Great Smoky Mountains National Park Park

Address: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee / North Carolina), USA

Website: https://www.nps.gov/grsm

Hours: Open 24 hours

Admission: Free (no entrance fee)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a large protected area on the Tennessee-North Carolina border in the eastern United States, established in 1934. It covers roughly 522,000 acres and is the most visited U.S. national park.

The park offers over 800 miles of trails that range from short boardwalks to multi-day backcountry routes, and a highest point at Clingmans Dome (6,643 feet / 2,025 m). Scenic drives include Newfound Gap and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, and wildlife viewing is common in places like Cades Cove, an 11-mile loop road.

The park was created through cooperation between Tennessee, North Carolina and private donors, with major land purchases and transfers culminating in its dedication in 1934. Land once home to small Appalachian communities was incorporated into the park and many of the original rural structures have been preserved.

The park straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina state line; the nearest large cities are Knoxville, Tennessee (about 45 miles northwest) and Asheville, North Carolina (about 35 miles to the southeast). The landscape is high, forested mountains with deep coves and broad ridgelines.

• Best time to visit: Fall foliage peaks in October and early November at different elevations, with higher ridges coloring later than lower valleys.
• Trails and historic sites: The park contains more than 800 miles of hiking trails and preserves over 90 historic buildings from 19th-century Appalachian communities.

What to See#

• Clingmans Dome: A forested high-elevation summit at 6,643 feet (2,025 meters) with a paved 0.5-mile path to an observation tower offering panoramic views across the park and into neighboring states.
• Cades Cove: A broad valley with a preserved 11-mile one-way loop road that passes historic homesteads, a campground and abundant wildlife viewing, especially white-tailed deer and black bear.
• Newfound Gap: A mountain pass on the Tennessee-North Carolina border that is traversed by U.S. Route 441 and hosts a visitor center, roadside overlooks, and access to several trailheads.
• Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail: A short scenic motor trail and network of trails near Gatlinburg showing historic logging-era structures, waterfalls and old-growth forest remnants.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is accessed from the Tennessee side via Gatlinburg (use US‑441/Newfound Gap Road to enter the central park area) and from the North Carolina side via Cherokee. The town of Gatlinburg is the primary gateway on the Tennessee side; many visitors drive from Knoxville and points west on US highways into Gatlinburg and then into the park.

Trailheads and overlooks are reached by car and have parking areas a short walk from trails; roadside signage in Gatlinburg and nearby towns directs visitors to the park entrances and major scenic roads.

• For wildlife and to avoid the biggest crowds, drive the Cades Cove loop early in the morning on weekdays - wildlife (black bears, deer) is most active then and parking fills quickly later in the day.
• If you want summit views without long lines, visit Clingmans Dome at dawn on weekdays; the observation tower offers the broadest vistas in the park but its parking area is limited and fills up fast.
• Many visitors stick to the busiest trails; consider quieter historic and backcountry routes (for example sections of the Cataloochee area) to see preserved pioneer structures and fewer people - check park maps for trailhead access and seasonal road closures.