Chimney Tops Trail | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Best Hikes in the Smokies

Chimney Tops located in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is one of the best day hikes in the Smoky Mountains. This 4 mile out an back style trail is steep and difficult, but the forest scenery, river and creek crossings make this a beautiful trail. Since the Chimney Tops 2 Fire of 2016. Also known as the Gatlinburg Fire or the Smoky Mountain Fire, the rock pinnacles are closed. The fire damage was so intense that the ground at the summit is still unstable. However, there are stunning views of the surrounding Smoky Mountains from the observation area, near the mountain's peak. This trail is a strenuous trail due to the steep in incline to the top. There are several hundred stairs to climb to help assist your way to the top. This is one of the more popular trails in the GSMNP, so be prepared for crowds, especially from mid-morning to late afternoon.
Filmed on a GoPro Hero 9
Photos from iPhone XR
Editing and music on iPAD Pro
Editing software iMovies
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Find out more information on this trail and mountain at the following sites:
Hiking in the Smokies
hikinginthesmo...
National Parks Service
www.nps.gov/gr...
All Trails
www.alltrails....
Find out more about the Gatlinburg fires at:
www.thesmokies...
en.wikipedia.o...
www.nps.gov/gr...
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[@johnhanson3693]

Great video! Great narration! Thanks for sharing.

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@graylonsmith2672]

On our bucket list but we're mid 70's so trying to get in a little better shape before we attempt this hike. We've hiked a lot of other trails in the area and plan to do Rainbow Falls trail this coming Monday. Really enjoy your videos...keep up the good work.

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Sorry for the delay. Glad you enjoyed the videos. Haven’t been able to get out and video anything in a while. Hope to go out again after the holidays. Nevertheless, Chimney Tops is a good trail, very steep but one to do if you can. Happy Trails.

[@NickandRachel]

Definitely one of our favorite hikes in the Smokies! Thanks for sharing

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Thanks. Glad you liked it.

[@NickandRachel]

@@BushesOnTheTrail no problem! We really enjoy making outdoor content also

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

I have seen a couple of your videos before. Nice job. Just subscribed.

[@NickandRachel]

@@BushesOnTheTrail well we appreciate that 🙂

[@joeyhacker7518]

Love these trails, great video‼️

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Thanks Joey! Sad to see the fire damage, but still an awesome trail. But it pales in comparison to the AT. Our Appalachian Trail section hike videos will begin to come out in a week or two.

[@MishapAmethystHikes]

Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Our pleasure. Thanks for watching!

[@Tawnieandwayne]

Awesome trail! I've always wanted to try this one but when my wife and I were just there we were too short on time to make it up. You should try a couple night hike to Charles bunion its beautiful and well worth it! Looking forward to following your adventures :)

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Thank you for the kind words. It is an interesting hike for sure. We have already tackled Charlie’s Bunion and the Jump-Off. There is a video of that hike on our channel. We preferred the Jump-off. Far fewer people at the Jump-Off with breath taking views.

[@stumpybear60]

Last time I hiked up was in the mid 1990s. There were no stairs, just extremely steep dirt and rock sections. It was STEEP! Tried going the unofficial back trail but it was so steep my fear of heights kicked in and had to move back. The worst part of the trail was the final ridge top going to the chimney tops rocks. Had to step on eroded, slick rhododendron roots to get there and back. Couldn’t make it to the top of the rock because fear of heights and the yellow jackets nest in the rocks. I loved going up the road prong trail to sit on some rocks beside the stream and one of the waterfalls to just relax and enjoy the atmosphere. There’s a section just after the spur where the forest floor flattens out before getting to the road prong stream that I always felt a “presence”. It wasn’t threatening. I was like being observed by someone from a distance.

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Thank you for the information. In certain sections of the trail, without the steps, it would be really steep and difficult. Especially if it was a bit icy. It is heartbreaking what the fires have done to this magnificent area. Hopefully, someday in the near future the last part of the trail will be open for everyone again.

[@jordanbrough7778]

Great video! When did you actually film the footage? I'm interested in knowing what the landscape looks like at what times of year.

[@BushesOnTheTrail]

Thank you for your comments. We recorded this in early April 2021.