General information about the National Park
Smoky Mountains NP protects the largest remaining virgin forest in the eastern United States. It was elevated to the status of a national park in 1934 and is a World Heritage Site. The Smoky Mountains NP is the most visited park in the USA. The park is located directly on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina.
Number of visitors
Again in 2023, Great Smoky Mountains NP took 1st place in the visitor statistics for the most visited national parks by a wide margin.
Best time to visit: In late fall you have the beautiful leaf color and possibly fewer visitors.
Our visits:
So far 1 visit: October 2016
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Free of charge
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- The main road through the park is open all year round. Depending on the weather, there may be closures.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
Mountain Farm Museum
Description: The Mountain Farm Museum is located directly behind the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, at the southern entrance to the park. Several historic farm buildings from the Smoky Mountains have been gathered here to give a glimpse of farm life 100 years ago. Some of them are furnished and can also be viewed from the inside.
Our rating: The open-air museum is quite nice and a change from all the trees and forest in the park. For us, not an absolute must see, but if you have a little time, well worth seeing.
Clingmans Dome
Description: Clingmans Dome is located right on the border of the two states of Tennessee and North Carolina. The mountain is with 6644ft the highest elevation in the park and in Tennessee. You can reach the mountain on a paved road. There is a visitor center and an observation tower from which you can get a great panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. This is one of the most popular places in the park. Therefore, it can happen that you have difficulties to find a parking place.
Our rating: We enjoyed it very much at Clingmans Dome. The view from the top is great. Even if the drive is relatively long and somewhat uneventful through the forest, a detour is worth it.
Little River Road
Description: Little River Road connects the Sugarlands Visitor Center in the north of the park with Cades Cove in the west. It runs along the Little River mostly through the forest and offers beautiful views of the river and surrounding mountains.
Our rating: We quite liked the ride here along the road. Since we were traveling in late autumn, we could admire many colorful trees. This made up a lot of the appeal of the ride. In other seasons, when there is no colorful foliage, the drive through the forest may not be as varied.
Rich Mountain
Description: Rich Mountain Road is a junction of the Cades Cove Road. It heads north into the mountains and offers a drive through a beautiful colorful forest, especially in the fall.
Our rating: We were here mainly because the road around Cades Cove was so crowded that we could only move forward at a snail's pace in a line of cars. So this was a pleasant alternative to escape the traffic jam. Especially in the fall, we can definitely recommend this route.
Cades Cove
Description: Cades Cove is a relatively isolated valley in the northwest of the national park. In the past, the valley was very densely populated. However, after the establishment of the national park in 1934, these settlements were abandoned. Some of the remaining houses and settlements can still be visited. Today the Cove is a very popular tourist destination. Besides historic buildings, you can also observe animals in the area.
Our rating: For us, visiting Cades Cove was not really a great experience. During our visit in October 2016, it was so crowded here that you could only move forward at a snail's pace in a caravan of cars on a large part of the route. This is not what we imagine under experience nature . Those who want to have their peace and quiet in the national park should definitely avoid this place, because our experience was not the exception, but rather the rule.
We would have liked to look at several of the historic buildings along the way, but because of the traffic jam and the considerable loss of time, we did not manage to do so.
Cable Mill
Description: The John Cable Grist Mill is about halfway down the road, in the middle of Cades Cove. It is one of the historic buildings that can be seen along the road here. Even the complicated water system that was required to properly operate the mill is still preserved today and can be visited. The mill was built in 1868 and was used primarily for grinding grain.
Our rating: The mill was one of the few bright spots on our trip through Cades Cove. Especially the wooden channels that were created for the water flow of Mill Creek were very interesting and worth seeing. We can definitely recommend a stop here.
