For years we have visited east Tennessee to enjoy the Smoky Mountains and see the sights of Gatlinburg, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. My father-in-law was raised in Tennessee. We have traveled for many summers up to Tennessee to visit relatives on his side of the family and enjoy spending time at Douglas Lake near Sevierville. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is nearby, and if you love hiking or history, read on. Here are my recommendations for a visit to the park.
The Best Short Hikes Near Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountain National Park
You’ll want to visit the Great Smoky Mountain National Park’s Sugarland Visitor Center near Gatlinburg. There is a museum inside, a 20 minute video, and plenty of maps and information. From the Visitor Center there is a .7 mile hike to Cataract Falls. We enjoyed this easy hike with a group of extended family, including five kids. It runs along crossing a trickling creek until it reaches the 40-foot-tall falls. We turned around after reaching the falls, but the trail continues. If you drive from the Visitor Center 3.7 miles up the Fighting Creek Gap Road, you reach the Laurel Falls trailhead. This is a popular trail, and like several other trails in the Smokys, there is a parking lot at the trailhead. The hike to Laurel Falls is 2.3 miles round-trip. The falls are 80 feet tall and the trail crosses the creek at the foot of the falls.
From Gatlinburg the one-way Roaring Fork Loop has many hiking trails and points of interest. I have visited three of the falls accessible from hikes along the loop: Rainbow Falls, Grotto Falls and Baskins Creek Falls. The easiest hike of the three is to Grotto Falls, but the falls may be the most impressive. The trail is 2.6 miles round trip if you turn around at the falls. When you near the falls, the hike takes you along the creek with a beautiful, dramatic view of the falls ahead. The boulders and the blooming Rhododendron in the summer makes the approach to the falls a sublime landscape. The trail actually goes under the falls, if you care to walk under a waterfall!
Baskins Creek Falls is another beautiful place to visit. On the Roaring Fork Loop, you can either start at the Baskins Creek trailhead, 3 mile round trip, or continue on to the Grapeyard Ridge trailhead. The trails merge before reaching the falls. You hike down to a beautiful 40-foot double waterfall which has been described as one of the most under-rated falls in the Smokys. However, be prepared to hike back up in elevation on the way back.
The trail to Rainbow Falls is 5.4 miles round trip with a 600 foot elevation gain. On this hike you may see old growth trees and more pretty Rhododendron blooming in the summer. There are rock steps built into some portions of the trail that make the trek even more beautiful. The narrow falls flow 80 feet over a wide cliff. It is a beautiful sight to behold!
The hike at Greenbriar is special to our family because it leads to the John Messer cabin and barn. He was my husband’s great-great uncle. In the 1980s when my husband’s family made the hike with his grandad, he would always taste water flowing from the spring house to make sure that it didn’t “taste like bear.” I wouldn’t advise this, however. Since I’ve been in the family, we’ve made this hike several times, even with our children when they were little.
To reach the trail, turn on Greenbriar Road, just north of Gatlinburg off of US321. We usually park at the Greenbrier Picnic Pavilion to begin the hike. After parking, continue to walk up the road until you reach Porter’s Creek Trail The hike to the cabin from the trailhead parking lot is about 3 miles round trip, and passes the old Ownby Cemetery. However, at the time of this post, Greenbrier Road past the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead is closed for repair. Therefore, your hike will be longer until the road repairs are completed.
Seeing the John Messer barn is the highlight of visiting the property. It was built in 1875 by Pinkney Whaley and was later sold to Messer. It is a double-cantilever barn unique to East Tennessee and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The cabin is less historic. Zenith Whaley, who lived and worked in the area in the 1930s, told my father-in-law that the cabin existing there today is actually built from two cabins, one original to the site, and the other moved from a site higher on the mountain and attached to the original cabin. The Smoky Mountain Hiking Club renovated the cabin in the 1930s. Another source states that the hiking club built the current cabin around an original rock fireplace between 1934 and 1936. In fact, the club website has a photo of the cabin being built. Even thought the cabin doesn’t have the historical integrity of the barn, both are interesting to see.
The Ramsey Cascade Trail leads to the beautiful Ramsey Cascade falls. To reach the hike, turn off of Greenbrier Road to Ramsey Prong Road and drive 1.5 miles. The hike is an 8 mile round-trip hike I have not yet accomplished, but it is on my list!
Clingmans Dome
Clingmans Dome features an observation tower atop of a sweeping spiral ramp. It was built in 1959 and has a mid-century modern vibe. The hike from the parking lot to the tower is one-half mile, paved asphalt, but somewhat steep. Clingman’s Dome is the highest point in Tennessee and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 6,643 feet. The view is spectacular!
What to do in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville area
Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg is the Switzerland of the Smokies. It is a touristy town with a Hillbilly/Swiss vibe. If you are there with kids, there is so much for families to see and do. We’ve shopped, eaten, visited the Amazing Mirror Maze, attended a hypnotist show, and we have taken the Ober Gatlinburg tramway to the top of the hill over Gatlinburg. Within the last few years, Anakeesta has been added to the collection list of things to do in Gatlinburg. The only disadvantage to visiting Gatlinburg is the traffic!
Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge lies between Sevierville and Gatlinburg and has more options for family entertainments such as dinner show theaters, escape rooms, small amusement parks, go-cart tracks, shopping and restaurants. One of the top attractions at Pigeon Forge is the Titanic Museum, and my kids have particularly enjoyed the Wonder Works indoor amusement park, The Track, and the Smoky Mountain Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster.
Dollywood
You may know that the most famous resident of Sevierville is Dolly Parton, and who doesn’t LOVE Dolly! She owns Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country. We’ve only visited Dollywood but would definitely recommend it for families with kids of all ages. I personally love fast, metal roller coasters, and one of my favorites is Wild Eagle. Your feet dangle as you smoothly soar over the park. In fact, there are about seven very fast thrill rides, but also more than twenty additional rides for those who are more timid. Beyond the rides, we enjoyed watching a theater performance, glass blowing and touring Dolly’s museum. We enjoyed burgers at Red’s Drive In and snacked on some to-die-for cinnamon rolls and cookies at the Spotlight Bakery. The food is better than what you would expect to find at a theme park. The grounds are clean and beautiful, with flowers growing at every turn. The park gives a quaint nod to down home southern country culture, while providing the park goer with plenty of fun things to do!
Ziplines & Rafting
Now that the kids are older, we have incorporated outdoor adventure activities into our summer plans. We rafted the Pigeon River through Outdoor Rafting Adventures. They are located north of Sevierville just off of I-40. They were very professional and made the afternoon safe and fun! There are several other outfitters that run this part of the river from the Walters hydroelectric power plant on the Tennessee/North Carolina border downstream about four miles. On days the plant schedules water release, rafters can take advantage of Class II rapids. Our rafting trip took about 2 hours, and it was definitely worth it!
We ziplined the Smokys at Climbworks in July 2020, and it was awesome! Once the guides secure your harnesses and helmets, the muddy ride to the top of the mountain in an ATV is as almost as fun as ziplining. We opted for the Mountaintop Zipline Tour which includes five side-by-side zipline runs and four sky bridges. From the platforms you can see from the Greenbrier Ridge all of the way to Gatlinburg. Once you’ve enjoyed the view, you can enjoy the adrenaline rush of each zipline!
The Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee are the perfect place to enjoy natural beauty, adventure and family fun!
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