We highly recommend using the Wears Valley entrance. At Letchworth State Park, the Grand Canyon of the East, the Genesee River flows through a deep gorge surrounded by lush forest. Big Cove Road from the edge of Cherokee near Oconoluftee, 9. The Revelation Trail has guide ropes, and a platform encircles an old-growth redwood so that visitors who are blind or have low vision can engage multiple senses. Which Entrance Is Best For Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Tip: Check current road conditions at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/conditions.htm. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a National Park that protects the Carlsbad Caverns and the surrounding area. Since you have five days you could spend two or three nights on each side and spend the day driving in between enjoying the sights on Newfound Gap Road (hwy 441). While the park itself does not have an airport, there are several airports within a reasonable driving distance. or purchasing books from a local bookstore or preferably, from the park's bookstore. The boardwalk continues, but there are many stairs; the trail eventually becomes compact dirt and gravel, so it is most accessible to people who can navigate stairs with handrails or use hiking poles. As mentioned above, Great Smoky Mountains National Park welcomes 11.3 million visitors each year, putting it number one on the most visited National Parks list. The first tenth of a mile is paved and takes you to the Mountain Farm Museum, where the trail transitions to gravel with some grass. . This trail leads through the Badlands Wall to a grand view of the canyon and prairie. Then go left on Line Springs Road for one and a half miles until it turns into Wear Cove Gap Road. It offers an opportunity to access all the park has to offer without waiting behind hundreds of other visitors. If youre not an early riser, you can still avoid the crowds by visiting a less popular trail within the park! Come see why this is the most visited national park in the United States with 11+ million visitors each year. The interpretive signage includes Braille. Planning a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? You can visit restored buildings along the loop, such as churches, log homes, barns, and a working mill. Now that you know how to avoid the majority of the crowds at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, youre ready for a successful visit enjoying the beauty of the Smokies! I haven't gone there since COVID, so I was probably wrong. A canopy of deciduous trees hangs over the Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are many quiet walkways, you can stop at any of these and walk along paths which can take you many places. If your looking for a less busy recommendation that still visits more of the popular areas of the park we recommend entering through Wears Vally. (2023)Continue, Organ Pipe Cactus National Park is located in southern Arizona, close to the border with Mexico. Make sure you check the park's website for the most up to date information if visiting during the winter! Pack a rain jacket, lace up your hiking boots, and get ready for a Smoky Mountain adventure! With numerous entrances and no entrance fee, its no wonder that so many people choose to come here to take in the beauty of the mountains. Is It Worth Using the Wears Valley Entrance? At the Sevierville intersection, continue straight onto US-441 South. But, You know him as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, an action movie star, a comedian, and a rapper., Some of the worlds most controversial sculptures and monuments include the Fallen Angel in Spain, the African Renaissance, Why Tent Campers Hate RVers After a long week at work, youve finally arrived at your weekend camping, Check Out This Back Door Entrance Into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Heres a quick rundown of the pros and cons of each, along with some other helpful information to plan your trip accordingly. I'd guess you'll be coming back again because this will merely give you the yearning that all the rest of us are afflicted withwe want to go back all the time. And if you take 441 it's the only way all the way from one side to another side((ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Rich Mountain Road; one-way dirt road out of Cades Cove toward Townsend; becomes two-way paved road at the park boundary, 26. Just fun and interesting blog posts delivered straight to your inbox. Also, Clingmans dome. According to the UNESCO, the park is one of the largest remaining remnants of the diverse Arcto-Tertiary geoflora era in the world and is one of the most ecologically rich and diverse temperate zone protected areas in the world.. If you stay at either of the communities, you are still well within the Smoky Mountain Park area. It is most accessible for power-wheelchair users: The incline is gentle but long, with a few steep sections of 8 to 10 percent. Do You Need Trekking Poles For Yosemite National Park? The parking area, just south of the Sugarlands Visitor Center, has five accessible parking spots, but the striped aisles may be too narrow for a van. Structures dating from the homesteading era over 100 years ago are situated near the Oconaluftee River Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Bighorn sheep graze alongside a road in Badlands National Park. Trying to decide which entrance is best for you? A wheelchair-accessible boardwalk and compact gravel trail loops through an ancient forest and along Happy Creek in North Cascades National Park. Finally, if you're interested in Townsend and a cabin, check out Top of Townsend. This is a nice wooded hike along Porters Creek with an old cemetery, historic farm site, and a waterfall. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has four main entrances that provide access to the park from different directions. However, what are your options for getting there? Since moving to The Woodlands over a year ago, one of our favorite things to do has been exploring all of the amazing dog-friendly hiking trails. (You could go out and back to avoid the incline.) From the majestic Ozark Mountains to the stunning waterfalls in the Ouachita Mountains, there is something for everyone here. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Please visit the following pages for information about seasonal opening and closing dates for: Roads Campgrounds Picnic Areas Visitor Centers Historic Gristmills Lakeview Drive (The Road To Nowhere), about 9 miles of paved road, a little more than half inside the park. You can often find this information, expressed as a percentage, on park websites or trail apps. Another one is the highway between (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? We respect your privacy. Regarding the part of your inquiry about where to fly in toI live on the West coast too, so our (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Pro Tip: Youll love spending the night at any of these 7 Best Pigeon Forge Campgrounds for Your Mountain Getaway. Galbraith Creek Road paved about 2 miles out to US19 near Ela, NC, 6. The day-use area, at the end of Enderts Road near Crescent City, has a paved parking lot and accessible vault toilets. Cades Cove is a beautiful valley with the Great Smoky Mountains all around. These are nice, but there's a whole lot more to offer. Instead, consider the quiet Cataloochee region or use Wears Valley to enter the park. The mountains are 95-percent forest and home to . (2023)Continue. Here's a quick rundown of the pros and cons of each, along with some other helpful information to plan your trip accordingly. That's something easier to plan once you get an itinerary in place. The trail begins past the Elkmont Campground, with accessible parking nearby. Great cabins, great prices. This rugged and winding gravel road isn't for the faint of heart but provides a beautiful first impression of the park. I first went to North Cascades a few years ago and immediately fell in love with the jagged peaks, alpine lakes and waterfalls. In Wears Valley itself, you can visit Peter Brickeys House, a log cabin constructed in 1808. The North Carolina side is much quieter and more remote. (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Old NC284; dirt road beginning at the Big Creek park entrance and hugging the park border for about 5 miles before entering the park and eventually about 10 miles later connecting with Cove Creek Road as it comes into the Cataloochee area, 14. How many could you think of if someone asked you to name as many national parks as you could? At that point, youll have entered the national park. They offer visitors centers and are the most heavily-trafficked areas. Plan on one day on the NC side of the park. I've spent a large amount of time there and while it does have it's merits, on the whole I am not impressed. Great Smoky Mountains is open year-round, 24 hours a day (weather permitting). Driving Directions Airports Public Transportation Download maps of the park and surrounding region Directions to Main Entrances Gatlinburg, TN entrance From interstate highway I-40 take Exit 407 (Sevierville) to TN-66 South. There are essentially two peak seasons in the Smokies, which consist of the summer season (June to August) and the fall foliage season. Check out the top three reasons we recommend this back door entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Never. (2023)Continue. Driving The best entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park really depends on what you want to do and see during your visit, in addition to where you want to stay. New in 2023, visitors who plan to park inside Great Smoky Mountains must have a daily, weekly or annual parking pass. While that may sound a bit intimidating for a first time visitor, the good news is that there are some easy ways that you avoid the majority of the crowds! Its the least used entrance into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is Headrick Chapel, which was constructed in 1902. Drop a comment below! Last I knew it was closed, and that is not recent. The main entrances of the national park can be extremely crowded, especially in the summer months. A sidewalk with edge guards leads to two accessible picnic tables on the beach with a grill and fire rings. I don't associate the Smokies with any singular "must sees". The Cades Cove Loop Road offers a leisurely drive through a historic settlement with several restored buildings. Or the Grand Canyon? A Simple Explanation. It holds deep cultural connections for Appalachian culture and Cherokee people. During the winter months, some roads and facilities may be closed due to snow and ice. There's one gateway community: Cherokee, located on the southern end of Newfound Gap Road (the highway that bisects the park) in the Cherokee Indian Reservation. And if you were hoping to check out one of the 4 visitor centers, depending on your stay, here are their hours: Due to its location in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the park experiences a variety of weather conditions throughout the year. Heintooga Ridge Road, a paved side road off the Blue Ridge Parkway about 11 miles out from Oconoluftee; 6 miles paved, more than half inside the park, to Balsam Mountain campground; then turns into the one-way outbound Balsam Mountain Road, 12. @media(min-width:0px){#div-gpt-ad-hikersdaily_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0-asloaded{max-width:728px!important;max-height:90px!important;}}if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'hikersdaily_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_11',167,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-hikersdaily_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');Planning a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? A mile-long paved path leads to Rainy Lake in. The Door Trail in Badlands National Park in South Dakota leads through the Badlands Wall to a grand view of the canyon and prairie. It's been closed for a while, unless it recently reopened. Three of the 17 trails are fully or partially wheelchair accessible, and there are many accessible overlooks. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? There are two main entrances at Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Cherokee, N.C. And theres one in Townsend, Tenn. The first 0.2 mile is a little rough, with some broken asphalt and gravel, but it transitions to packed gravel. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Travel Forum. All the rest are two-way, but many of them such as Greenbrier do dead-end, and you have turn around and go back out the way you came. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States! Trying to decide which entrance is best for you? You can reach this entrance from Gatlinburg in about an hour. Its a great spot to see wildlife, foliage, and more. Keep in mind that this route is extremely windy and less maintained than most other roads in the national park, so road conditions are not guaranteed. The busiest entrance (and the one you want to avoid if possible) is Cades Cove. Plus, you can observe the greatest variety of salamanders here. So when will you visit? [6] Map Highlighting the Park's Boundaries The park encompasses 522,419 acres (816.28 sq mi; 211,415.47 ha; 2,114.15 km 2 ), making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. Now, they are Discovery Channel & PBS TV Co-stars of The RVers, producers of Go North on Amazon Prime, co-founders and instructors of RV Masterclass, and contributing authors for Hwy.co and an Arizona travel guide. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Travel Forum, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tourism, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hotels, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Vacation Rentals, Flights to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Restaurants near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Things to Do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Photos, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Travel Guide. The park is easily accessable from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and Cherokee. Okay, from reading elsewhere it might have reopened. Enjoy! More National Park Articles Youll Enjoy: If youve never visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you need to add it to your travel list. Roaring Fork, Rich Mtn, and Parsons Branch are all one-way roads that take you out of the park. I hope you enjoy your time in The Smokies. Newfound Gap is a low-point mountain range that sits at an elevation of 5,046 feet. Both trails are boardwalks and begin at the same parking lot just beyond the northeast entrance. That means that posts may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Here are the top 3 ways to avoid the peak crowds at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 1. I lived in the Southern Appalachian Mountains for many years and fell in love with hiking there. Get in-depth FREE RV travel tips, along with inspiring stories, educational resources, and exclusive discounts on our partner products. Amazon Affiliate Disclaimer: HikersDaily is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Townsend are a short drive away. It used to (and I imagine still does) turn into a dirt road that goes east and exits the park after about a mile at the Thomas Divide trailhead, and then becomes 5. It is shaded and there are several benches. Only Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Zion and Rocky Mountain saw more visitors in 2022. Kings Canyon is also home to several rivers, which makes it a popular destination for hikers and outdoor lovers. The wheelchair-accessible Happy Creek Nature Trail in North Cascades National Park in Washington State loops through an ancient forest and along Happy Creek. The Newfound Gap Road, for example, takes you to the highest point in the park, with scenic views of the surrounding mountains. After thoroughly studying the map, I came up with this as an inventory. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-27974254', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Gatlinburg. David enjoys the peace and solitude that nature provides, and finds solace in the beauty of the natural world. If you decide to stay in the LeConte Lodge, you'll need to choose a route (trails vary between 5-8 miles) to reach the lodge near the summit of Mount LeConte at 6,593 . Sustainability is the key focus of SAMAB, which fosters research, education, and training to protect the environment. A huge old-growth redwood within Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park can be reached from the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. In this, Read More Closest Airports To Organ Pipe Cactus National ParkContinue, Olympic National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the United States. With over 850 miles of hiking trails, you'll find the perfect one for you! The Grand Canyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Access to nature is so important for our well-being. Where to Stay . Mortons On The Move is powered by you! Getting to Yellowstone Which Entrance Should I Take? Smoky Mountains National park is not as contained to one area like some other national parks and actually has many roads that traverse its boundaries. Every trip to the Smokies begins with a drive on the Newfound Gap Road, so pack a picnic and see highlights along the way, including the Sugarlands Visitor Center, Newfound Gap . Cherokee and Bryson City are probably the best places to stay in NC. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. Outdoor adventures like hiking, birdwatching, camping, fishing, and more beckon tourists year after year. Also see attractions like the Cherokee Museum in Cherokee and items in Oconaluftee like Mingus Mill and Mountain Farm Museum. Lyons Spring Road from Wears Valley into Metcalf Bottoms, 25. "You might want to post you question on the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Inspiration, travel destinations, RV knowledge, gear reviews, and more from the Mortons on the Move. A Back Door Entrance Into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. more, More Great Smoky Mountains National Park Topics, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Destination Experts. You might want to post you question on the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge forums, as they get much more traffic than this forum. So, is Mesa Verde National Park safe? This mile-long paved trail, which goes by bogs, meadows and waterfalls, leads to a stunning lake in a cirque surrounded by mountains. This Is What It Really Costs to Quit Your Job and Sail Full-Time, These are the 5 Best Road Trip Cars of 2023, RVers Travel with Dog in Crate on RV Hitch, The Long-Running Controversy Over Crazy Horse Monument. Townsend is smaller and more laid back than (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The official Park site, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, has a map you can download and the guidebook Hiking Trails of the Smokies has a map showing the park perimeter as well as the hiking trails. And if you were hoping to check out one of the 4 visitor centers, depending on your stay, here are their hours: Due to its location in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the park experiences a variety of weather conditions throughout the year. Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park, but there aren't many fully accessible trails. The Door Trail, which begins on the north side, is a three-quarter-mile, round-trip hike, but only the first quarter mile is wheelchair accessible. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the Tennessee and North Carolina border right near Asheville. Campground Closed for Contstruction, See All Great Smoky Mountains National Park Conversations. Whether you're looking to take an amazing hike, set up camp at a remote location, or just go on a beautiful drive, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has you covered. (another stretch, maybe) a somewhat complicated series of paved roads from Look Rock on the Foothills Parkway down into the Top-of-the-World community; again, it doesn't actually enter the park, but provides access to the Goldmine trailhead, 27. We love it there. There are interpretive signs about Tolowa villages, but they are not in Braille. Which is the best entrance to the park--Tennessee or NC? You can enter this National Park via entrances in both states.