6 Days: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

After 2 days at Pensacola Beach, my family continued our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I thought this Park was unique because not only are there no entrance fees collected, there are no cabins or hotels inside the Park. The only accommodation within the Park is camping. Camping in the summer heat is definitely not my thing though so we opted to stay in the surrounding towns that offered ease of access into the Park.

Where We Stayed

Whittier, North Carolina - The Smoky Mountains spans both Tennessee and North Carolina so we decided to spend a few days in both states. Whittier is your typical little country town and is located within 30 minutes of several amazing hikes and within 10 minutes of Cherokee, North Carolina. My family rented the most adorable cabin up on a hill. The cabin faced the river and had a porch swing and a gazebo. We spent both nights gazing out over the calm waters and enjoying the fresh mountain air.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee - It is CROWDED in Gatlinburg. Be prepared for the ultimate tourist town! There is one main street in Gatlinburg lined with cheesy gift shops, classic restaurants, and touristy attractions such as a Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Surrounding the main street, there are several different condos, home rentals, and hotels. We stayed in the Laurel Inn Condominiums so that we could have multiple bedrooms and a kitchen for cooking. The pool was a nice perk as well!

Where We Ate

Our family chose to bring our own food and cook in our condo for most of our meals because food in the area was expensive and to be honest, nothing amazing. It is a tourist hot spot after all. But, we did eat out for 2 meals just to experience the local cuisine!

Bones BBQ - The BBQ at Bones doesn’t compare to any Texas barbecue spot I’ve eaten at, but for food in a tourist town it isn’t bad at all. They have 4 sauces (BBQ, Vinegar, Mustard, Bourbon BBQ) that are fantastic and a great complement for their meat. We ordered the pork special, which included the pork ribs, pulled pork, and pork sausage as well as the chopped brisket. The meat is nothing special, but still makes for a yummy lunch.

Slice Pizza Bakery - Stop by Slice if you want a large (and I mean large) slice of pizza that costs $7. Its overpriced, but it hits the spot when you just want a cheesy, hot, garlicky slice of pizza.

What We Did

Big Creek Expeditions White Water Rafting - Get ready for a wet 1.5 hour adventure on the upper Pigeon River. This white water rafting experience allows you to experience both Class 3 and Class 4 rapids as well as the calmer Class 1 and Class 2 rapids. While this adventure doesn’t compare to my white water rafting trips in Costa Rica, it was awesome having our own boat with a private guide and making memories with my sisters. We got soaked within the first minutes of starting the trip and it got more and more wet as we went. Big Creek Expeditions is located about 45 minutes from Gatlinburg and costs $35 per person.

Climbworks Ziplining - Such an amazing experience! Climbworks has two zipling options- treetop and mountain top. The tree top option has 9 zipline and takes place lower among the trees. However, due to Covid-19, this options was unavailable because social distancing isn’t possible on those platforms. So we did the mountain top zipline, which was 5 ziplines, soars over the the trees, and provides the best 360 view of the Smoky Mountains. Skip the observation decks and go with this zipline instead! It’s a perfect combination of adventure and scenery. Our zipline adventure began and ended with a 10 minute ATV ride up the mountain- this was my first time in an ATV and it was so fun! We made our way across 5 different ziplines of varying lengths, walked 2 suspension bridges, and belayed our way down a high platform. The service is impeccable- highly recommend! Climbworks is located 20 minutes from Gatlinburg and costs about $100 per person.

Smokemont Horse Back Riding - There are several horseback riding options in the Smoky Mountain area, but Smokemont is located a 5 minute drive from Cherokee, NC which makes it an ideal stop after a morning of hiking the trails in the area. Trail rides last about 1 hour and cost $35 per person. The trail usually includes crossing the river, but due to the height of the river that day, we missed out on that portion and instead had a beautiful trail ride in the mountains. The horses are calm and stable, although they walked a bit slow in my opinon, but safety first right?

Clingman’s Dome - The Dome is a free 360 viewing platform that is reached by a 30 minute uphill walk on a paved road. It is crowded here due to the ease of accessibility so arrive early. It is one of the main attractions of the Smoky Mountains National Park and is worth a quick stopover. Although, I thought the views from our ziplining adventure was way better, the Clingman’s Dome views are pretty amazing as well. And its free!

Chimney Top Hike - Water is a necessity on this hike. The trail goes straight up the side of the mountain on several flights of stairs. It’s basically an extreme version of the Stairmaster. You’ll get a great workout, but yes it is tiring and can be difficult for some. The views at the top are worth the trek though! The trail is 3.3 miles roundtrip, but gains an elevation of about 1400 feet. The original peak of the mountain are now closed from access due to a wildfire in 2016. So the new viewing area and the end of the hike is actually a quarter mile below the original summit. Our zipline guides told us that locals frequently jump the gate the blocks the pathway to the summit, but in my opinion, the summit is blocked for a reason… its dangerous.

Laurel Falls Hike - This was probably the easiest hike we did on the trip. The trail is about 2 miles roundtrip and there is little elevation gain. The hike culminates in a waterfall that has an upper and lower section that is split by the trail. Laurel Falls is extremely popular with visitors so you know what that means- limited parking and crowds. Come early!

Alum Cave Hike - Beware, this hike gets packed fast. As in the parking lot is completely filled and the overflow parking on the side of the road is packed before noon. So if this hike is on your list, make sure to arrive as early as possible! It is a moderately steep in and out hike and the cave is located about 3 miles in. This is where we decided to turn back, but the hike actually continues up further and includes a teahouse stop in the mountains. The Cave is the perfect stop to have lunch so be sure to pack a sandwich and snacks!

Appalachian Trail/Charlie’s Bunion Hike - Charlie’s Bunion was probably the least crowded hike on our trip, which wasn’t surprising considering the hike is 10 miles roundtrip. Definitely not for the faint hearted! My legs were so sore after this hike. Our family took about 5 hours to complete the hike, although we did stop several times including once for lunch. Charlie’s Bunion is part of the famous Appalachian Trail that actually extends from the Carolinas to Maine. Kudos to whoever can complete that entire trail! Because of the length of the Appalachian Trail, there are actually shelters along the route for hikers to sleep under. We were able to check out one of these shelters along our hike and it was cool getting a glimpse of what these hikers endure to achieve their goal.

Cades Cove Loop Road Scenic Drive

Scenic drives always seem like a huge usage of gas to me and with all the starting and stopping of cars, kind of a nuisance. But the Cades Cove drive was actually really interesting and involved even a little history. There are so many stopping points on the side of the road that you can pull over and just enjoy the scenery at. I saw families having entire picnics on the side of the road, all while staring out at the clear blue skies and rolling green mountains. We also stopped at a few historical churches that had been used by worshippers who lived among the mountains. Overall, it was a really great few hours to just drive slowly and enjoy nature’s beauty.

Explore Gatlinburg Main Street

Gatlinburg is the ultimate tourist town. There’s the obvious observation tower(s), the kitschy mini theme park, the obligatory Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and tons of mediocre restaurants. If being the classic tourist is your speed, then spending your vacation in town will definitely delight you. Personally, after an hour and a half of wandering around amidst the crowds of (unmasked) people and buying my standard vacation souvenirs (magnet and postcard of course!), I had had enough.

Our family has been to so many National Parks now over the years- The Smoky Mountains was a great one! Let me know in the comments if you guys have any other National Park suggestions!