It’s easy to see why Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the U.S. with more than 11 million visitors each year.
Spanning more than 522,000 acres along the Tennessee-North Carolina border, this subregion of the Appalachian Mountains encompasses high mountain peaks and lush valley floors. An abundance of wildlife and wildflowers make Great Smoky Mountains National Park a nature lover’s paradise.
What’s the best way to see the majestic Smokies? Well, you can view the vastness via adventure, while relaxing, during the day and under the stars.
Here is our take on the 7 BEST ways to see Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Whatever your preference, pack your bags and prepare to be blown away by a scenic masterpiece.
1. Explore the Smoky Mountains ON FOOT.
Hiking may be an obvious choice to see the sights, but it’s also one of the best ways to appreciate the natural beauty in the park. Wandering through the woods lets you get up close to flowers, plants, trees and shrubs blooming year-round. The park is sometimes referred to as the Wildflower National Park as 1,600 species of flowering plants create brilliant displays of color.
You’ll find 850 miles of hiking trails in the park, including 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Trek to outstanding overlooks, landmarks, waterfalls and mountain peaks with routes ranging from easy to challenging.
Here are some favorite Smoky Mountain hikes:
Laurel Falls Trail – This trail takes you 2.6 miles round trip on a paved, albeit uneven, route to an 80 ft. waterfall that has an upper falls and lower falls. It’s moderate in difficulty and very popular. Hike early to avoid the crowds.
Trillium Gap Trail to Grotto Falls – This route is 3 miles round trip taking you through a forest to a beautiful waterfall. It’s moderate in difficulty and also very popular. Hike early to avoid the crowds.
Charlies Bunion – This route follows the Appalachian Trail 4 miles one way to Charlies Bunion, a stone outcropping that offers panoramic views of the mountain landscape. It’s rated as moderate to strenuous.
*INTERESTING NOTE: This stone outcropping was indeed named after an actual bunion on a man’s foot! The story goes like this: Charlie Connor was hiking with Horace Kephart, an American travel writer influential in the start of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They stopped at the rocky overlook to rest. As they were sitting there, they noticed the bunion on Charlie’s foot resembled the rock formation in front of them. Kephart apparently said he would get this spot put on a map for him. And he did!
2. Discover Great Smoky Mountains National Park BY CAR.
Driving through the Smokies on its 384 miles of roadways is an easy way to see dramatic panoramic vista views.
Here are some of the most popular roads in the park:
Cades Cove Loop Road is an 11-mile one-way loop road to a large, lush valley. This route provides great wildlife viewing. It’s very popular with tourists so traffic can become heavy.
Newfound Gap Road is 31 miles of paved road traveling the lowest drivable pass through the mountains between Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Cherokee, North Carolina. It has cooler temperatures because of the elevation gain of about 3,000 feet.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a 5.5 mile one-way loop road through forest over to streams and past historic buildings. It’s closed in the winter.
Pick up an inexpensive guidebook for each of the roads at one of the visitor’s centers to research your route beforehand. These booklets contain information on the park’s history and other useful facts.
While driving in the park is very accommodating, remember that it can get very crowded. Drive slowly and recognize that in nature some roads may become blocked because of bad weather conditions, hazardous situations, or wildlife.
3. See the Smoky Mountain Landscape BY AIR.
No, we’re not talking about looking out an airplane window at the mountains below. We recommend something a tad more adventurous. Ziplining!
What better setting to zipline in than soaring from mountain peak to mountain peak observing sweeping views of stunning Smoky Mountain scenery!
There are actually a number of different companies offering ziplining tours through the Smokies. You’ll want to research what makes the most sense for you or your group. We went with Legacy Mountain Ziplines. We highly recommend them as they followed every safety precaution. When our tour was cut short because of a thunderstorm, they allowed us to come back the next day to experience the entire tour again.
Definitely a thrilling way to see miles of amazing mountain landscape.
(For another thrilling National Park adventure, check out our guide to Shark Valley, Everglades – where you bike with alligators at your feet!)
4. View the Smoky Mountains THROUGH THE CLOUDS.
Ever wondered where the Smoky Mountains got their name? The Cherokee called the mountain range “shaconage,” meaning “land of the blue smoke” because of the smoky fog in the area. This bluish mist is due to the immense surrounding vegetation giving off vapors that produces a bluish tint.
Climbing your way to the highest point in the park – Clingman’s Dome – is not only one of the best ways to see above the blue smoky haze… at an elevation of 6,643 feet, you’ll be at or above cloud level. It can feel surreal to see swirling clouds below as you peer out from the observation tower.
When the clouds disperse, it’s sometimes possible to see to a distance of 100 miles from Clingman’s Dome, according to the National Park Service. You won’t want to miss this spectacular viewpoint.
5. Experience Great Smoky Mountains National Park THROUGH WATER.
No, not through raindrops, although it does rain a lot in the Smokies (mostly as a light misting rain.) Hike behind the water cascading down Grotto Falls for a spectacularly different and unique view. This was a definite highlight of our trip.
Trekking to the 25-foot high Grotto Falls and then being able to walk behind it lets you experience the cool mist of the falls from behind. This distinctive feature alone may be the reason Grotto Falls is so popular. You can access the falls from the Trillium Gap Trail.
6. See the Smoky Mountains FROM THE TREETOPS.
How would you like to sit among the treetops, relaxing with a beverage, beholding the beauty of the Smokies? It’s possible from the balcony of your rental cabin high in the mountains.
The area surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers a variety of lodging that is literally in line with the treetops. From cabins to condos, you can take in the gorgeous views from the comfort of your own rental quarters.
Your day of seeing amazing sights doesn’t have to end when you leave the park. What better way to relax after a long day of hiking, driving, picnicking, and wildlife viewing than coming “home” to more of the dramatic Smoky Mountain views?
(If you love scenic mountain views, check out our guide to hiking Alaska’s Flattop Mountain.)
7. Observe the Smoky Mountain Sky IN THE DARK.
Quiet. Mystical. Star-studded. That’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park at night. While this national park isn’t one of the darkest, it’s still a great place to view a starry sky away from city lights.
Take a moonlit hike, locate constellations and let the vastness envelop you.
Experiencing this park in the dark has something else unique to offer – synchronous fireflies. Found in only a handful of places around the world, synchronous fireflies are one of 19 firefly species located in the Smokies.
For about two weeks each year (around late May or early June), the Elkmont area of the park lights up with fireflies flashing in harmony. This is their mating season and they put on quite a light show. It’s a popular event for tourists. So popular, in fact, that the park designates a viewing area and holds a lottery for the limited number of tickets available to see the light display.
Try a few, if not all, of these 7 BEST ways to see Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You’ll expand your Smoky Mountain experience and immerse yourself in all the Smokies have to offer.
What’s your favorite way to see Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Tell us in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.
We live in Maryville, Tennessee. Our favorite way is to drive through the Park on a motorcycle. We have seen deer, bear and turkeys on the same ride. Near Sugarland visitor’s center we saw a spike bull elk once. On hot summer days floating in the Little River is refreshing.
Roy, How fun to see so much wildlife. You’re lucky to live close to GSMNP! I’ll have to try a river adventure the next time I’m there – definitely sounds refreshing.