Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Experience the joy of missing out while you disconnect from it all.
Sugarlands Visitor Center
Get your park visit off to a great start at Sugarlands Visitor Center where park rangers are available to answer questions and point you in the right direction.
107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Take a Hike
Laurel Falls Trail
One of the most popular trail destinations in the park, the first 1.4 miles of the trail is paved and provides direct access to Laurel Falls. Parking is limited at the site, and reservations may be required. Laurel Falls Trail is closed for construction for at least the first six months of 2026. Please consider alternative hikes if you are visiting during this time. Go to nps. gov / thingstodo / hike-to-laurel-falls. htm for the latest information.
Cades Cove
Cades Cove is a lesson in Smoky Mountain history. Park visitors can view cabins, barns, gristmills, stores and other buildings constructed by early settlers before the area became a national park. On Wednesdays from early May until late September, Cades Cove is closed to motor vehicle traffic. The 11-mile one-way Cades Cove Loop Road is open to bicyclists only during that time. Bicycles can be rented at Cades Cove Trading Company.
Kuwohi
Parking
Driving through the park, stopping for a photo, and learning more about the national park at the Sugarlands Visitor Center do not require a parking tag. Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires parking tags to be displayed on any motor vehicle parked within the park boundaries for more than 15 minutes. Parking rates are $ 5 a day( daily parking tag), $ 15 for a parking tag valid for up to seven days, and $ 40 for an annual parking tag. To purchase a parking tag and see a list of exemptions visit nps. gov / grsm / planyourvisit / fees
Formally known as Clingmans Dome, the Cherokee name of Kuwohi was restored to the mountain in September 2024 and translates to“ mulberry place.” Kuwohi is a sacred place for the Cherokee people and is the highest point within the traditional Cherokee homeland and in Tennessee at 6,643 feet. An observation tower is at the end of a steep half-mile paved trail where you can see for hundreds of miles on a clear day.
National Park Shuttle Service
Alum Cave Trail
Creeks are crossed on log bridges along this five-mile round-trip trail that winds through an old-growth hardwood forest. It leads to Alum Cave Bluff, an 80-foot-tall concave cliff, and Arch Rock, one of the park’ s most unusual geologic formations.
Sugarlands Trail
Transportation from Pigeon Forge to the national park is available for purchase. Please visit nps. gov / grsm / planyourvisit / shuttles. htm to see a list of authorized shuttle providers and schedule your trip.( Park staff cannot book shuttles.) Please note that most shuttle services run March through October, and reservations are required for all. Contact each shuttle service to confirm shuttle capacity.
Great for beginners, this trail is an easy walk and located directly behind Sugarlands Visitor Center. It is 0.9 miles long with only a slight elevation of 93 feet.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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