While there’s so much to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you can hit many of the highlights in one day at the park.
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States. Of course, just hitting the highlights doesn’t give you an in-depth view of the park and its amazing scenery. But by going on a scenic drive, stopping at some overlooks and pull-offs, and taking a short hike or two, you can see the features of the Great Smokies.
We went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a day trip from our hotel in Clarkesville, Georgia. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Vacation Club Apple Mountain Resort. While there, we took a few day trips, including a day over to a few spots in South Carolina to mark that state off of our list. Although it took us a few hours to get to the park, we were able to pack a lot in on the one day.
The only area we didn’t get to was Cades Cove Loop Road, but if we didn’t have such a long drive to and from the park, we easily could have included that in our day trip. Ideally, I think we would have been good with two full days in the park since we don’t typically do long hikes.
Getting There
Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border of Tennessee and North Carolina just north of the Nantahala National Forest. Some of the gateway cities to the Great Smokies include Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee for the Gatlinburg Entrance, Townsend and Alcoa in Tennessee for the Townsend Entrance, and Cherokee and Bryson City in North Carolina for the Cherokee Entrance.
The closest airport to the park is McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) just south of Knoxville, about 45 miles west of the Gatlinburg entrance. About 60 miles east of the Cherokee Entrance is Asheville Regional Airport (AVL). For a larger airport, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA) is about 100 miles from the Townsend Entrance and Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is about 175 miles from the Cherokee Entrance.
Best Time to Go
There really isn’t a bad time to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park! If you visit in the winter months, there is a chance that some of the trails and buildings will be closed, but that means you get to see the beauty of snow in the mountains and partake in some winter sports such as sledding.
Spring typically has chilly to mild temperatures making this a perfect place for spring break visits. The waterfalls and creeks will be at their peak due to the snowmelt coming down through the Appalachian Mountains.
The peak season for the park is during the summer when kids are out of school. Temperatures will sometimes get warm in these months, making the higher elevation places more popular.
Depending on when you go in the fall, you may have a chance to see the fall foliage within the park.
Day One
Since we knew we were on a limited timeframe, we prioritized the areas we wanted to see. The top of that list for me was Clingman’s Dome. Other than that, we were just there to explore.
Entrance Sign
Just before getting to the park, on Newfound Gap Road, you’ll see the entrance sign at a small parking area on the right side of the road just past the end of the small town of Cherokee. This is a great place to stop and take a photo of your group before you head into the park.
Traditional photo at the park’s entrance sign
Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Our first stop was at the visitor center just inside the park boundaries coming from the south entrance through Cherokee, North Carolina. Right after passing the turnoff for the southernmost point of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the building is on the right-hand side of the road. Great Smoky Mountains National Park does not have an entrance fee, but if you plan to stop for more than 15 minutes at any parking lot, you have to have a parking tag for every vehicle. The visitor center has a kiosk outside to pay for the parking pass, so we did that before going into the visitor center building.
When we got inside, we went to the ranger station to talk to them about the best hikes and the best things to do in our short time in the park. The boys were able to pick up a Junior Ranger book and get started on that while I got the stamp for my Passport Book. One of the rangers also had a telescope set up for some wildlife viewing in the field next to the visitor center.
Oconaluftee River Trail
The first trail we did was the Oconaluftee River Trail which runs from the visitor center, under Blue Ridge Parkway and meets up with Newfound Gap Road on the other side of the entrance sign. We only walked to just before where the trail meets with the road then turned back around. This was a great spot to view wildlife as there was a herd of elk in the field, the same herd the rangers had the telescope pointed towards in the visitor center building.
Along the trail, there were many places to walk right up to the side of the river and put our hands in the chilly mountain water. The further we went on the trail, the less people we saw. Fewer crowds meant we were able to see the elk herd from a safe but close distance.
Herd of elk in the field
Standing along the Oconaluftee River
Looking downstream on the beautiful river
Wildflowers along the riverbank
Another look at the beautiful river
An elk right next to the trail
Oconaluftee River Trail
Mountain Farm Museum
The Mountain Farm Museum behind the Oconaliftee Visitor Center is a group of log structures that were moved from other locations within the park to this field. While the grouping was recreated, the late 19th-century buildings are all authentic log structures.
The buildings in the area include a farmhouse, a barn, an apple house, a spring house, and a blacksmith shop. It’s set up to help visitors get an idea of how families may have lived over 100 years ago including their livestock (there are chickens running around the area), gardening, and agricultural practices.
As you walk through the museum area, many of the buildings are open to look into or walk into. One of the buildings also has an old vehicle on display. It was neat to walk through the area and see what life would have been like in the early days of the national park.
An old carriage in the Mountain Farm Museum
Walking through the open stable
Clingmans Dome
Our next stop was to the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Clingmans Dome. This is the one thing I remember from this park from my first visit when I was about 9 years old. Over spring break in 1997, my family stayed in a friend’s cabin in the Murphy area, and we went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
When the weather is clear, Clingmans Dome is one of the best places to get beautiful scenic views of the park and beyond. Due to its popularity, it can be difficult to find a parking spot in the lot at the end of Clingmans Dome Road, so give yourself some time and patience as you approach the area. Also, keep in mind that the road up is closed seasonally from early December through Late March.
Clingmans Dome refers to the mountaintop, not the man-made observation tower that most people think of when they say they are going to Clingmans Dome. The mountain top, the Dome, is the highest point in the state of Tennessee and lies on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. As you drive the road to the observation tower and walk up the path, you will cross back and forth between the two states a few times.
The walk up to the observation deck is a steep climb up a paved road for one-half of a mile then becomes a concrete spiral for about 800 feet to the top of the tower. It’s a steep incline the entire way with an elevation gain of over 300 feet over such a small stretch of trail.
From the top, on a clear day, you can see over 100 miles and seven different states: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. The day we went, it was extremely foggy and cloudy, so we didn’t get to see much, but we still went to the top.
Along the walk up to the tower, there are two trails that intersect Clingmans Dome Trail. The infamous Appalachian Trail reaches its highest point here at Clingmans Dome. The Forney Ridge Trail, which leads to Andrews Bald, also meets the Dome Trail. We walked for just a moment on the Appalachian Trail just to be able to say that we had stepped foot on that trail!
Once we got to the top of the tower, we spent a little bit of time up there taking in the views. It’s a very popular spot in the park, so there were plenty of people around to take a photo of our group for us.
Ryan & Tyler at the Appalachian Trail crossing
Justin & Stephanie at the Appalachian Trail crossing
Our whole group on the way up the trail
Foggy view from the top of the lookout
Our group at the top of Clingmans Dome
Fog over the trees
Wildflowers along the hike
A look into the valley
Tyler always finds rocks to climb when we hike
Clingmans Dome Observation Tower
Chimneys Picnic Area
When we left Clingmans Dome, we were all hungry for the picnic lunch that we packed in the vehicle to save money from having to find and purchase food in the park. We turned towards the north end of the park and found Chimney Picnic Area.
The picnic area has 68 parking spots that looked like what I expect to see at a campground, but instead of an area for a tent, there were picnic tables and a charcoal grill at each pull-in. The picnic area also has two restrooms with flushing toilets around the loop. The picnic area also has bear-proof dumpsters. Make sure you use them to properly dispose of any trash because Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to many black bears.
We had our picnic lunch, but the highlight of this stop was playing in the creek! The picnic area is situated along the west prong of the Little Pigeon River. After we ate lunch, we walked down to the creek and ended up spending almost an hour there. The river is covered with boulders of all sizes that we were able to climb all over up and down the river. At one point we crossed to the other side and then had to pick our way back. The boys did not want to leave this area, but we eventually had to get them off of the rocks and back to the vehicles.
In the past, we had learned just how much they like climbing on rocks when we were are other national parks. There were a few trails in Rocky Mountain National Park with boulders they could scramble over. They loved that so much we ended up going to that trail twice in three days when we went to Colorado!
For those who want to go fishing in the river, a Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license is required. Based on our experience, though, it was mostly families playing in or around the water like we were, so the fishing probably wouldn’t be very good if there are kids in the river.
Climbing on the rocks in the river
A look downstream
Trees out over the river
Water flowing over the giant rocks in the river
Taking a rest on the rocks
Scrambling around on the rocks in the river
Sugarlands Visitor Center
We continued the rest of the way on Newfound Gap Road to get to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. When we got there, I realized that looked familiar, too. When I was 19, my entire family went on a trip to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, right after Christmas. There was so much snow on the ground, and the road into Great Smoky Mountains National Park was closed as well as the visitor center, but we brought our sleds to the hillsides in front of the buildings and went sledding. I remember a news crew coming and interviewing those who were sledding and the reporter asked me to speak on camera. They asked about the difference between this and what I’m used to in Florida at that time of the year.
This time, since it was early in the Fall, there was no snow on the ground so the area looked very different. While here, Ryan turned in his Junior Ranger book to get his badge and I got the Passport Book stamp for this visitor center. The park ranger told us about the Troll Bridge as something that the kids would probably like to see. She gave us the directions to go to the Elkmont area and follow the road that leads to the Little River Trail. When you pass the Spence house, take the path on the right and it’s there.
Pretty black-and-yellow lichen moth outside the visitor center
Laying on rocks… not sure why the boys think this is fun but it’s what they do!
Little River Trail
We followed the ranger’s directions, went to Elkmont Campground, and found the parking area for the Little River Trail. The Spence House, a River Lodge that’s now available for rentals, is on the left as soon as you start the trail. It’s a large pink building that you can see through the trees. When we were here, a group was having a gathering at the building, so we weren’t able to get any closer.
We walked past the Spence Cabin and found some old remnants of cabins that used to stand along the Little River. There were some with stone chimneys standing from the ground and nothing else while others had front stairways and a foundation left from these historic structures. These are old vacation homes and businesses from the early 1900s. When the United States government decided to start creating national parks, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in 1934, the owners had the option to sell for full value and relocate or to take a discounted price but be able to stay in the home for their lifetime. Most chose to stay until they passed away.
After passing these homes and walking along the river for a few minutes, we made our way back to the trail and kept heading further into the woods. The trail was a beautiful walk with the river flowing alongside us. The ranger had said the trail to the right was not far past the home, but we hadn’t seen it yet. I started a hike tracker on my watch to see how far we were walking.
At a few points, we asked other hikers coming our way if they knew how much further to the Troll Bridge, but none of them knew what we were referring to. So, we kept walking. Eventually, we got to a mile in on the almost 2.5-mile out-and-back trail and knew we must have passed it.
When we got to a place with a few massive boulders, the boys wanted to stop, climb on the boulders, and get a trail snack. So we did that and spent a few minutes enjoying the sounds of the river with the colorful autumn leaves falling all around us before starting to make our way back to the trailhead and our vehicle. The entire way back, we watched for a small trail that would now be on our left, the opposite side of the trail from the Little River.
Remnants of an old home
Beautiful walk through the trees
Always finding boulders to climb
Walking along the river
Yep, still climbing rocks
A look up at the sky through the canopy of trees
Large rocks throughout the river
The river rushes downstream
Elkmont Troll Bridge
Wouldn’t you know, we missed the small trail because we were too busy looking at the Spence House and the Elmont Ghost Town buildings on the left side of the main trail! When you start the Little River Trail, the small path is about 100 yards from the parking area. Nestled in the lush forests, on the Bearwallow Branch of the Little Green River, is the Elkmont Troll Bridge.
The Troll Bridge is a very small stone bridge over the even smaller creek. This little hidden gem is covered in moss, deep in the trees, making it look like something from a fairy tale. Many people like to stop here to take photos of the bridge or of themselves on the bridge, We had fun playing around the area and looking at the small insects that lived under the bridge on the edge of the water.
Elkmont Troll Bridge
Standing on top of the bridge
A side view of the bridge
Looking for critters in the water
Checking for the troll under the bridge
Crossing the bridge
Pretty creek that flows under the bridge
The elusive troll bridge
Looking out for the troll
Watching a caterpillar inch its way across the rocks
Newton Bald Trail
On our way out of the park, we stopped at the parking area for the Newton Bald Trail. We had time to walk just a few more minutes in the park before making the 2-hour drive back to our resort in North Georiga. We walked for just a few minutes on this trail before we all decided that we were exhausted and were ready to start heading back to the hotel.
At the time, we didn’t realize that the Newton Bald Trail is many miles long and takes you into the backcountry in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a great last look at the forests in the mountains.
As we left, we passed by the same field near the Mountain Farm Museum and the herd of elk was still out there grazing. It helped that it was such an overcast and cool day so they weren’t trying to avoid the heat of the evening sun.
Gorgeous path through the trees
A herd of elk in the nearby meadow
Walking on a small portion of the Newton Bald Trail
Day One Map
Great Smoky Mountains National Park One-Day Itinerary Timeline
9:00 AM: Take a photo at the entrance sign on the way in through the Cherokee Entrance
9:30 AM Start the Oconaluftee River Trail
9:40 AM Walk through the Mountain Farm Museum
11:00 AM Park at the base of Clingmans Dome
11:15 AM Make it to the top of the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower
12:15 PM Back to the vehicle at Clingmans Dome after stopping in the Visitor Center
12:45 PM Start playing in the West Prong of the Little River Creek after a picnic lunch at Chimney Picnic Area
1:45 PM Arrive at the Sugarlands Visitor Center
2:30 PM Start the Little River Trail
3:00 PM Turn around on the Little River Trail to look for the Elkmont Troll Bridge again
3:20 PM Found the Elkmont Troll Bridge
4:45 PM Start the Newton Bald Trail
5:00 PM Pass the Oconaluftee Visitor Center again on our way out of the park through the Cherokee Entrance
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Visitor Centers
There are four major park visitor centers and two historic structures that can be visited.
Sugarlands Visitor Center
The Sugarlands Visitor Center is near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge on the north side of the park. There are natural history exhibits as well as restrooms and vending machines. The parking area is large enough for many vehicles. You can also get a Passport Book stamp here and talk to the rangers about the trails and a Junior Ranger book.
Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Oconaluftee is home to the historic exhibits in the park. This is the closest visitor center for those who enter from the south end of the park. Get a Passport Book stamp here, speak with the rangers, peruse the bookstore and gift shop, and use the real restrooms (not vault toilets you find at a trailhead).
While here, walk behind the visitor center for the small trail that winds through the Mountain Farm Museum. This is a group of historic log buildings including a barn, apple house, farmhouse, and more.
Cades Cove Visitor Center
When visiting the Cades Cove Visitor Center, you can learn about the culture of mountain life and see one of the only operational grist mills in the area. Speak with rangers, get a Passport Book stamp, and shop at the bookstore.
Clingmans Dome Visitor Center Contact Station
This isn’t a traditional visitor center like I am used to at most of the parks. It is located at the start of the trail up to Clingmans Dome. It has a small gift shop, a Passport Book stamp, and rangers on site to answer questions. The only restroom option here is a vault toilet.
Cable Mill Historic Gristmill in Cades Cove
Cable Mill is a water-powered gristmill that is operational from 9 AM – 5 PM daily from about March through October and is closed on Saturdays in November. This is located near the mid-point of the Cades Cove Loop Road.
Mingus Mill near Oconaluftee
Mingus Mill is a turbine-powered gristmill that can be found about 2 miles north of Cherokee, on US 441, inside the park.