TRAVEL TIPS

1. Try the Less Visited Areas of the National Park

The busiest and most seen areas of the park are:

The Cades Cove Loop Road
Newfound Gap Road
The Roaring Fork Motor Trail
Alum Cave Trail
Abrams Falls Trail
Grotto Falls Trail
Laurel Falls Trail

However, If you're vacationing during a popular time of year (May thru early September; October; holidays in November and December) you may want to consider these great, yet often overlooked parts of the Smoky Mountains:

Metcalf Bottoms (Riverside Picnic; hiking)
Greenbrier (Ramsey Cascade waterfall)
Cosby (Mt. Cammerer Fire Tire)
Tremont (hiking; history)
Cataloochee Valley (mountain views)
Abrams Creek Campground (hiking)

2. Avoid the Big Attractions

Here are some top area attractions you may want to avoid during your trip if you're vacationing during a busy time of year.

Dollywood
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
The Island
The Titanic Museum

Try these instead:

The Forbidden Caverns – Massive underground caves
Fox Fire Mountain – Outdoor adventure mountain
Alpine/Mountain Coasters – found along Wears Valley road and in Gatlinburg.
Tubing on the Little Pigeon River
Horseback Riding

3. Timing Is Everything

Drive Early or Late at Night

When arriving to the Pigeon Forge area along the Parkway or going up the mountains, you can avoid the traffic jams by planning your trip to arrive early in the day. Likewise, if you arrive to Pigeon Forge later in the evening, after 9 p.m., you should be able to drive thru the parkway with relative ease. Otherwise, expect heavy traffic on the parkway, especially between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

When departing from the Smokies on your trip back home, leave before 11 a.m. Traffic to I-40 and other major highways tend to get backed up at 11 a.m., especially on Sunday mornings. This is due to most guests checking out of their cabins at 10 a.m. after a weekend getaway.

Arrive at Big Attractions Early

If you must go to a big attraction, the earlier you start your day's adventure, the better chance you can enjoy it without dealing with crowds. In most cases, arriving at an attraction or trailhead before 10 a.m. should be plenty of time to beat the crowds. Additionally, some of the attractions along the parkway (mini-golf, go karts) offer discounts before noon.

Visit Big Attractions on Weekdays

Weekdays are the best time to visit popular destinations like Dollywood and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. You'll find shorter lines and have more time to fully experience these fun attractions. However, during the summer months you will run into small crowds no matter what time of day you visit.

Visit in the Offseason

Winter months of January and February (excluding holidays) and early spring are definitely the more peaceful and laid back times to explore the Smoky Mountains. You will also find a great deal on our cabin rates during these months.

4. Breakfast

When going to breakfast on the weekends or during the busy season, arrive before 8 a.m. You should be able to get a table rather quickly and get great service.

Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. is a WILDLY POPULAR time to eat breakfast in the Smokies. While you will still receive great service, you may have to wait up to 1 hour for a table.