Pink Jeep Tours

Why go: An open air Jeep, a guide certified to interpret what you are looking at, and a private off road trail at the end that no other operator in town can put you on.

About Pink Jeep Tours

Pink Jeep began in Sedona, Arizona in 1960 and claims to have run America’s first Jeep tour. The Smoky Mountains location opened in April 2019 on the Pigeon Forge Parkway, and it has been part of Herschend Enterprises since a 2018 acquisition, which makes it a corporate sibling of Dollywood a couple of miles down the road.

The vehicles are the reason people book. These are custom built Pink Jeep Wranglers, open air with canopy tops and vinyl side enclosures, so you get the view and the weather without either being unbearable. The exception is the Cades Cove tour, which runs in an enclosed heated PanoramaVan with a curved glass roof and glass sides, and no off road section at all.

Guides are trained to a corporate standard that goes well past knowing the route. The company puts them through defensive driver training, CPR and first aid, and many hold Certified Interpretive Guide credentials from the National Association for Interpretation. On a road where a lot of narration amounts to pointing at things, that difference shows.

Every Jeep tour ends the same way, with a run on a private off road trail the company calls the Bear Track. The company rates its own Jeep tours at two out of five for roughness, so this is a flavour of off roading rather than a punishing crawl, and it is on private land because off road driving is not permitted inside the national park.

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Roaring Fork Smoky Mountains Tour

Newfound Gap Smoky Mountains Tour

Cades Cove Tour

Foothills Parkway Smoky Mountains Tour

Historic Elkmont Tour

Getting to Pink Jeep Tours

Check in is at the Pink Jeep office on the Parkway, on the stretch between traffic lights six and seven, and every tour departs from there. There is no second pickup point and no hotel collection for the Smokies tours, so plan to drive to the office. The company asks guests to arrive twenty minutes before departure, and that is a real twenty minutes rather than a suggestion, because the Jeeps leave on schedule. Restrooms and water refill are at the office, which is worth using before a three hour tour since stops on the route are not guaranteed.

Why Choose Pink Jeep Tours

Several operators in Pigeon Forge will drive you into the national park and talk about it on the way. What separates this one is a combination of vehicle, guide training and a piece of private land, and it comes at a price that reflects all three.

• The open air Jeep is the point. Canopy top and vinyl sides mean you are in the weather rather than behind glass, which changes how the Smokies read from a road you could otherwise drive yourself.
• Interpretive guides, not just drivers. The company trains guides to a national interpretive standard, so the commentary covers ecology and history rather than a list of landmarks.
• A private off road trail. The Bear Track finish is on private land, which is the only way to combine a national park tour with any off roading at all.
• An enclosed option that changes who can come. The Cades Cove PanoramaVan is heated with a glass roof and no rough section, which makes the longest tour the most accessible one for older guests and anyone who would find a Jeep uncomfortable.
• Small groups. Tours are capped at six or eight depending on the route, so nobody is straining to hear from the back of a coach.
• Car seats provided free. Seats for ages two to four come at no charge, which is a genuine convenience for families travelling light.

Must Do

Six tours run from the Pigeon Forge office and they go to genuinely different places. Pick by what you want to see rather than by length.

• Roaring Fork Smoky Mountains Tour. The company’s most popular route, running the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail past pioneer cabins, a tub mill and rushing streams, then finishing on the private trail.
• Newfound Gap Smoky Mountains Tour. Climbs about 3,000 feet to the highest point any of these tours reach, taking in the Appalachian Trail crossing and the Rockefeller Memorial where the park was dedicated in 1940.
• Cades Cove Tour. The longest at four and a half hours and the odd one out, running the eleven mile loop in the enclosed van with stops at settler cabins, three churches and the Cable Mill. The best odds of seeing a black bear.
• Foothills Parkway Smoky Mountains Tour. The shortest Jeep tour, through Wears Valley and the Little River Gorge with overlook stops on a parkway that took seventy four years to finish.
• Historic Elkmont Tour. The history heavy option, with a guided walk through the restored cabins at Daisy Town, the Appalachian Clubhouse and the Wonderland Hotel site.
• Gatlinburg Loop Smoky Mountains Tour. Cataract Falls, LeConte Creek and the Noah Ogle cabin. Sold only through the company directly rather than through the ticket links above.

What to Expect

Two things about these tours vary depending on where you buy the ticket, and one of them could matter a great deal, so it is worth reading this section before booking rather than afterwards.

• • Minimum age is two. Children under two are not permitted on any tour. Car seats are provided free for ages two to four, and children five and older need no booster, but you should give ages when you book.
  • Pregnancy rules differ by booking channel. The company’s own policy allows pregnant guests on the tour but not on the off road section, with a wait at a covered pavilion, and it recommends Cades Cove instead. Three of the tours listed on GetYourGuide state a flat exclusion for pregnant guests. If this applies to you, book direct or call first.
  • Cancellation windows differ too. Booking direct carries a forty eight hour cancellation policy. Booking through GetYourGuide carries twenty four hours for a full refund.
  • Gratuity handling differs by tour. The company treats fifteen percent as standard and adds it automatically for groups of eight or more, but gratuity is already included on several of the GetYourGuide products. Check your booking before tipping twice.
  • Boarding requires upper body strength. Guests must be able to get themselves in and out of the vehicle. Anyone with limited mobility may stay aboard at stops, where walking is on rocky, uneven ground.
  • Dress in layers. Newfound Gap sits close to a mile up and runs materially colder than the Parkway. Contact lens wearers are advised to consider glasses instead, which tells you something about the dust in an open vehicle.
  • Tours run rain or shine when the roads are open. Rain ponchos are carried on board. Severe weather can cancel a tour, with a full refund when the company makes that call.
  • Park road closures are the real variable. Roaring Fork closes every winter and Newfound Gap Road shuts on short notice for snow and ice, and the company does not publish what happens to your tour when that occurs. Ask when you book a winter date.
  • No glass, no meals, no coolers. Small snacks are fine. Alcohol, firearms, drones and professional video equipment are all prohibited.
  • Wind noise is the recurring complaint. In an open Jeep at speed the guide can be hard to hear, so sit forward if you want the commentary.
  • Walk ins are accepted but tours sell out. Advance booking is recommended, and same day bookings through a reseller need a phone call to confirm the time slot.
  • Restroom stops are not guaranteed. Facilities are at the check in office, and only the Cades Cove tour has a confirmed stop with restrooms at the visitor center.
  • Accessibility: Guests must board and exit the vehicle independently, and those with limited mobility may remain in the vehicle at stops

Nearby in Pigeon Forge

• Mountain Monster. A tower of thrill rides on Teaster Lane with a swing, a drop and a climb over the valley.
• Alcatraz East Crime Museum. A serious museum of American crime and forensics, a short walk up the Parkway from the check in office.
• Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud Show. Competitive log rolling, axe throwing and speed climbing staged as a family rivalry.
• The Comedy Barn Theater. Clean stand up, variety acts and animal routines in a long running Parkway theater.

Explore More

My Smoky Mountain Guide Pigeon Forge is a great resource for finding things to do and places to eat.

• Pigeon Forge Food & Beverage Guide. Restaurants, dinner shows, breweries, distilleries, and eateries throughout Pigeon Forge, from sit-down meals to grab-and-go stops.
• Pigeon Forge Outdoor Adventure. Mountain coasters, UTV rentals, rafting, helicopter tours, and other ways to experience the Smokies from outdoors.
• Pigeon Forge Attractions. Museums, escape rooms, mini-golf, arcades, and other family-friendly stops across the city.
• Pigeon Forge Entertainment. Dinner shows, live music, comedy, magic, and theater experiences throughout Pigeon Forge.