Top 3 Best Ways to Experience the Smoky Mountains

You’re headed for the beautiful Smoky Mountains. How can you get the most out of your vacation and take home memories of a relaxing mountain experience? Here are three secrets for the best getaway. 

1. Do some homework before you arrive.

You don’t need to plot every minute in advance. Yet you also don’t want to miss a gorgeous view or perfect picnic spot because they weren’t on your radar. And you’d rather not end up paying a parking fine you didn’t know about!

The National Park Service has your back. They constantly update the national park’s website so you know about parking permits, trail repairs and weather issues. Use the site to pick appropriate hiking trails, find park maps, and register for activities like horseback riding or seasonal festivals. Make your first stop at one of the national park’s four visitor centers. 

2. Avoid crowds by exploring secluded spots. 

The Smokies’ popularity creates busy trails and crowded viewpoints. For fewer people and more quiet, head for less visited areas of the national park like these:

• Rich Mountain Road is an eight-mile gravel road starting at Cades Cove. This steep road, open May to October is famed as a location for terrific photography. 
• Spruce Flats Falls Trail is a hike along a forest ravine. Hikers report that you’ll have a crowd-free trek if you start early.  
• Cosby. Located 25 miles from Gatlinburg, this area of the national park gets fewer visitors but boasts dozens of hiking trails and a lovely picnic area. 
• Quiet Walkways. These 14 short, wooded paths are located next to major roads. They’re easy to reach, yet uncrowded. 

3. Experience the Smokies at your private cabin.

Choose a cabin with spectacular mountain views so you can soak up the vista any time you like. Pick a cabin that’s on a riverbank and dabble your toes in cool, clear water flowing down from the Smokies. 

Cabin life makes your mountain experience better. In a hotel, you share walls and halls with other guests–and their noise. In a cabin, you have all the space and every amenity all to yourself. How about an entertaining game room, a private swimming pool, an in-cabin movie theater or an outdoor fire pit? Imagine relaxing in a hot tub with a view of the sunset over mountain ridges!

Reserve your Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge cabin now and start planning the best Smoky Mountains vacation.