Great Smoky Mountains
National Park
About Great Smoky Mountains
Visited – October 2019 (#18 of 63)
Established (as NP) June 1934
520K acres (about 1/4 the size of Yellowstone)
Where is Great Smoky Mountains NP: North Carolina border with Tennessee. Gatlinburg, TN is just outside the park.
Recommendations
Don’t miss: Drive the loop at Cade’s Cove. Better yet, camp for a few nights there. Venture up to Clingman’s Dome. Hike to Laurel Falls for the views of the mountains and the waterfall at the end. Scout out the elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at dawn.
When to visit: If you can deal with the crowds, fall is gorgeous. Otherwise spring and winter both have their benefits. Summer is popular, but more crowded and more buggy.
How long to stay: You could easily make a week in the park, but stay at least 3 days to see and hike as much as you can.
Definitely check out the Photo Gallery of our best pictures.
Photo Gallery
Check out our foggy encounter with bugling elk. Add in waterfalls and gorgeous fall foliage and you get the wonder of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Link to NPS Info
Click to visit the park’s website with maps, history, and lots of great info on things to do and places to see.
Trip Report
Read about our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains….
In pursuit of fall foliage, we found herds of elk, streaming waterfalls, and plenty of gorgeous color. And we got soaked on Ruby Sue (again).
Great Smoky Mountains Blog Posts
Great Smoky Mtns Report
Two facts about Great Smoky Mountains National Park: (1) it is the most visited National Park in the entire NPS system and (2) admission is free. I suspect those two are related, but this park, straddling the North Carolina/Tennessee border, gives visitors plenty of...