Scenic Helicopter Tours

Why go: Flights run from a few minutes over the French Broad River to a full hour above the national park, and this is currently the only operator the Park Service authorizes to fly those park routes.

About Scenic Helicopter Tours

Scenic Helicopter Tours has been flying sightseeing routes over Great Smoky Mountains National Park since 1972, and the company is now run by the third generation of the same family. The fleet covers three aircraft types seating two to six passengers, so a scheduled flight goes out as a small group rather than a packed cabin.

The flight menu is unusually deep. The shortest option is a five mile introduction hop. The longest scheduled routes stretch past 100 miles and run close to an hour. In between sit river and lake circuits, mountain and valley routes, a night flight over the lights of the Parkway, and full national park tours. Beyond scheduled sightseeing the company also flies romance packages, gender reveals, corporate charters, and on-demand transport within 200 nautical miles of Knoxville.

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River Ride

Ridge Runner Tour

Wears Valley Tour

Gatlinburg Tour

Lake to Mountain Tour

Getting to Scenic Helicopter Tours

Two addresses matter here, and confusing them costs you your flight time. Every helicopter departs from the company’s private heliport on Winfield Dunn Parkway in Sevierville, roughly seven miles north of the Pigeon Forge Parkway. The ticket and information center at 1965 Parkway in Pigeon Forge is a storefront where you can ask questions and buy in person, but no aircraft leaves from there. If you already hold a booking, drive straight to the heliport, look for the big yellow helicopter, and check in at the reception desk. Allow extra time in summer and fall, when Parkway traffic can double the drive. The map below marks the Pigeon Forge ticket and information center.

Why Choose Scenic Helicopter Tours

Several companies sell aerial sightseeing in Sevier County. What separates this one is where it is permitted to fly, how long it has been doing it, and how much of a day it can fill.

• The only operator cleared over the national park. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Park Service completed an air tour management plan for Great Smoky Mountains National Park on December 3, 2022, authorizing up to 946 air tours a year on six defined routes above 2,600 feet. This company is currently the only one authorized to fly them.
• Fifty years in the same family. The operation started flying the Smokies in 1972 and has stayed under third generation family ownership since, which is a long run in a business where operators come and go.
• A flight for every nerve level. The lineup runs from a five mile first timer hop to routes past 100 miles, so a nervous family and a couple after the full park experience can book at the same desk on the same afternoon.
• Small cabins built around the view. Aircraft seat two to six, with leather seats and oversized windows, and pilots narrate the terrain rather than just steering over it.
• Something to do on either side of the flight. The heliport carries gem mining, giant lawn games, and a climbing wall, and Scenic Social adds live music, food trucks, and craft beer, which turns a short flight into an afternoon.

Must Do

Flights are sold by route, and the route decides everything about what you see. These are the ones worth knowing by name: the five you can book through us, shortest to longest, then two more you book direct with the company.

• River Ride. The short introduction, four to eight minutes depending on the option you pick, tracing the French Broad River with upgrades that push out over Douglas Dam and the lake beyond it.
• Ridge Runner Tour. Fifteen minutes and 30 miles low over the misty Chilhowee range, with historic downtown Sevierville and Pigeon Forge sitting off in the distance.
• Wears Valley Tour. Eighteen minutes and 36 miles that climb with the terrain to the crest of Cove Mountain at the park boundary, then run the length of Wears Valley and back over Waldens Creek.
• Gatlinburg Tour. Twenty minutes and 36 miles taking in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville on the way toward Gatlinburg and Mount LeConte, from an angle no road gives you.
• Lake to Mountain Tour. Twenty five minutes and close to 50 miles, the company’s own best value pick, pairing Douglas Lake and English Mountain with the Cove Mountain and Wears Valley high ground.
• Pigeon Forge Night Flight. A 30 mile route flown after dark with the Parkway lit end to end, booked direct rather than through the widgets above.
• National Park Tour. Fifty miles crossing Bluff Mountain and the Tennessee Valley before entering the park itself, with Elkmont, Blanket Mountain, and Thunderhead below and the pilot working through the history as you go. This one is also arranged direct.

What to Expect

This is an aviation operation, so a few of the rules are firmer than they would be at a mini golf course. None of them are a surprise if you read them before you drive out.

• Weight is measured, not estimated. The maximum per passenger seat rating is 300 pounds, and FAA rules mean every passenger is weighed on arrival. Only the flight crew sees the numbers. A party with someone over the seat rating can usually be moved to a larger aircraft, which the company arranges by phone.
• No age minimum at all. Children 23 months and under ride free as lap children if you are willing to hold them, and there is no upper age limit either.
• Arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your flight time. That window covers check in and the pilot’s safety briefing, and arriving on the dot puts your slot at risk.
• Accessibility. The company states that guests with disabilities can absolutely fly, and describes getting people over country they could not reach on foot as one of the better parts of the job.
• Wear dark clothing. Light colors reflect off the windows and flare in your photos. A camera or a phone is the only thing you actually need to bring.
• Seats are shared. Every seat on a scheduled flight is sold, so expect to fly alongside other guests unless you book a private charter.
• Weather usually means a delay, not a cancellation. Poor visibility or high winds can push a departure, and you can either wait for the pilot to clear the flight or rebook. If the company has to cancel and rescheduling does not work for your trip, the booking is refunded in full.
• Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended in July, October, and on or near a major holiday, which are the weeks that fill.
• Pets and large bags stay on the ground. Federal regulations keep animals off the aircraft, because every aisle and exit on a helicopter is an emergency exit.
• Flights do not pass over waterfalls. That is a deliberate choice by the company to keep rotor noise off the hikers below.

Nearby in Pigeon Forge

• Titanic Museum. A half scale replica of the ship’s bow housing artifacts and a boarding pass conceit that follows you through the galleries.
• The Magic of Terry Evanswood. Close up illusion and large scale stage magic from a performer who has held a Pigeon Forge residency for decades.
• Outdoor Gravity Park. Roll down a hillside sealed inside a water filled inflatable sphere, which is exactly as undignified as it sounds.
• Goats on the Roof. A mountain coaster, a gem mine, and a herd of goats grazing the sod roof above the shop.

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.