you can rent cabins or yurts. If you prefer camping, there are plenty RV and tent spots as well.
- We stayed in a yurt, which was so cute and cozy. It had a fridge, AC and heat. Each yurt has their own picnic table and fire pit, but there was also a large communal fire pit too.
- There is a designated parking lot for the yurt stays and tent camping with lots of spots, including EV charging stations. There is a small bathroom facility in the parking lot, with two small stalls, each with a flush toilet and sink. There is also a dish washing station attached. A short walk away, near the RV camping area is a larger bathhouse that has more toilets and sinks, plus 3 (free!) showers for both men and women. The large bathhouse also has laundry, a potable water refilling station and another dish washing sink.
- All camping spots had picnic tables and fire pits/rings.
- At the lodge, they have a pool, more communal fire pits, and an outdoor pavilion where they show movies! Inside is a small bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus coffee and cocktails. They have games you can borrow during your stay and a few books too. There’s also a camp store in case you forget anything, like firewood or ice, plus fun merchandise and souvenirs.
- It’s about 30 minutes to the main entrance of Newfound Gap Road but there are some quieter parts of the park that are even closer, like Cosby and Greenbrier.
- For 10% off your booking, use code ADVENTURESOFSUZE (I don’t get commission, it’s just a fun perk for you for reading this!)
- If this doesn’t peak your interest, there are tons of other options in the area, but I don’t know if you’ll find anything as charming as Roamstead!
Suggestions on food/drinks/shopping/activities:
- Gatlinburg SkyPark – Main location with beer garden and kitchen in Ellsworth and second location in downtown Bar Harbor.
- Gatlinburg Brewing Company – Laidback seafood joint on the main strip through town with lots of outdoor seating
Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a beautiful spot with tons of things to do, places to visit and views to see. You could go for a whole week and still not see everything the area has to offer. I still have so much I want to do there and I’ll continue to update the guide with more ideas whenever I go back. I hope this helps as a starting point for your trip!
📍I acknowledge the lands mentioned in this post are the ancestral lands of the Miccosukee, S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), and ᏣᎳᎫᏪᏘᏱ Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East) people.
The Adventures of Suze 
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