Tips for Visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park

My family recently returned from a much-needed four-night getaway, our first trip since the coronavirus outbreak. Before COVID-19, we’d planned an 11-day vacation to coastal Maine, but like so many travelers this year, we canceled the trip because we weren’t ready to fly. Instead, we decided on a road trip to a nearby locale perfect for getting away from it all—Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Here’s some advice about visiting the park under current conditions based on our recent trip.

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What’s Open in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The National Park Service has been gradually reopening the national parks since early May, but many parks still have partial closures and limitations on services. Great Smoky Mountains National Park instituted a phased reopening on May 9, 2020, with major roads and select trails opening first. On May 23, the park opened more roads and all hiking trails. Some trailheads, however, remain inaccessible due to the continued closure of secondary roads.

We visited the park in the first week of June. During our trip, restrooms were open, but visitor centers were still closed, and we saw almost no rangers in the park. As of June 8, 2020, all visitor centers have now reopened, which is good news, especially for first-time visitors. While theater and museum areas remain shuttered, you can now get park information at Sugarlands, Oconaluftee, Clingmans Dome, and Cades Cove. The two historic grist mills, Cable Mill in Cades Cove and Mingus Mill near Oconuluftee, will also be open from 9:00 to 5:00 daily.

As for camping, most campgrounds in the park are currently unavailable. Only Cades Cove and Smokemont are open, with Elkmont scheduled to reopen on June 15. For the most up-to-date information on park openings, check the current conditions page of the National Park Service’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park website.

Where to Stay Near Great Smoky Mountains National Park

One reason Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an ideal destination this year is the vast selection of rental accommodations near the park in towns like Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Bryson City. For our trip, we rented a beautiful cabin through VRBO in the Eagle Crest community in Sevierville.

Staying in the cabin gave us peace of mind about cleanliness and social distancing. We brought our own cleaning supplies to wipe-down high-touch surfaces and were able to reduce our exposure to other people by packing picnic lunches and cooking dinners in the cabin every night. If you have room in your car, also consider bringing your own pillows and blankets.

What to Do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hiking

Great Smoky Mountains National Park naturally encourages social distancing, and we had no worries about spending time on the mountain trails. Almost no one wore a mask while hiking, but we chose trails that, while popular, were rated as more difficult, such as Alum Cave and Rainbow Falls. The advanced nature of these trails kept the number of people low, and we found that fellow hikers were considerate about making room on the trails for others to pass.

Biking

We also bicycled the Cades Cove Loop, which kept us apart from other visitors who were mostly in their cars. The Cades Cove Loop is an 11-mile one-way road through a lush valley dotted with historic cabins and churches and is open to cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians. We brought our bikes from home and made our way around the loop along with the slow-moving vehicles. For those who want an even more serene experience, the park resumes its closure of the road for bicycle and pedestrian-only use every Wednesday, beginning June 17. The vehicle-free access runs all day and ends for the season on September 30.

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding is another great socially-distanced activity at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Three of the four horseback riding concessionaires are currently open—Sugarlands Riding Stables, Cades Cove Riding Stables, and Smokemont Riding Stables. Advanced reservations are not accepted at any of these locations, and riding is first-come, first-served. The operator of Sugarlands Stables near Gatlinburg told me her busiest times are between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and wait times this summer have ranged from 10 minutes to an hour and a half.

Scenic Drives

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is famous for its scenic drives, so even if you never leave your car, you’ll be treated to amazing views. Along with the Cades Cove Loop, we enjoyed the 5.5-mile one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, the 32-mile mountain pass through the park called Newfound Gap Road, and the stunning 18-mile Little River Road.

Enjoying Nature

Finally, there are countless places in the park where visitors can find room to enjoy nature away from other people. Stop at a quiet scenic overlook, have lunch at one of the many spacious picnic areas, or wade in one of the rushing mountain streams. Although it’s the country’s most visited national park, we easily found solitude within the more than 500,000 acres of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Looking for more information on activities in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Read “Best Things to Do in the Smokies Ranked from Easy to Hard.” Interested in other road trips in the Southeast? Check out my article on “8 Family Road Trips from Atlanta.”