Something that my husband had been wanting to do before he moves out of Tennessee was to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After our amazing (but quick) trip to Zion last year I was eager to check out more National Parks!
If you want to read about another trip to the Great Smoky Mountains check out “Winter Hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains“!
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PLANNING:
After planning and enjoying our wedding trip to Disneyworld in May, I was pretty burnt out on trip planning. On the past few trips we have taken, I told my husband I will go along for the ride, as long as he plans it. So he was pretty excited about the Smoky Mountains! I did a little bit of research (come on, I couldn’t resist!) and had some vague ideas of what to do.
Gatlinburg is the town at the base of the park, and it appeared that there were TONS of things to do there. It was pretty overwhelming. I have never seen a “Natural Park” area with so many tourist attractions right there in the thick of it. Since we were going to do more hiking than anything else, I didn’t get too caught up on the town aspect. I did see that there were many ski lift parks, mountain roller coasters, and gondola lifts that you could do. One interesting thing was a “Sky Bridge” that had recently opened. You can walk across it and it has some awesome views of the mountains.
GETTING THERE/ FOOD:
After a flight into Nashville and a four-hour drive, we were starving and hitting traffic coming into Gatlinburg. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic with tourists everywhere. We were both pretty hangry at this point and needed food ASAP! We ended up at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. I had read some positive reviews and it looked like a decent place. We shared the BBQ chicken and I got the Hefenwizen Beer. I liked the beer, though the chicken was just okay. The pizza smelled amazing though!
LODGING:
After eating it was time to head up to our Airbnb cabin. We decided to go the long way around Gatlinburg to avoid the crowded downtown area. Our cabin was about ten minutes out of town in the nearby mountains. I think my husband decided right then and there that we were going to avoid the town at all costs. This was probably a good decision, though I was a little bummed to miss the Sky Park! The “getaway to the mountains” vibe he was looking for didn’t jive with the ultra-touristy town.
Our cabin was perfect. It was part of a small group of cabins that were fairly secluded on the mountainside. It was a one-room cabin with a heart-shaped tub and a hot tub on the back balcony facing the mountains. There was a full kitchen and a basic grill outside. It met all of our needs; quiet, space to cook, and a relaxing view of the mountains. If a mountain getaway is what you are looking for, definitely check out Airbnb!
HIKING:
Clingmans Dome
The next two days were about hiking and coming back to cook dinner at night. We had a few ideas for popular hikes to do, so we started with the most popular one. The suggestion online was to do the Clingmans Dome hike early in the morning when it opened so you can get parking. We didn’t get out as early as we wanted, and it was a decent drive to get to the trailhead (a little over an hour). When we got there it was ten-thirty, and it looked like it was going to rain. Luckily it held off and we were able to see the mountains before the clouds rolled in. Parking was pretty sparse, we parked down the road from the lot on the side of the street.
The hike isn’t long, but it is steep. Many people were stopping to catch their breath while they made their way to the viewing platform. It’s a paved, wide road, so it isn’t a hard hike necessarily. Just be ready for a steep climb! I loved it because I wasn’t running all weekend, so it gave me a bit of a workout. The top has sweeping scenic views due to the fact it is the highest point in the park. There is also an Appalachian Trail access point there, so we got on that for a bit. After reading “North” by Scott Jurek I was excited to get a peek at the trail I had read so much about (check out his book, it’s a great read)!
Laurel Falls
Clingmans Dome is a “must do” hike in the Smokies, thus it is very busy. This was our first taste of how crowded the actual park is. Our next stop was Laurel Falls. At this point, it was later in the afternoon when we made our way to the trailhead. This trail is a much narrower trail, with another steep climb to the falls. Once again, it was VERY crowded. We were there during the Fourth of July Weekend, so maybe that had something to do with the crowds…. But it was pretty nuts. I tend to think of National Parks as being more relaxing and not full of people. Apparently, the word is out, everyone likes National Parks! They are neat, so I’m not helping the overcrowding situation by talking about how cool they are. #Sorrynotsorry
To be honest, doing Laurel Falls in the afternoon was kind of disappointing. The falls had TONS of people in them. We hiked up, snapped a photo, and hiked back down. We couldn’t appreciate the destination as much as we wanted to due to the sheer amount of people. As a general rule for the popular hikes, you need to get there early to have the best experience. On the way home the road that the Laurel Falls trailhead is off of gets backed up. It took us an hour to even get to the turn to get back into town. There may be a back way to avoid that turn, but our phones had no service so we were kind of out of luck as far as looking for alternatives.
LESS CROWDED HIKING:
Middle Prong Trail
For our next day’s adventure, we researched “less crowded trails at the Smoky Mountains”. This gave us some great information that may have been helpful to know the day before. We discovered the Tremont area, which was an hour outside of Gatlinburg. There, we found the “Middle Prong Trail” which is an eight-mile hike that several folks mentioned being the best waterfall hike in the park. We got an earlier start this time, leaving around nine in the morning. Everywhere we passed by at that hour was SO much less crowded than we had seen the day before! I guess no one gets up before ten, so getting out early yourself will help to avoid some crowds.
Time to Hike!
We got to the trailhead and parked down the road from the parking lot. This is another small lot, but there is plenty of parking on the road. There were not many people out, which was exactly what we wanted!
The first waterfall is only a mile from the trailhead. It was beautiful, a picture-perfect spot. The hike is not difficult, though there are a lot of rocks on the path so wear some good shoes or hiking boots. It is a long trek with no bathrooms if you intend to do the eight-mile version, but the scenery is gorgeous. Plenty of babbling brooks, lush greenery, butterflies everywhere (it rained a bit during our hike and the butterflies come out after the rain), and of course waterfalls!
There is also an old car off the trail and remains of a house (random, but an interesting marker during the hike). The place that we turned around was a slightly hidden waterfall off the main trail. I was apprehensive about following the path down to the falls (it involves some ducking under branches), but I am glad I did! It was beautiful and serene, a perfect spot to reconnect with nature. We ate some trail mix and enjoyed the view before heading back.
How Was Middle Prong Trail?
Middle Prong Trail was exactly what we were looking for, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quieter hike filled with waterfalls. The whole Tremont area was very beautiful and less chaotic than the rest of the park. It was the perfect way to end our Smoky Mountain weekend. We even stopped on the way back to Gatlinburg for some ice cream. We stopped in Pidgeon Forge at Curl de la Crème. It was curled ice cream (which I didn’t even know was a thing) and it was super tasty! The staff was friendly and I would recommend a stop there if you have an ice cream craving!
OVERALL:
The Great Smoky Mountain National park is a fun trip. If you are a fan of super touristy things, then Gatlinburg and Pidgeon Forge have got you covered! If you want the mountains and all those popular Instagram spots, check out the main hikes. If you want to get away from the crowds, Tremont is great! Or look up “less crowded Smoky Mountain hikes” and you will find plenty of options! I had no clue going into this trip what to expect, but I was surprised by what I found! Tourism galore, and some pretty incredible nature, just be sure to pick your priorities and start your days early if you want to avoid some of the crowds!
TIPS:
– Download maps of the area on your phone, reception is spotty!
– Check out Airbnb for cabins.
– Hiking shoes and hydration packs are nice to have, but not a necessity.
– The town of Gatlinburg gets very crowded. Plan for it!
– Research “less crowded trails” if you want a more secluded hiking experience.
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Great information. I have a much better idea of what to expect if I ever go to to the Smoky mountains. Enjoyed reading about your adventure
I want to go!
I love the Smokies! Your pictures are great. I totally understand what you mean about the crowds there. We stay in a small town named Townsend, TN. The first few times we went there it was a “dry county”, I call it the quiet side of the smokies.
Good advice! I will have to check that out!