Day Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

There are many different trails to hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranging from easy to moderate to strenuous. Whether you’re looking for a quiet forest walk and wildflowers or a hike by the river to an amazing waterfall, there is a hike for everyone! Here are a list of the hikes you can complete in a day.

1. Alum Cave- Features views and interesting geological features. 4.4 miles roundtrip and moderate in difficulty
2. Charlie’s Bunion- 8.0 miles roundtrip
3. Spruce-Fir Trail- Located in Newfound Gap/ Clingmans Dome, 0.4 miles roundtrip
4. Laurel Falls- Located in Elkmont, 2.3 miles roundtrip and features a historical waterfall and stream
5. Little Brier Gap- Located in Elkmont, features the Walker Sisters Place and is 2.3 miles roundtrip
6. Grotto Falls- Located in Gatlinburg/ Mt. Leconte, features waterfalls and is 2.6 miles roundtrip
7. Schoolhouse Gap- Located in Cades Cove/ Townsend, features a quiet forest hike and wildflowers and is 3.8 miles roundtrip
8. Baskins Creek Falls- Located in Gatlinburg, features waterfalls and is 3.0 miles roundtrip
9. Andrews Bald- Located in Newfound Gap/ Clingmans Dome, features panoramic views and is 3.5 miles roundtrip
10. Porter’s Creek Trail- Located in the Greenbrier area, features waterfalls, streams, flowers and an old growth forest, 4.0 miles roundtrip
11. Abrams Falls- Located in the Cades Cove area, features waterfalls and is 5.0 miles roundtrip
12. Little River Trail- Located in the Elkmont area, features streams and seasonal wildflowers, 4.9 miles roundtrip
13. Meigs Mountain Trail- Located in the Elkmont area, quiet forest hike, 4.6 miles roundtrip
14. Hen Wallow Falls- Located in the Greenbrier area, features waterfalls, 4.4 miles roundtrip
15. Huskey Gap (Newfound Gap Rd)- Located in Gatlinburg, features a quiet forest walk and is 4.2 miles roundtrip
16. Chimney Tops- Located in Gatlinburg, features panoramic mountain views and is 4.0 miles roundtrip
17. Cucumber Gap Loop- Located in Elkmont, features streams and seasonal wildflowers. 5.6 miles roundtrip
18. Grapeyard Ridge Trail- Located in Greenbrier, features a historical Injun Creek steam engine wreck and is 5.8 miles roundtrip
19. Deep Creek Headwaters- Located in Newfound Gap, features a stream and is 5.8 miles roundtrip
20. West Prong Trail- Located in the Cades Cove area, features a stream and quiet forest walk, 5.4 miles roundtrip
21. Curry Mountain Trail- Located in the Elkmont area, features a quiet forest hike and is 6.4 miles roundtrip
22. Sugarland Mountain Trail (lower)- Located in the Elkmont area, features a quiet forest hike and is 6.0 miles roundtrip
23. The Jump Off- Located in Newfound Gap, features panoramic mountain view and is 6.5 miles roundtrip
24. Bullhead Trail- Located in Gatlinburg, features views and interesting geological features, 5.9 miles roundtrip
25. Sugarland Mountain Trail (upper)- Located in Newfound Gap, features views and solitude, 7.0 miles roundtrip

It is important to always hike prepared. Here is a complied list of things to bring with you on each day hike in the Smokies during the Summer months.

• Backpack, daypack or fanny pack
• Rain/Wind shield
• Supportive Footwear
• Extra socks
• Extra clothing
• Gloves
• Water: full canteens, water bottles or hydration pack
• Extra food: high energy snacks
• Map and/or guidebook
• Compass
• Pocket knife
• Flashlight
• Whistle
• Watch
• First Aid kit
• Insect repellent
• Sun protection
• Toilet paper (in a plastic bag)
• Money/ ID

Suggested/ Optional Gear:

• Hiking Pole
• Bandana
• Notebook with pencil
• Camera
• Binoculars
• Cell phone
• Napkins
• Zip seal plastic bags

Include in basic first-aid kit:

• Roll bandages
• Triangular bandages
• Ace bandages
• Butterfly bandages
• Sterile compresses
• Adhesive tape
• Sterile gauze pads
• Antiseptic wipes
• Miscellaneous band aids
• Twine
• Tweezers
• Safety Pins
• Scissors
• Thermometer
• Latex gloves
• Tissues
• Plastic bags
• Small mirror
• Antibacterial soap/wipes
• Eye drops
• Burn Ointment
• Sunburn lotion
• Disinfectant cream
• Decongestant and Antihistamine tablets
• Anti-acids
• Antibiotic cream
• Aspirin/ Ibuprofen
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Diarrhea medication
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Poison ivy cream/ cleansers
• Bee sting kit
• Snake bite kit
• Heat/cold packs
• Personal information/ contact person
• First-aid manual

Safety tips:

Never hike alone, give a family member or friend your hiking itinerary and estimated time of return, always stay on the designated trail, don’t hike too quickly pace yourself, start early, check the weather forecast before heading out, know where to get emergency medical care, watch for signs of heat exhaustion, don’t pack too heavily, never approach wild animals, and remember to always have fun!!

Gatlinburg Photo Contest – WINNER!

Gatlinburg Photo Contest – WINNER!
Photo Contest Category: Festivals & Events

Drum roll Please…..

After receiving hundreds of very nice event photos, we managed to select a few of the best ones as finalists. You can view all of these beautiful photos in our Facebook album (www.facebook.com/ERAInTheSmokies)!

We had to narrow it a little more though, and we managed to select 6 of these to receive special honor:

1st Place Winner!

Photo By Cody Young

Gatlinburg Winter Magic

The City of Gatlinburg magically lights up the winter nights with millions of spectacular lights and lighted displays from November through February. Source: Gatlinburg. com

 

2nd Runners Up

About Easter Sunrise Service

Gatlinburg’s Annual Easter Sunrise Service will be enhanced by the beauty of the Smokies when the community and its visitors gather at Ober Gatlinburg for this memorable worship service. The 30-40 minute high mountain service will be led by local pastors of the Gatlinburg Ministerial Association. Source: Ober Gatlinburg.com

 

3rd Runners Up

About Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival

From colorful mountain tops to crafts and live entertainment, Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival is a county-wide event throughout the towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Townsend. These towns represent a special autumn zone of the Smoky Mountains that transforms itself through fun times, vibrancy of the leaves and hospitality of the locals. Come and stay during this magical time in Tennessee. Fall is the peak time to explore this Smoky Mountain region, which is famous for its fall leaf colors. Take in all of the special attractions and shows during Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival. Start dreaming now of crisp cool air. Discover a great vacation package, and plan your autumn vacation itinerary.  Source: Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival.com

Thank You all for participating in this contest, we will have another one soon, theme is a surprise, but go ahead and get your smoky mountains pictures ready! You could be the next lucky winner!

Fall Color Update from the National Park Service

Fall Leaf Color – October 2, 2012
Article quoted from Great Smoky Mountains National Park website.

Fall colors are nearing peak at high elevations in the park. Some trees are still green, but yellow and golds are becoming predominant along roadways above 4,000 feet elevation. Newfound Gap Road near the crest of the mountains and Clingmans Road are particularly nice at this time. At lower elevation, early trees are turning now, but these are scattered patches of color–the majority of trees at low elevation are still green. Dogwood, black gum, sourwood, sumac and Virginia Creeper are among the species showing red color at lower elevations now.

Fall wildflowers are blooming in abundance along park roadways. Look for goldenrod, asters, snakeweed, and jewelweed.

The park usually experiences an autumn leaf season of several weeks as fall colors travel down the mountain sides from high elevation to low. However, the timing of fall color change depends upon so many variables that the exact dates of “peak” season are impossible to predict in advance.

Elevation profoundly affects when fall colors change in the park. At higher elevations, where the climate is similar to New England’s, color displays start as early as mid-September with the turning of yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry.

From early to mid-October, fall colors develop above 4,000 feet. To enjoy them, drive the Clingmans Dome Road, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or the Foothills Parkway.

The fall color display usually reaches peak at mid and lower elevations between mid-October and early November. This is the park’s most spectacular display as it includes such colorful trees as sugar maple, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple, and the hickories.

Autumn is both a beautiful and a busy time in the Great Smoky Mountains. The annual show of fall colors attracts huge numbers of sightseers, especially during the last three weeks of October. Areas in the park which experience the longest traffic delays are Cades Cove and Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441). Try some of these suggested autumn drives and hikes to enjoy fall leaf colors in areas of the park that are a little less crowded.

Why are fall colors so remarkable in the Smokies? One reason is the park’s amazing diversity of trees. Some 100 species of native trees live in the Smokies and the vast majority of these are deciduous.

How do colors change? As summer ends, the green pigments in leaves deteriorate, giving other colors a chance to shine. Carotenoids, the pigment that makes carrots orange and leaves yellow, are exposed as the green fades. Reds and purples come from anthocyanins, a pigment that is formed when sugars in leaves break down in bright autumn sunlight.

There are no motels or rental cabins located within the national park. However, communities surrounding the national park offer a wide choice of accommodations including hotels, cabins, bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds. October is a busy month in the park, so it is advisable to make accommodation reservations as early as possible. Information about accommodations in the surrounding communities.

Vividly colored fall leaves leaves may grab your attention, but don’t overlook the park’s fall wildflowers which bloom in profusion along roadways!