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Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the majestic climax of the Appalachian Highlands, contains the largest wilderness sanctuary in the East.
The park is rich in nature walks, horse and foot trails, camping, fishing and wildlife observation. A permit is required for wilderness backpacking.
Many park streams provide fishing for rainbow and brown trout year-round.
There are 10 campgrounds, two are open year-round, in the park that straddles Tennessee and North Carolina and covers nearly 800 square miles. LeConte Lodge, accessible only by hiking, offers accommodations from mid-March to mid-November.
In the Tennessee side, Cades Cove offers an 11-mile loop drive through a pastoral Smokies scene with historic buildings and an old mill.
The North Carolina area of the park offers a collection of historic buildings relocated at the Mountain Farm Museum creating an open-air museum.
The Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail is a short, wheelchair-accessible trail that winds through a forest along a river. The trail features interpretive exhibits. Look for the tracks of a black bear that wandered across the freshly poured concrete when the trail was built.
The park's two main roads, Newfound Gap (U.S. 441) and Little River, remain open throughout the year except for temporary closures due to severe weather.
The Gatlinburg Bypass, Cades Cove Loop Road, Cosby Road, Greenbrier Road, Foothills Parkway (East and West), Upper Tremont, Little Greenbrier, Forge Creek and Lakeview Drive will open and close as road conditions mandate.
The following secondary roads are open seasonally:
Balsam Mountain and Heintooga until Oct. 31.
Roundbottom and Straight Fork until Oct. 31.
Rich Mountain and Parson Branch Road until mid-November.
Clingmans Dome and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail until Nov. 30.
Cades Cove Loop Road will be closed until 10 a.m. on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from May 11 to Sept. 21 to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to enjoy the valley.
Outdoor Activities |
