Filled with abundant wildlife, rich history, great hiking, expansive views, and beautiful flowers and trees, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a treasure and must-see. Imagine visiting Cades Cove, seeing elk roaming in herds, walking the longest pedestrian sky bridge, or hiking alongside a llama.
Well, that’s precisely how we spent our two days exploring this popular national park. If you love outdoor adventure, you’ll enjoy what we have in store for you.
Discover Cades Cove
Before traveling, we always look up popular things to do at the destination we’re going to. As we researched Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove was the first to pop up, so naturally, it’s where we wanted to visit first. We knew the area was known for its wildlife, so as we drove around the loop trail, we saw white-tailed deer, black bears, turkeys, and birds.
As we continued along the scenic drive, we saw historic buildings before coming to our first stop which required a short hike to the John Oliver Cabin. Afterwards, we came up to cemeteries and churches where we noticed many visitors walking around, stretching their legs.
Pro Tip: Many of the hidden gems at Cades Cove were off-road, such as the Pearl Harbor Tree, which is a memorial dedicated to those lost in the Pearl Harbor attacks.
Visit Laurel Falls
Next, we began our hike to Laurel Falls, a 1.3-mile trail that led us to one of the best waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains. This was one of our favorite spots of the trip because you can walk across a bridge in the middle of the 80-foot waterfall. This is one of the more crowded trails in the park, so you may run into problems finding parking.
If you’re planning to visit the waterfall for some peace, I recommend getting here in the early morning hours or later in the evening.
Walk the Sky Bridge
At 680 feet long, the Sky Bridge in Gatlinburg is the longest pedestrian bridge and a must-see if you’re visiting the park. As we made our way to the middle of the bridge, there were 30-foot-long glass panels that allowed us to look down at the forest underneath. Even though walking over glass panels was nerve-wracking, reaching the other side and seeing those gorgeous mountain views was well worth it.
Our favorite part about visiting the Sky Bridge, though, was the Sky Deck, which had two viewing decks that gave you a fantastic view of the Smoky Mountains. It even has a seating area if you want to rest your feet.
Pro Tip: Make sure you have your wallet on hand. The Sky Deck has a cafe with snack and meal options if you get hungry. They also have a bar where you can grab a beverage before returning to the mountain.
Go to Clingmans Dome
To wrap up day one of our trip, we headed to Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Smoky Mountains. Here, we took the half-mile hike up to the observation tower. This hike was a bit strenuous, so if you have small kids or strollers, I don’t recommend it.
The walk itself is scenic, and as you come closer to the tower, you’ll notice a winding ramp that brings you to the top. At the top, you’ll get beautiful views of cloud formations, sunbeams, trees, and mountains. Before you hike to Clingmans Dome, you should check the weather before making the trip, as the weather at the top differs from other areas of Gatlinburg.
Take a Smoky Mountain Train Ride
As one day wasn’t enough to experience Great Smoky Mountain National Park, we began day two with a smoky mountain train ride from Bryson City. This adults-only train excursion will allow you to unwind and enjoy the landscapes. As we rode the train, we went through long tunnels, cruised next to the river, and got to experience the countryside.
On board, we sat in a climate-controlled car, where we enjoyed great food, wine, and conversation with other guests.
Experience Guided Llama Trekking
While we loved this park for its hiking, as we do most, we were shocked to find out that it also offered hiking with llamas! The llama treks gave us a unique experience to take a hiking tour alongside a pack of llamas. As we hiked the Smokies, we got our own llama.
The llamas were friendly and easy to walk beside and even carried our gear along the way. This trek was a great way to meet friendly tourists, pet soft llamas, see nature, and enjoy time with family, especially if you have kids. We had a few younger kids in our group, and you didn’t hear any complaining since they had their llama next to them the whole way!
Pro Tip: If you’re traveling with kids, this trek is excellent for ages five and up and is only a 1.5-mile hike.
Go Tubing Down the River
If you’re going to the Smokies, don’t forget your life jackets and water shoes. As we wanted to enjoy a lazy couple of hours on the water, tubing was just what we needed in the Deep Creek area. Each tubing area is sectioned by its difficulty level, so we decided to head for the calmer lower section.
We rented our tubes from West Deep Creek Road, and as we made our way to the creek, we passed Tom Branch Falls. If tubing isn’t your thing, the park also has waterfall pools, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and swimming holes like Midnight Hole in Big Creek.
Visit the Cataloochee Valley
Cataloochee Valley is one of the best-kept secrets of Smoky Mountain National Park. Surrounded by rugged mountains, the valley is rich in history and has some of the most incredible outdoor adventures of the Smokies.
While we were here, we watched herds of elk in the wild as they roamed the area. We also could view some of its historic buildings by touring a barn, schoolhouse, several homes, and churches. One of the places we viewed was the Caldwell House, where we set up a brief picnic to have a few snacks before making our way back.
Pro Tip: On our way out, we noticed a campground where many guests had set up camp. I talked with one of the guests, and they said the campground is open from March to October and is RV-friendly, so if you enjoy camping, this would be a great spot!
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