Great Smoky Mountains National Park Day Trip from Knoxville

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Knoxville is a great base for exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park as it’s only a 45-minute to 1-hour drive away, depending on which park entrance you choose! Many visitors often dedicate more than one day to visiting the park, especially considering there is so much else to do in the surrounding areas of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge (hello Dollywood!). However, if you’re short on time, you can easily do a Great Smoky Mountains day trip from Knoxville and see some cool sights.

Great Smoky Mountains Facts

Did you know that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most-visited National Park in the U.S.? I had no idea until I started doing research for our trip. In 2022, there were nearly 13 million visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, followed by Grand Canyon National Park at just under 5 million. That’s a huge difference!

It’s really no surprise to me that this is the most-visited National Park in U.S. The landscape of The Smokies is absolutely beautiful! There is plenty to do for outdoor enthusiasts in the way of hiking, along with interesting historical points of interest and tons of beautiful scenery for those taking a leisurely drive.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park also spans across two states (Tennessee and North Carolina), which means extra points of entry to the park.

Are the Smoky Mountains actually smoky?

The iconic “smoke” of the smokies is actually a fog that settles throughout the mountains from the vegetation. We visited on a clear day, but we could still see some of that “smoke” settling in some of the valleys!

Park Entrance Fee

Entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is FREE! However, if you plan on parking anywhere inside the park, you’ll need to pay $5 for a daily parking pass. If you’re just driving through or not planning on parking anywhere for more than 15 minutes, parking tags are not required. On Fee Free Days, visitors do not need to purchase a parking pass.

Day Trip Itinerary Summary

This day trip itinerary focuses mostly on enjoying the sights via car due to having limited time. There is a little bit of “hiking” involved at Clingman’s Dome on a paved (but steep) path, but otherwise, we just enjoyed the views from our car window.

Below is a summary of all the stops from our Great Smoky Mountains National Park day trip itinerary:

1. Drive from Knoxville to Clingman’s Dome – the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains
2. Hike to the Clingman’s Dome observation tower
3. Quick stop at the Sugarlands Visitor Center
4. Lunch at Tennessee Jed’s in Gatlinburg
5. Drive the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Drive from Knoxville to Clingman’s Dome

Start your Great Smoky Mountains day trip off with a drive from Knoxville up to Clingman’s Dome, which is the highest point in the Smokies! Depending on traffic and stops at scenic lookouts along the way, plan for about two hours to get from Downtown Knoxville to the Clingman’s Dome parking area.

Driving from Knoxville, we entered the park via the Gatlinburg Bypass rather than driving through Gatlinburg itself. Make sure you stop at the pullout once you get into the park to snap a pic with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sign! Coordinates are roughly here.

Please note that the road to Clingman’s Dome is closed from December 1 through March 31, so this is best done in the late spring, summer or fall seasons.

On the drive up to Clingman’s Dome, there are a few scenic points to pull over at (safely in designated pullout areas) where you can get some picturesque views! Some points of interest to note are the Ben Morton Overlook and the Chimney Tops Overlook.

Hike to the Clingman’s Dome Observation Tower

If you are physically able, I highly recommend the hike up to the Clingman’s Dome Observation Tower. Clingman’s Dome is located right on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, so you’ll be straddling two states at once! From the observation tower, you’ll be able to see views of the Smokies stretching across both states!

Visit the Sugarlands Visitor Center

From Clingman’s Dome, head back down towards Gatlinburg and make a stop at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. They’ve got some great history on the local flora and fauna, and if you have extra time, you can visit Cataract Falls nearby.

This is also a great spot to purchase souvenirs. I’m a magnet collector, so I picked one up here for my magnet board at home.

Have Lunch in Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg is a destination on its own that you could easily spend a few days at. However, if you just want a little taste of this wildly quirky place, make a plan to stop here for lunch and take a stroll through town to check out some of the shops.

Do note that parking in Gatlinburg is pretty pricey anywhere you look. You’re probably looking at spending around $20 for parking, so take that into consideration when it comes to your budget.

For lunch, we opted for sandwiches at Tennessee Jed’s, which is a highly rated restaurant in Gatlinburg. Luckily for us, there was no wait even on a busy holiday (I think we missed the lunch rush). We were even able to find a seat with some shade! We got the Cuban and Reuben sandwiches, which were both hearty and filling. I highly recommend the Reuben!

If you have extra time, check out one of the local distilleries in town before heading to the last part of the trip!

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Drive the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Since we still had some time left in our day, we decided to drive the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a 5.5 mile drive that takes you through a dense forest and past a few well-preserved historic buildings.

There are also several popular waterfall hikes along the Nature Trail, such as Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls. However, you’ll need to be sure to allot extra time on your itinerary if you plan to complete any hikes.

Noah “Bud” Ogle was a Tennessee farmer in the late 1800’s who farmed corn and apples. There are actually two cabins on the property, with the smaller second cabin being built to accommodate Bud Ogle’s family, which included his wife and eight children.

For me not being a huge history buff, I still think it’s cool to see how earlier settlers lived and learn about how they survived.

Truthfully, you really do need more than one day to explore the park. If we had more time, I would have loved to do the Cades Cove Loop (entering at the Townsend park entrance) and also focus on doing some of the easier hikes. But I will save those for next time!

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