Tell me about Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a vacation destination

In My Humble Opinion
1

We are trying to make final plans for when my youngest **Gas **is on spring break, last week of March. **BakingWithElectricity **(not really her Straight Dope name but that would be a good one for her) wants to limit travel to a 3-hour plane ride. We could fly to Knoxville and either stay in Knoxville (kind of far from the park), a small town in Tenn. north of park (accommodations may be limited), or at Harrah’s in Cherokee, N.C., just south of the park.

So what is there do for a married couple and a 17-year-old boy? What will the weather be like in March? Still snow in higher elevations?

2

In that region there are handful of commercial caves. And a cave related state park or two. All very different caves actually (I was surprised to be honest).

Some probably offer “wild cave tours” as well, where they give you a helmet and light and you get all muddy and scared and stuff (though still probably a gazillion times safer than the drive there).

You’ll have to do some internet research for youself for the details.

But definitely something pretty much anybody CAN do but very few people actually do do.

3

What’s the town in Tennessee? If it’s Gatlinburg it’s an over-priced tourist trap in my opinion.

4

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park, I believe, holds the dishonorable title of the most polluted national park in the US. It is really crowded. It is really, really bad in the fall, but it’s pretty crowded in the spring, too.

I lived in Knoxville in the late '70s and would make day trips to the park. It is very nice. In my opinion, the spring is better than the fall, but it is nice even in mid-summer and the dead of winter (although some parts get closed in the winter due to weather). This was back when Pigeon Forge was just a wide spot on a 4-lane higway–there was no Dollywood. I’ve been back two or three times since then and didn’t recognize it. The park is still a wonder, though. Particularly if you are into hiking; there are nice trails and very impressive overlooks.

What I lived there, we would avoid going up there on the weekends. You might want to check the local school systems to make sure they are not on spring break the same week you are planning to visit (it should be OK, if I recall correctly, most of the schools take spring break later, in April, to let the weather get a little better).

As the weather goes, the end of March is a period of transition. You could see freezing weather (snow, ice storms, etc…) or it might be very nice (sunny, highs in the 60s to 70s, lows 40s and 50s). Or, you might get both. Chances are, you will get rain (the springs are wet in the mountains).

As far as Gatlinburg or Cherokee, I can’t comment. Living in Knoxville, I always just made day trips (we did go the camping thing a couple of times, but again, try and do it during the week, the weekends are just jam-packed). I’d expect them to pretty much the same, except there is gambling in Cherokee.

5

Didn’t have a specific one in mind but that is on the list. Thanks for that. Makes sense.

6

When I was down in that region I stayed with my in-laws in Morristown, TN - it’s about an hour to an hour and a half drive from the park, which may be a bit longer than you originally intended but the hotel rates are reasonable there. But, like many attractions, the closer you stay the higher the prices.

Leave early, and don’t go on a weekend.

7

We went that same week a few years back. No leaves on the trees. Just some early spring flowers like trillium. I was disappointed. Too early to be pretty. This was near Gatlinburg.

8

My limited experience with the Smokies might include a helpful hint for you:

For a few years in the late '00s, my wife would attend a conference in Lake Junaluska, NC. We would spend a week in Maggie Valley. You can rent a house there for–I swear–a couple of bux more than renting a motel room for the same time period. Nice houses, up in the mountains, 10 miles from the park entrance. Joey’s Pancake House is there, eat yourself sick, go early; people drive 2 hours to have breakfast there. I haven’t been to Ghost Town in the Sky (it closed a couple years before we started going to MV and re-opened the year after we stopped) but heard great things about it. Clingmans Dome can be much cooler (temp-wise) than the parking lot. Bryson City has/had train rides to Fontana Dam.

Once (and only once), we took a drive through the park to see some elk. We had our two dogs with us. We got to the spot and found dozens of folks taking pix of more than a few big, beautiful elk. Our dogs just had to say HELLO, loudly and repeatedly; we beat a hasty retreat.

9

I spent a month driving around the southeast in September. I enjoyed the Tenn. side of the Smokies the most. It is a) crowded and b) worth the crowds. At 17 I would have enjoyed it immensely. The crowds are concentrated around roads and trailheads-think Yellowstone in the summer. But even though I had difficulty parking at some of the trailheads, within a mile or two I was alone on the trail. To me, the reason to visit the Park is the hiking. There are other things to do, especially Gatlinburg, but those are some REAL crowds. Especially at night, the pedestrians routinely moved faster than the traffic for miles. The hotels etc along the strip are the height of touristy. That said, I know people who have bought in to the theme (say “Biblical Lands”-there is a hotel complex with that theme) and they had a very nice time. Quite and peaceful it is not, but lots of lights and people. You may want that. If not, there is an easy solution-anywhere else in the area. The strip between the I-75/I-40 corridor up to Knoxville has many wonderful small towns with multiple places to stay. Those are quiet, nice (the ones I stayed in) and offer easy access to the Park. Look along rte 321 between Maryville and Pigeon Forge (Hi Dolly! :slight_smile: ). I found a nice motel in Townsend that I plan to go back to.

In sum, I found the Park (in September) a great place for day hikes and exploring. It is crowded, but the crowds are easy to get away from. I was never really alone, if you take a break someone else will walk by, but most of the time, you are hiking by yourself.

A word of warning: be very careful if you venture into Asheville NC. That city is like something out of a fairy tail for people who like college towns. I have relatives that came to visit their daughter-and then moved from Texas to NC just to be near Asheville. The daughter is optional. :slight_smile: Having visited it I can see why. If you wander in, you may never leave… From what I saw and heard it is a very nice place to live.

I would recommend flying in to the area based on price-even flying in to Nashville is only a 3-4 hour drive to the Park. But that trades a little time for a little money. You will need a car in any event.

Enjoy!

10

The “small towns north of the park” are most likely Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and/or Sevierville. Just because they’re small, you should not assume they will be quiet or easy to navigate. That whole area along U.S. 441 (which they call “The Parkway”) is crammed with hotels, restaurants, shops, and kitschy tourist trap amusements. Of the three, Sevierville, the furthest north, is probably the quietest and least touristy. On the other hand, to get to the park itself, you’ll have to drive through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, which will take you much longer than you would expect, based on looking at a map. The Parkway can be incredibly crowded and slow-moving. Pigeon Forge (particularly Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s amusement park) and Gatlinburg are tourist destinations in themselves for many people, quite independent of the National Park.

You can, if you’re so inclined, rent cabins in the Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg area, some of which are up in the mountains and will get you somewhat off the beaten track. My wife and I usually do this when we go to that area, and it can be surprisingly pleasant and relaxing when you’re away from the hubbub of the Parkway. As other people have said, go during the week and avoid holidays for minimum crowds.

11

My four cents:

  1. Gatlinburg has Ripley’s Aquarium going for it and, IMO, precious little else. But it’s a fantastic aquarium, second only to the Atlanta Aquarium in terms of awesome aquariums I’ve been to. If you’ve got a family that might enjoy it, definitely worth a day trip. Gatlinburg is an insanely touristy town, though, the kind of place dominated by fudge shops and raunchy T-shirt kiosks.
  2. Cherokee? I don’t much care for it, to be honest. If you want to gamble, I can see the appeal of Harrah’s, but otherwise, I recommend against it.
  3. Consider instead a state park. This website has a map that might help you out. A few years ago we rented a cabin in a TN state park. Rates for a full cabin (kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, full bath) were favorably comparable to a hotel room, and we could walk straight into the woods from our back door. The Appalachian mountains around this area really are gorgeous–although even in late March you’re still talking snow and very little new green growth–and if folks enjoy hiking or waterfall-viewing, it’s my favorite place in the world for it.
  4. Asheville is pretty great, so I hear ;). But we’ve got some issues here as well, including for example a 99%+ occupancy rate on rental properties that drive prices well out of the range of a lot of people, leading to some weird issues with wages, homelessness, and gentrification. But if you’re looking for a place to stay as a base of operations, where you can return at night to eat at a surprising number of excellent restaurants, and where there’s a decent music scene, consider staying in Asheville. We’re fairly close to GSM Park (like 45 minutes away), close enough for day trips if you have a car.
12

Adding my own four cents.
Things to do in the Smokies:

  1. Hike in the mountains.
  2. Tour Cades Cove, which is a (15?) mile loop of road with a half-dozen preserved old log cabins, water-powered mill, etc. Also, a flat five-mile walk to a waterfall. You can drive it or rent bicycles I believe, which is a nice way to do it.
  3. Dollywood, if you’re into that kind of thing (it’s predecessor was actually kind of cool: half amusement park with roller coasters, etc., and half demonstrations of glass-blowing, blacksmithing and other old-timey things; I don’t know what it’s like now).
  4. Tourist-trap stuff in Gatlinburg, if you’re into that kind of thing.

So, if you and your son are into hiking in the mountains, go for it. A day biking Cades Cove is also nice. Otherwise, unless your son is really into tourist kitsch, stay away.

13

Since you’ll have a rental car I’d recommend looking at stops on a loop of I-40 east of Knoxville, Hwy 74 to Cherokee, and Hwy 441 over the Smokies back to the Knoxville area. There is a stretch of amazing mountain and river scenery on I-40 with several trailheads and one exit that’s primarily multiple canoe rental services.

I hear many stories of taking 2+ hours to get through 4 miles of Gatlinburg highway on a bad day but that’s mostly Christmas and summer weekends. Gatlinburg/Sevierville private mountain chalets can be rented and can be VERY nice if you want to stay in one spot.

14

Yeah, as mentioned, Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited and it’s crazy crowded. I went there to camp for a week with a friend about 15 years ago. We made the mistake of getting there during Labor Day weekend. After 12 hours on the road, when we finally got there, I accidentally got on the Cade’s Cove loop- it’s a one-way drive with no way out once you’re in it- traffic was bumper-to bumper, crawling at barely walking pace. The scenery was nice, but it took hours to do the 15 mile loop and I was going nuts because we needed to find a campsite and it was getting dark by the time we got out of the loop (if you drive the loop on purpose, either do it during a non-peak time or make sure you have a lot of gas in the tank).

Once we finally exited the loop and asked about camping we found the park was full up, so we ended up staying at a miserable RV park outside the SM park area. Then we headed to Asheville, to camp on top of Mt. Mitchell (highest peak east of the Mississippi!).

Later, mid-week after Labor Day weekend, we made it back to the Smokies and camped in the Catalootchie (sp?) valley for the last few days. The valley was pretty cool- the road to get to it at the time was pretty primitive, and not too many tourists made it that far, so it was more isolated than anywhere else in the park. There’s an old abandoned town in the valley there, complete with several houses, a schoolhouse, church, and a couple old cemeteries on hills. Not many people were around when we were there so it was kind of spooky walking through the abandoned buildings and graveyards. It doesn’t sound like you’re camping, but if you don’t mind a bit of a drive through windy crumbling mountain back roads (unless they’re improved since) the valley would make a good day trip.

15

I don’t have much to offer, as I’ve only been to the area twice. My family enjoyed this museum, as it was a bit off the beaten path, not crowded and had a ton of information about the actual history of the park and the people who once lived in the area.

There was also a lumberjack dinner show we went to that ended up being a lot of fun.

16

I can tell you more about Knoxville, but I tend to avoid places like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The traffic can be horrendous. If you’re doing the park, the view from Chimney Tops is pretty amazing and touches the AT. I’m not sure if it’s seasonal, but they do have zip lines and an alpine coaster in Sevierville. If you stay in Knoxville, there are other places to hike outside of the GSMNP, like Big South Fork, Frozen Head, and House Mountain. Try to do a Blue Plate Special at WDVX. Free and fun. If you’re in to getting car sick, take a drive down the Dragon. 400 curves in 11 miles.

Let me know if you go with Knoxville. I can give you more detailed information.

17

I want to get closer to the park since that will be the focus of the trip. I have been looking at cottage/cabin rentals outside Gatlinburg and on the NC around Cherokee. I am leaning to NC because my wife has relatives in Greenville, and we might stop in Asheville on the way.

We’ll be going in March. Traffic looks clean & green right now. I would assume summer weekends are the worst, but March weekdays?

18

FWIW, and not wishing to be a pest, this Google page is a good start for that area.

19

It’s funny. We go hiking and backpacking quite a bit, but rarely go through any of the tourist towns, so my info is weak. I would think the traffic will be light in March, but yes, it gets insane in the spring/summer/fall.

Asheville is very nice. Lots of great food and beer. Very liberal, lots of Subarus.

20

There are a lot of rafting places in the area but I am wondering if the air and water are still too cold this time of year to enjoy it. My experience in rafting is “you’re gonna get wet.” We arrive on 3/19 for a week.