Being an East Coast girl has it’s perks – experiencing the changing seasons is right at the top. I have had my fill of the spectacular fall foliage in New England, which to be honest, is just as incredible each year. This year, I decided to switch it up and take the fall foliage train down south to Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been on my list since a long time, but everything is just a tad more gorgeous in the fall and it was time to explore!
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is enormous and spans two states – Tennessee and North Carolina. I stuck with exploring only the Tennessee side, as there has been extensive damage and subsequent closures of trails and roads along the North Carolina routes of the park due to Hurricane Helene that made landfall in September 2024.
That being said, the Tennessee side of the park did not disappoint – it was scenic, right out of a fairytale, with trees bursting with color in the beautiful sunshine and teeming with wildlife. My husband and I spotted many bears, elk, deer and turkey!
Below is a 4 day itinerary that begins with flying into Knoxville or another airport (Asheville, NC or Charlotte, NC) within driving distance of Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge – the towns closest to the park. I recommend flying into Knoxville as it is a small airport, the airfare should be more economical if flying out of a major airport and it is only a 1 hour drive to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge – both excellent towns for staying as you explore the park.
Day 1
- Fly into Knoxville, TN – rent a car & drive 1 hour to Gatlinburg – choose the route that goes through the park. It is extremely scenic and gives you a chance to explore the park before you even get to the town! Check into your hotel/airbnb/cabin.
- Drive to Ben Morton’s Overlook for sunset. If you have time prior to that, drive up to Kuwohi (previously known as Clingman’s Dome) – the highest point in the park at 8000 ft.
- Drive down to Gatlinburg, get dinner and unwind.
Day 2
- Start the day early. If you’re looking for a challenging hike, the Chimney Tops trail is a great pick – this is what I did. It is 3.9 miles overall, steep on the way up with over 300 stairs easy, but hugely rewarding with stunning views of the Chimney Top mountains. You could hike all the way up to the top earlier, before the wildfires in 2016.
- If you need family friendly, easy hikes, Laurel Falls is very popular and so is Rainbow Falls. Parking spots can be tough to find, especially on weekends, so plan accordingly.
- A particularly tough hike but THE ONE to do if you can is the Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte (on my list for next time).
- If you’re looking to drive, drive through the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – 5.5 mile scenic one way drive. There is a chance you may spot some bears, but regardless, this was our favorite drive within the park. You will cross gushing streams and brooks, scenic bridges, old houses that you can get out and explore and the drive ends at a scenic old mill – Ely’s Mill. We saw many people walking on this trail by foot, but do note that there is always a ton of incoming cars and the trail is narrow.
- If time permits, drive an hour away to Cades Cove – an 11 mile scenic loop, with a very high chance of spotting bears, elk & turkey.
- Catch the sunset from the Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook. Get dinner & unwind.
Day 3
- Catch the sunrise from Newfound Gap Parking Area or Clingman’s Dome. Once you reach the parking lot at Clingman’s Dome, it is a steep 0.5 mile hike up to the top but the views are incredibly rewarding. I would recommend going here at sunrise or sunset, but be prepared to hike a little in the dark.
- When we went to Clingman’s Dome, it has snowed the previous day due to the high elevation, so hiking shoes with good traction are a must. Also, you might need additional layers, no matter which time of year you visit.
- For the rest of the day, you can drive thru Cove Creek Road & Upper Tremont Road to catch the fall colors, if that is when you are visiting.
- Return to Gatlinburg & take the skylift around sunset, watch it from the suspension bridge in the Gatlinburg SkyPark or Anakeesta theme park. We went to Gatlinburg SkyPark but I will actually recommend Anakeesta theme park – it might be a little more expensive but the skylifts go up to a higher vantage point and there are many more rides and attractions within the park, along with a cliff top restaurant that would be great for a meal!
- Go moonshine tasting or wine tasting in downtown Gatlinburg. The town is lively and there are plenty of distilleries and wineries. We tried the moonshine at Ole Smoky Distillery and wines at Tennessee Homemade Wines.
- Get dinner & unwind.
Day 4
- Catch the sunrise from Little River Road – there are many pullouts along the route to park your car, and you can enjoy watching the sunrise from any of those.
- Walk around Gatlinburg and get brunch.
- Drive to Knoxville & fly back home.
Gatlinburg vs. Pigeon Forge – Where to Stay
While I stayed in Gatlinburg, if you are part of a large group with family/little kids, I will recommend Pigeon Forge instead. It is a much larger town, spaced out with more hotels and restaurant options. Gatlinburg is a quaint, smaller town with a few hotels and cabins but a lot of personality. The towns are a 20 minute drive from each other.
The hotel I stayed at was The Park Vista by Doubletree Hilton. The hotel is old but well-maintained and the service was great. Rooms were cleaned daily, and every room had a balcony with stunning views of the mountains all around and the stars at night, as the hotel sits atop a hill. They have a restaurant and bar that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as an in-room dining option. Parking was $15/day.
Parking was a major problem throughout downtown Gatlinburg. The restaurants and attractions are all next to each other on a single street, and there are a bunch of parking lots and garages with one-time entry and a flat rate of $20/day. There is a parking garage behind the Ripley’s Aquarium that charged $10/day. If you plan to be in and out of the town during the day, this can be particularly inconvenient. Gatlinburg also has free trolley shuttles that go around the town, but again, that can be inconvenient as they make a lot of stops. Most hotels will charge parking fees as well.
Where to Eat
We tried a bunch of spots in downtown Gatlinburg and a few in Pigeon Forge. Listing a few below that had some vegetarian options as well:
Downtown Gatlinburg Eats
- The Baht – amazing Thai food and ambience. It was so great that we went here twice. Try the red curry, spring rolls, crispy tofu, khao soi and the warm chocolate lava cake – just divine! This restaurant had its own parking, which was a huge plus.
- No Way Jose’s Cantina – a little better than average Mexican food, but if you’re out of options, this might be the place to go. They have parking spots too, but if those are full, you can park in the garage behind Ripley’s Aquarium if you’re going here.
- Best Italian – a decent Italian spot with ample options and great portion sizes. We got a personal pizza but it was good enough for 2. They do not have their own parking.
- Bloom + Berry Coffee House – think small town coffee shop vibes, with menu items named after Taylor Swift songs. Almost all of the clientele here were prettily dressed women, and it was truly a cute spot. The coffee was great and their baked goods were amazing too!
- Log Cabin Pancake House – great spot for breakfast. They have a huge parking lot so this place is really popular and there may be a huge line in the morning.
- Waffle de Lys – didn’t get to try this place but came highly recommended by the community.
Pigeon Forge Eats
- Roma Italian Kitchen or Johnny Carino’s are good options for Italian food. There are a lot more restaurants here but we stuck with dining in Gatlinburg most days.
With that, you are ready to embark upon a Great Smoky adventure! Wishing you safe travels and a fulfilling trip. If you liked this itinerary, be sure to give me a follow @thedancingcookbook and sharing this blog post with your friends and family, so I know to keep sharing more of these. 🙂