Popular Park Destinations
If you’re planning a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this simple area map is a real lifesaver for getting your bearings across its sprawling territory in Tennessee and North Carolina. It spotlights the Foothills Parkway, a bright green scenic road split into West and East parts.
From west to east, you’ll see key spots like Abrams/Look Rock, Cades Cove, Elkmont/Metcalf, Sugarlands, Kuwohi/Newfound Gap, Oconaluftee, Deep Creek, Cataloochee/Balsam Mtn, Big Creek, Greenbrier, Cosby, and Fontana down south, all set up to help you zero in on great places for hikes, campsites, wildlife spotting, or just pulling over for a view.
More than 12.1 million people visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2024. Where are they going? What are they doing? What are they seeing inside the park?
The purpose of the following articles is to inform our readers of the most popular destinations in the park, and show you why they are popular.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not even close to being America’s largest national park by square miles, but it is massive nonetheless. Within the park are many waterfalls, historic buildings, wildlife, rivers, scenic overlooks, and much more. Access to these amazing places is exceptional.
Some of these places have become very popular due to their unique setting, amazing view, or historic significance. They all are beautiful in their own right and we want to tell you about them.
We are not including trails in this list. For a list of great hiking trails, see Popular Day Hikes in our hiking section.
More than 12.1 million people visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2024. Where are they going? What are they doing?
What are they seeing inside the park?
The purpose of the following articles is to inform our readers of the most popular destinations in the park, and show you why they are popular.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not even close to being America’s largest national park by square miles, but it is massive nonetheless.
Within the park are many waterfalls, historic buildings, wildlife, rivers, scenic overlooks, and much more.
Access to these amazing places is exceptional.
Some of these places have become very popular due to their unique setting, amazing view, or historic significance.
They all are beautiful in their own right and we want to tell you about them.
We are not including trails in this list. For a list of great hiking trails, see Popular Day Hikes in our hiking section.
