Looking for the perfect day trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
You are not alone!
With millions of visitors each year, it is the most popular national park in the United States.
Whether you’re driving from Gatlinburg, stopping by on a road trip or craving mountain air, we’ve created the perfect day itinerary to help you hit the highlights.
We also share some tips you won’t want to miss, food spots and scenic stops.
One day itinerary at the amazing Smoky Mountain National Park
There are important notes to remember before you enter the park.
Even if you have an annual national park pass, if you plan to park for more than 15 minutes during the day, you will need to stop by the visitor centre for a parking permit for the day.
A one-day pass costs only $5. If you’ve been visiting for a while, there is also a long pass option.
Is the time short? Here are the highlights:
Visitor Center
Fork Motor Nature Trail roar
A scenic overlook
Clingmans Dome (also known as Kuwohi)
A scenic overlook in Gatlinburg
Morning: Fork Motor Nature Trail roar
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a 5.5-mile one-way route through the main areas of the park.
Different stop points are regularly filled even on non-peak days, so plan to start early (before 9am).
One of my favorite ways to explore the national parks is through a scenic drive.
There are many companies that offer Self-guided Audio Driving Tour In conjunction with GPS, we will show you the scenic drives of the national park.
I used these in these places MauiGettysburg, Outer Bankand more.
Navigating national parks requires a lot of speculation efforts.
Click here to download today’s Self-Guide Audio Driving Tour of Great Smoky Mountain National Park!
Noah “Bad” Ogle Farm Self-Induced Trail
The first stop along the way is an old farm with a short walk.
You can enter the cabin and explore the wooded area.
The full loop trail is 0.75 miles and this stop is less than 30 minutes.
A scenic overlook
Throughout the drive you will see scenic oversight signs (and parking).
The first stop below is Falls Branch Overlook.
There’s one right after that Baskins Creek Overlook.
Overlooking each one, you really need to only spend around five minutes.
Alex Cole Cabin
We hadn’t been hiking too hard during the drive so we stopped here to look around the cabin for a few minutes.
However, there are also some trails passing through this area.
- Grapeyer Dridge Trail (5.8 miles, passing through old houses and cemeteries)
- Baskins Creek Trail (2.7 miles each way, leading to the waterfall)
Alfred Reagan House
This is one of the more unscathed homes that you can walk along the roud fork motor nature trail.
While we were here, this was one of the more popular trail stops.
After this stop you will be led to the end of the nature trail.
There is also a general store and toilet at the end of the trail.
Lunch: Downtown Gatlinburg
This scenic drive will soon return to downtown Gatlinburg, so now is the perfect time to have lunch.
Don’t choose heavy items, but make sure you’re also well-nourishing the next part of your itinerary.
When we went, I think this had just gotten a burger from five guys to eat in the car on our way to our next stop.
Afternoon: Klingman’s Dome
After lunch, our next destination is Clingmans Dome.
Clingmans Dome was recently renamed Kuwohi, so you can see that while we’re all used to the new names they’re compatible.
Following a new gap road until the summit, passing through several tunnels along the way.
Usually there’s about a mile or so backup to get parking. 1 hour.
We just went through the line and found a place very close to the front.
Others parked along the side of the road, which is kind of a distant walk.
It’s just the trail itself 0.5 milesbut it’s generally uphill.
Some stretches on the trail are steeper than others, but there are so many benches and shade spots to stop and hold your breath as you stand up.
There were people of all ages and there were all the physical levels to try this hike.
Take the time you need to reach the top and enjoy the scenery.
It took us 25 minutes to reach the top About 15 minutes to get off At the bottom of the trail.
New gaps are overlooked
As soon as you cross the street as you leave the Clingmans Dome area, there is another large car park in the new gap over look.
This is another stop you can probably hang out 5-15 minutes.
Sunset: Scenic overlook in Gatlinburg
When I make a way back to Gatlinburg, it’s 30 min drive Even the scenic oversight of Gatlinburg.
This view overlooks the city from the other side of the national park.
It’s a great place when the sunset and the town begins to illuminate at night.
From here, that’s less 10 minute drive In downtown Gatlinburg.
Evening: Downtown Gatlinburg
After a day at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, enjoying the evening in downtown Gatlinburg is a great idea.
I just ate it personally Howard RestaurantThis is a little more upscale than you would normally recommend on a national park day full of hiking and driving.
But if you go, Filet mignon, Mac n cheese, carrots, baked potatoesand House salad Everything is amazing!
There are also several spots around town Free wine tastingthis is a great treat after a long day.
Where to stay
During our visit to this area we stayed Sunrise Ridge Resort At the pigeon forge.
It is a resort owned by the Hilton Vacation Club, but you do not need to be a member to stay here.
We love staying at a resort like this and can have a full kitchen and extra space while traveling.
This helps us save money and it’s very convenient when we work on the road.
The pool has amazing mountain views!
Click here to book your Sunrise Ridge Resort stay today!
More National Park Itinerary one day
Here we present more of our favourite national parks we visited around the country.
Arizona
Grand Canyon
A stoneformed forest
Sagarro
California
Santa Cruz Island (Channel Islands)
Santa Rosa Island (Channel Islands)
Death Valley + Unusual things to do
Joshua Tree
Lassen Volcano + Is it worth a visit?
vertex
Redwood
Sequoia and Kings Canyon
Yosemite
Florida
Biscayne National Park
Everglades
Hawaii
Haleakara + The road to Hana
Idaho/Montana/Wyoming
Grand Teton
Yellowstone
Indiana
Indiana Dunes
Missouri
Gateway Arch
Nevada
Amazing basin
New Mexico/Texas
Mount Guadalupe and the Caves of Carlsbad
South Dakota
Badlands
The Cave of the Wind
Yuta
Arch and Canyonland
Bryce Canyon and Capitol Leaf
Zion National Park Hiking the Narrows + Winter Itinerary + Summer Itinerary
Conclusion: One day itinerary at Great Smoky Mountain National Park
On one day itinerary at this amazing Smoky Mountains National Park, take a look at all the highlights of the park you can visit if you’re short on time.
I say there are some waterfall hikes that I didn’t mention on this itinerary, but if you want to do some of them, I’m doing it all day long so you can swim all day and have a picnic lunch.
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