In the Great Smoky Mountains, the Gatlinburg trail is a popular place for visitors to hike and for good reason! While we were hiking it, we saw young and old alike. The trail is wide and well marked making it a wonderful, family friendly experience. The trail is around 2 Miles each way and you can either start in Gatlinburg or at the Sugarland Visitors center. We saw families using strollers and hiking backpacks along with many dogs along the way. This was my daughter’s favorite part!
Parking at the trailhead
When we arrived at the trailhead for the Gatlinburg trail, we did not immediately see the free parking and we thought we were going to have to pay $20 to park! Thankfully, we looked around a bit and were able to find the trailhead parking. Someone was leaving right at the moment we were driving up so we were able to snag their spot. The parking spaces are limited, especially considering the amount of people who are on the trail, so be aware that if you are planning on parking here you may have to wait for a spot. There are also many spots along the trail where you can park and jump onto the trail if you cannot find parking in Gatlinburg at the trailhead. You can also park at the visitors center where there is much more available parking. Personally, I enjoyed starting in Gatlinburg as it gave us the opportunity to explore the visitors center when we reached the end and before turning around to hike back.
Hiking the Gatlinburg Trail
The Gatlinburg trail is around 4 miles there and back. One of our favorite parts of the hike was the river that flowed along the majority of the trail. I loved the sounds of water running and how peaceful it felt. We saw a variety of people including families, older individuals, and solo hikers. Many people choose to bring their dogs along as well because this is one of only two trails in the Great Smoky Mountains that allows dogs.
When we were getting close to the Visitor’s center, the forest path continued onto a road. There was construction happening on the park headquarters while we were there and the trail was slightly different than normal in that area. We had a hard time finding exactly where to go when we were near the park headquarters. We think they were missing a sign when coming from the Gatlinburg direction. Hopefully they placed a sign there so other hikers don’t get confused!
Visitor center and outdoor restrooms
I love visiting Visitors Centers when I am at a National Park. They are all different and have different stamps available for your passport book. The day we hiked this trail was slightly rainy and cold so getting to go into the Sugarland’s visitors center was nice to rest and warm up for a few minutes before continuing on our hike. They had a neat exhibit space where you could learn about the local animals and plants that grow in the Great Smoky Mountains.
The restrooms are located in a separate building from the visitors center, but thankfully they are close by. They are well maintained and clean despite a good number of hikers using them. We appreciated being able to use the restroom before heading back on our hike to Gatlinburg.
Cataract Falls
If you want to extend your hike by a little, you can add on a short hike to see a waterfall called Cataract Falls. This hike is only 0.7 miles round trip and you can hike it from the visitors center. This trail can be done on its own or you can hike it in addition to the Gatlinburg trail which is what we ended up doing. While it is not a huge waterfall, it is nice and easy to access. When we completed this short trail, we were able to easily hop back on to the Gatlinburg Trail.
I highly recommend hiking the Gatlinburg trail! It is a peaceful and enjoyable hike with beautiful views. If you enjoy being out in nature, this trail won’t disappoint.
If you enjoy hiking:
Check out some of my favorite hikes at Big Bend National park here: https://suitcasesandsalt.com/three-hikes-everyone-should-do-at-big-bend-national-park/
Check out a visit that Peppers and Passports did to Skyline drive here: https://pepperandpassports.com/skyline-drive-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-go/