Great Smoky Mountains National Park, established in 1934, straddles the Tennessee/North Carolina state line. It is the nation's most-visited national park, hosting 8 to 10 million visitors per year. Hiking and backpacking, bicycling, camping, fishing and horseback riding are popular fitness activities for visitors of the park.
RV Camping
Nine campgrounds at Great Smoky Mountains National Park accommodate RVs, though not all accommodate larger RVs. Campgrounds where you can park your RV include Abrams Creek; Balsam Mountain; Cades Cove; Cataloochee; Cosby; Deep Creek; Elkmont; Look Rock; and Smokemont. Among them, Elkmont is the largest, with 220 campsites, and Abrams Creek is the smallest, with 16 campsites.
Bicycling
Although steep terrain, narrow roads and heavy motor traffic can make some park roads unsuitable for bicycling, bicycles are allowed on most of the roads in the park. Cades Cove Loop road, 11 miles long with one-way traffic, is a popular bicycling route, and the Cades Cove Campground Store rents bicycles during summer and fall.
The Cataloochee Valley and Lakeview Drive areas in North Carolina and the Greenbrier and Tremont areas in Tennessee are also suitable for biking.
Only three of the park trails allow bicycling--the Gatlinburg Trail, the Oconaluftee River Trail and the lower Deep Creek Trail. Mountain-biking trails can be found on nearby national forest and recreation lands outside the park. Tennessee laws require children 16 and under to wear a helmet while bicycling.
Fishing
The 2,115 miles of streams within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park provide habitat for wild freshwater trout and smallmouth bass. Fishing is permitted from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset, with the exception of any streams closed to fishing for repopulation reasons.
Maps of fishable waters are available at any ranger station or visitor center. You will need either a Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license, which will be honored throughout the park. You do not need a trout stamp.
Hiking
More than 800 miles of trails weave through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, revealing rushing streams, waterfalls, mountain vistas, historic structures and forest habitat. In the interest of safety, hikers are allowed to carry commercially manufactured bear pepper spray. An estimated 1,500 American Black Bears live in the park, a density of about two bears per square mile.
Horse Riding
Horses are allowed on about 550 miles of park trails. The trails where horses are permitted are clearly marked on the park trail map. Regulations concerning backcountry riding are also listed on the trail map. Off-trail riding is not permitted.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park has drive-in horse camps at Big Creek, Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Round Bottom and Towstring. Horse camps are open from April through October. If you do not bring your own horse, riding stables are located at Cades Cove, Smoky Mountain, Smokemont and Sugarlands.
Member Comments