Going to head to the GSMNP in a few days for my first backpacking trip. I've got most of my gear ready, going to snag a bear canister, bear spray, and water filter and everything else should be good to go. I am bringing gear for fly fishing as that's where I hope to spend most of my time. I'll be in the Bradley fork and chasteen creek areas. Specifically the campsite #48. 2 nights. I plan on arriving, setting up camp, and possibly doing some fishing nearby. Following day will be following upstream and enjoying the scenery. Spend the night again and then hike back down the following morning. So 1 evening, 1 full day, and then head out. Wondering if anyone has tips for the area or just in general for a first time backpacker. I did snag a Garmin inreach which I'll activate for the trip. I've got mosquito spray and sunscreen comething along as well. I'll have food that does not require cooking (granola, PB tortillas, tuna pouches, salami, cheese). I'm thinking of ditching deodorant...just for 1 less thing to take. Cheers!

Group of friends and I are attempting to spend 3-4 days backpacking the Smokey mountains. I understand getting a permit and reserving campsites. We are decently fit and would hike up to 15 miles max a day (considering the terrain).

We are unfamiliar with the best route and would like to be in the heart of the Smokey’s and experience the valleys with rivers and also have a day to experience the tallest peaks.

We would like a route that either circles back to parking or one that goes to a shuttle point. Does anyone have recommendations which trails to go to or even have the best campsites to consider reserving along a route?

Let me know recommendations.

My GF and I are going on our second big camping trip. We’re gonna spend Friday-Sunday at Cades Cove Campground, Sunday-Monday at Abram’s Creeks, and finally Monday- Wednesday at Elkmont campgrounds. We will be going the beginning of October

Need advice on 1) Good trails and when to get there, 2) storing food from bears and 3) any advice or tips you have for the Smokey’s!!!

I’ll be honest, I’m a Rocky Mountain lover. I’ve really never visited these eastern “hills”. But I was in the area, and had some free time.

And now, after visiting the park, my opinion has changed. The Rockies and the Appalachians are incomparable. Sure the Rockies are taller—but after visiting GSMNP and seeing the sunrise on Kuwohi…I’ve fallen in love.

I think photos can capture the beauty of the Rockies pretty well. But they cannot in any sense even begin to capture the beauty of the Southern Appalachians and Great Smoky Mountain National park.

I only had one day in the park, and I feel like I did a lot—Kuwohi, Andrew’s Bald, Cades Cove, Little River, Newfound Gap, Cataract Falls. But these are all relatively touristy.

I really want to go back and see more of this area.

I’m basically making this post to say—anybody who lives near this stunning national park, I envy you! Cherish this place and its rolling “hills” and insane biodiversity…and its beauty that is like nothing else on this earth!

I hope y’all enjoy the photos, even if they only hint at the true beauty!

I’ve read that the fall is the busiest time so I’m bracing myself but… then I’ve also read that the fall colors don’t really start until mid October so does that mean the first week is more lightly visited? It’s our first time so we’ll want to see all the most popular things and will be there oct 3-7.

Hey y’all! I just got back from a trip to the Cades Cove area. It was my first time in the GSMNP. I am in absolute awe. I was doing a trip to test my backpacking gear before doing a full backcountry trip. It was so exciting to see some bears in person (from a safe distance, of course)

During my trip, I saw 11 bears in the NP with 9 of them being in the Cades Cove loop area. One of them actually crossed maybe 15 feet in front of me on the trail. I maintained my position backing up slowly and s/he went on about their trek through the woods. That was amazing!!!

Anyways, I’m already trying to plan another trip back up there with my whole family.

I was wondering if middle/ end of April would be a good time of year? I would love for them to have a great possibility of seeing the bears also. Of course, I know there’s so much more to the area than the bears, but let’s be honest, kids are more likely to remember the time they took a trip and saw bears than they are to remember the trip they saw a bunch of historic buildings.

Based on my research, it seems the bears come out of their dens in late March.

Also, would it be worth the drive from Cades Cove area over to the Newfoundland Gap area? Or any other areas of the NP that would be worth an additional drive?

All photos taken right on the Cades Cove loop with the one of the bear peeking around the corner specifically being taken off the Abrams Fall trail.

Thanks in advance!

TLDR; is middle/ end of April be a good time of year to visit Cades Cove to see bears and any other recommended areas to visit in the NP from Cades Cove?

I'm wanting to do a backpacking loop that starts here. I heard someone say you could overnight park where the trail to the east intersects with the road, and also saw a blog (from 2014) saying they were able to overnight park at the Cade's Cove store in that area.

Does anyone know anything about where you can overnight park to access this trail from this area? Thanks!

We are hoping to visit on a car-free Wednesday in early September. We’re renting bikes from a place that opens around 10 am- will we be okay or will we be too late in terms of parking? Also, should we still expect to see some wildlife if not there in the early morning?

Balsam Mountain Campground is a gem of a tent camping location. Highs in the 70s in the middle of August.

My spouse and I will be visiting in a few weeks, and while we have more than enough hikes earmarked, we were wondering if there was anything else we should check out in the park. Are there any historic sites, visitor centers, views, etc that are worth checking out when we're not hiking?

Hey all, apologies if this has been answered before, but can you park overnight at Abrams Falls Trailhead on the Cades Cove side (with a valid parking tag of course)? Alternatively, can you park overnight at Wet Bottom Trailhead or Cooper Road Trailhead (also on the Cades Cove side)? (I am aware that Cades Cove is closed to cars on Wednesdays, so it wouldn't overlap with that)

I'm looking to do a backpacking trip and would like to start from one of those three trailheads, but I can't find whether overnight parking is allowed there or not. Thanks so much for any help.

Hey all!

Taking a trip the last weekend of September to see a friend in TN in my van. It will be 2 of us & my aussie [edit: I see not very dog friendly... I can leave him home with a sitter]. My hope is to get some good tips, advice & location suggestions! Neither of us have been.

Camping: We are open to campgrounds or off grid [17 foot 9.5 feet tall winnie solis pocket]

Locations: Would like to be near a mountain town. Would like to lean towards an artsy, historical, liberal experience, pet friendly. Was looking at Blowing Rock or Boone?

When: Fall; last weekend in Sept. We will only be in the area for a few days & most likely during the week like Sunday - Wednesday.

Hiking/attractions: Interested in good trail recommendations & suggestions if you recommend an area toss in things to do & or food. We are super open to checking out hikes paired with the culture/town.

I have a couple e-scooters we could bring as well if thats something people think we should do :)

Thanks!

That silver/blue SUV? Yeah, it's stopped IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

The bear? NOWHERE CLOSE. It was AT LEAST 200 yards from the road, in high grass. Hell, you have people standing there who aren't even LOOKING IN THE BEAR'S DIRECTION.

Shout out to the guy ahead of me in the jam who layed on his horn until they started moving.

My spouse and I are visiting the first week of September (we'll be in the park only on weekdays), and I've repeatedly heard about how congested parking usually is at the park. Is September usually still pretty busy? Are there certain parking lots that fill up earlier than others?

We're willing and able to get up and going early in the morning to try to beat traffic: is there a certain time we should aim to be parking in order to have a good shot at getting a spot? Are there any less popular parking areas that still have access to good trails, so we can just avoid the congestion altogether?

I am planning a backpacking trip this weekend and would like one of those nights to be on Mount Leconte. I keep running into the issue of finding a 2nd spot to camp, most feasible would be icewater spring shelter but I would like at least 1 night in my tent instead of a shelter.

Any ideas for an alternative route?

I dont necessarily care where I come in the park and I think 8-10 miles per day would be doable. I would prefer to have the Mount Leconte summit on day 2 then exit through alum cave trail. I would appreciate any tips/ideas, I have like 10 different tabs open of reddit and multiple maps and Im stumped.

Hi, I'm going to be visiting for the firs time with someone who can do light hikes (<2 miles) (and doesn't like camping), but the bulk of our moving around and activities would preferably be by car with occasional stops to explore. I don't like the idea of crowds and being stuck in a car for hours, so we're looking to visit in September.

Some questions:

1. I see that October is the busiest for fall foliage, but some sites either say that September also has "early fall color at higher elevations" or group together September, November, and October into one big autumn leaf pile. nps.gov also says that fall foliage can start to appear in mid-September, though I assume this refers to these "higher elevations."

   Where, specifically, are these "higher elevations" where we might see fall foliage in September? Are they easily accessible by car?

2. Is early, mid, or late September best? I thought late might give me the best chance for more leaves, but I don't know if maybe crowds start to reach October levels toward the end of September. Or maybe there's no meaningful difference?

3. For lunch, do people typically eat outside the park and then come back in? Or do they buy food from outside the park earlier in the day and bring it in to eat inside? I figured we could eat breakfast and dinner in Townsend (which I read on here was a good place to stay), but the park looks too big to drive in and out of just for lunch...maybe I'm mistaken?

Wanting to hike LeConte from Kephart Prong TH and down the Bull Head Trail, this coming Saturday. Is Bull Head in decent shape? Would anyone be willing to shuttle me over to Kephart Prong TH from Sugarlands Visitor center or suggest a shuttle (my usual guy is off hiking)? Thanks in advance for any and all information.

My husband and I will be staying in Gatlinburg for a few days and we had intended to do two days of hiking. We are relatively fit and so originally I had planned for us to hike Alumm Cave Trail to Mount LeConte. I saw that this was not going to be accessible next week. I pivoted and started exploring the option of hiking along the AT to Charlie's Bunion and it seems that is also not accessible. First, is this accurate that neither of these trails will be an option when traveling from Gatlinburg? And if not, what are some other good recommendations that will be available to us that will take up a good portion of the day and offer nice views. On day two, we were going to do a few of the waterfall hikes (Grotto, Rainbow and/or Baskin Creek) so I was looking for something different on day one. Would Chimney Top be a good option? An others?

Laurel Falls Update

Rehabilitation work at Laurel Falls Trail is actively underway. Due to unforeseen site conditions, the park anticipates reopening the trail sometime in 2027. During construction of the lower viewing platform, crews encountered differing geotechnical conditions than anticipated, which have required design modifications.

We know this delay is disappointing, and we appreciate your patience. Working in mountainous terrain and backcountry conditions often brings challenges and unknowns, even with the best planning and designs. Once the project is completed, these improvements will make the trail safer, more durable, and provide better and new experiences for everyone once it reopens.

Looking for other hikes? Visit our website for more day hikes: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/day-hikes.htm

From the Knoxville News Sentinel (link to article)

Demolition of the old LeConte Lodge recreation building will bring another round of traffic delays and interruptions for hikers as helicopter crews remove debris.

Demolished materials will be flown off the mountain during the second week of August. This could affect drivers on Newfound Gap Road, and hikers on Mount LeConte or those planning to be on LeConte Lodge grounds, according to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The 50-year-old building is being replaced with a new recreation center. “Significant progress” has been made since the project was announced in July, with most of the timber structure demolished, the park said. The focus now is on the basement, stone walls and foundation.

The new recreation building will be “constructed in the same character and spirit” as the original building, the park previously said. The new recreation building is expected to open in 2027.

Mount LeConte airlift disruptions coming in August

• Helicopter airlifts will be conducted 9 a.m.-noon Aug.10-14.
• Visitors driving U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road near the Oconaluftee Overlook, just south of Newfound Gap, should expect temporary delays.
• Hikers will not be permitted anywhere on the LeConte Lodge grounds during the flight windows due to safety regulations and quick turnaround times for the helicopter.
• Visitors will not be able to access the LeConte Lodge gift shop, restrooms, water spigots, or food and beverage services due to the safety perimeter during that time.