Define Fettle Travels: Best Hikes In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina and is the most visited National Park in America. The temperature has never hit above 80 degrees fahrenheit, there are over 100 different species of tree within the park, over 800 miles of hiking trails, no entrance fees [a rarity for National Parks] andddd… the park is home to some of the oldest mountains on earth.
The history within the park is astounding enough itself, but I’d argue the views are equally as wonderful. As part of our vacation in the fall of 2020, Austin and I had the opportunity to explore this park just as the leaves were hitting peak season and truly creating a piece of artwork before our eyes. I know that this is a park visited year-round but if I might make a recommendation, it would be to plan your trip as close to the fall color change as possible.
For this trip specifically, we flew into Nashville which is roughly 3.5 hours from Gatlinburg [the town closest to the park entrance] and from there, drove north a few hours for a day visit to Mammoth Cave National Park. If you have the time, making this pit stop is something that I cannot recommend enough. You’re within a few short hours and it’s totally worth the extra time in the car in my opinion [but you can read more about that here]. After our time at the cave, we headed back southeast and spent the rest of our time exploring the smokies and all they had to offer.
As for lodging, we generally stay in short term rentals [think Airbnb] when traveling because we enjoy having our own kitchen, extra living space, generally decreased price and all of the other amenities that come with this lodging style. Plus during COVID, this definitely felt more safe than being around a standard hotel environment. Our rental for this trip was on the mountainside with an amazing view and nearly a promise of black bear sightings on the property [which I LOVED] however it really wasn’t anything fancy otherwise and for the record, I didn’t see a black bear the entire trip. Not while at the rental, not while driving and not while hiking -- though I 100% thought one was chasing us one morning while we were hiking in the dark before sunrise. I completely freaked out and jumped on Austin’s back which really escalated the whole scenario -- moral of the story, there wasn’t a bear and I didn’t see any black bear at all.
Our time spent at Great Smoky Mountains National Park brought us to 17/63 on our National Park Tour and this tour is definitely one of those things where the more you see/experience, the more you crave it!! We have so many more parks to crush which is equal parts overwhelming and exciting! Below I’ve listed out our favorite hikes in the park plus a few bonus adventures that you’ll definitely want to add to your travel itinerary.
BEST HIKES IN GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
MINGO FALLS: 0.3mi // 98ft elevation gain // moderate rating on AllTrails
Mingo Falls, a 120ft waterfall located on the Cherokee Indian Reservation [Qualla Boundary], is one of the tallest waterfalls in the Southern Appalachians. The falls are actually located a few minutes outside of the park but I’ve heard it labeled as [one of the best waterfalls in the Smokies] so we had to check it out. The trail was very short yet falls into the moderate rating because there are roughly 160 stairs you will need to climb to get to the falls. It’s a beautiful sight and if you have the time, I would highly recommend stopping by.
ALUM CAVE TRAIL TO MT. LECONTE:: 11mi // 3000ft elevation gain // hard rating on AllTrails
Seated at over 6500ft, Mt. LeConte is the third highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While there are several routes that can lead to the top, the shortest and most popular is via the Alum Cave Trail. Don’t let the word [shortest] fool you though, this hike is lengthy and tackles some challenging terrain but there is so much to see along the way, you’d truly be missing a great opportunity if you skip this hike. Throughout the hike you’ll come across Inspiration Point, Arch Rock, Alum Cave Bluff, LeConte Lodge [the only formal lodging in the park and as such reservations need to be made months to years in advance] and last but most definitely not least, Cliff Top and Myrtle Point. In my opinion, this hike encompasses every aspect I look for in the [perfect hike]; beautiful surroundings the entire way, a challenging level of difficulty and most importantly, a view well worth all the work at the top. It was cloudy on our climb up so we were worried the view would be obstructed but then right as we hit the summit the clouds broke and it was SO SO GOOD. Due to the popularity of this hike, the parking lot fills quickly and that leaves the remaining visitors parked alongside the road which can quickly increase your overall mileage. In order to get a spot near the trailhead and enjoy lighter traffic throughout the entire hike, I recommend an early start. For reference, we arrived around 7:30a and the lot was already full.
CHIMNEY TOPS TRAIL: 4.5mi // 1400ft elevation gain // hard rating on AllTrails
Chimney Tops is one of the top trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park however, due to a human-started wildfire in 2016 near the summit the original viewing point is no longer accessible [though some do choose to go around the gate]. That said, the views are still totally worth the grueling climb to the top. There are over 600 stairs to climb to the top and in the last mile alone, you’ll gain nearly 1000ft of elevation which is a very large amount if you’re not super familiar with hiking. My recommendation would be to get up and start hiking so you hit the top by sunrise because it was so unbelievably gorgeous AND then you don’t have to worry about the parking lot filling up as it’s not very large. In addition to the loads of stair and beautiful views from the tops, there are a few bridges over the river that offer wonderful views/photo ops as well.
CHARLIE’S BUNION: 9mi // 2000ft elevation gain // moderate rating on AllTrails
The trail to Charlie’s Bunion sits nestled amongst the conifers and rocky ridges that define the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Along the trail you’ll find some of the farthest reaching views in the Great Smoky Mountains as well as have the opportunity to hike along a gorgeous stretch of the Appalachian Trail -- one of the most famous footpaths in the world. You’ll want to park at Newfoundland Gap and follow the signs for the Appalachian Trail and Icewater Spring - AT Shelter. Once you hit the shelter, Charlie’s Bunion is only about 20-minutes farther down the trail. This was a beautiful hike through a forest-covered stretch of the park but the panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains offered at the bunion far surpassed my expectations -- it was almost surreal [though also very scary because it is a cliff]. The end view coupled with the chance to hike along the AT, earns this hike a definite recommendation from me.
CLINGMANS DOME: 1.2mi // 331ft elevation gain // moderate rating on AllTrails
Clingmans Dome is not only the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it’s also the highest point in all of Tennessee. After an incredibly steep half mile [walk/hike/climb] on a paved path, we arrived at the observation tower and honestly it was a bit of a let down. Don’t get me wrong, the view was great and could be breathtaking if you catch the right sunset, however it’s also one of the most popular places in the park because of said view and its accessibility. This means that to find parking I’d give yourself between 30-60 extra minutes [maybe more] and that you should be prepared to be around a lot of people. Our favorite experiences in nature definitely don’t involve crowds of people so to us this was meh but that’s not saying it couldn’t be a great option for you. Like I said, it is one of the most popular places in the park.
ABRAMS FALLS TRAIL: 5.5mi // 629ft elevation gain // moderate rating on AllTrails
Abrams Falls is the only hike on the list that we actually didn’t get a chance to do because we ran out of time. We thought we were going to have time to squeeze these all in during our stay, but it just didn’t happen. That said, it looks like a really accessible hike with a very cool waterfall so I hope that you find the time on your trip to experience this one as well!
A few other things I would recommend checking out during your adventures in the Smokies include: Cades Cove, Newfound Gap Overlook, head into Gatlinburg for some very kitschy shopping [if that’s your thing] or at least to grab a bite to eat at Chesapeake's.
Last but definitely not least, here is a list of some essentials we pack when heading out on an hiking adventure: Hiking shoes/sandals, day packs, camelback water carriers, lunch meal [for longer hikes], hiking snacks [jerky, trail mix, granola/protein bars, dried fruit, nut butter, etc.] layers of clothing, sunscreen, bug spray/lotion and obviously our camera and phones. Maybe someday I’ll put together a full post with links and everything on our [packing essentials].
If you have questions about anything, I am more than happy to help so please reach out at britany@definefettle.com. I would love to hear from you and help in any way possible.
Happy Travels!
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