The highest ridge in the Smokies, and the road that reaches it
Gatlinburg, Tennessee · 3 nights · May · Jun · Sep · Oct · up to 10
Gatlinburg is a strip of attractions at the door of the most visited national park in the country, and the trick is to treat the town as a bed and nothing more. Kuwohi is the high point of Tennessee and the road up is seasonal — open from spring to the end of November, shut the rest of the year. Cades Cove is the far side of the park and the loop road is a slow hour and a half. Come in May before the school holidays, or in late September.
The ending
A concrete spiral ramp rising out of spruce-fir forest to a round platform above the treeline, ridges running away in every direction and the air ten degrees colder than the car park.
That is Kuwohi Observation Tower, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. See how private it is and when it’s open.
Do
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hiking
- Gatlinburg Trail (Easy River Walk)
- Smoky Mountain luxe picnic
- Dollywood's DreamMore Spa day
Eat
- The Peddler Steakhouse
- Wild Plum Tea Room
Stay
- The Lodge at Buckberry Creek
- Bearskin Lodge on the River
When is the road open?
The park lists Kuwohi Road as open from the start of April to the end of November and closed outside that. There is no way around it — the walk up from Newfound Gap is long.
Is the park really that busy?
It is the busiest in the country, and nearly all of that happens on three roads. Walk fifteen minutes off any of them and it stops.
The planner doesn’t build Gatlinburg, Tennessee yet — we can name the places here but not yet enough of them around it to fill 3 nights without repeating. Read this one, then build your own somewhere we can.