Top 10 Sights at Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Plus tips for visiting | Know before you go!

[@toddroland731]

It was an unexpected surprise when we "herd" the elks bugling.😉

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

😂😂😂

[@angel91485]

We went to the GAP through the Gatlinberg trail during a sunny winter when ice was melting, & I saw the most beautiful things I've seen in my life, cascading waters by the mountain Side, punchbowl falls with snow around, plunging falls in caves, truly breathtaking..thanks for this video, brings back memories.

[@danmoreno37]

Thanks for a great video! I just got back home from there this past monday. Sadly, we did not go on many hikes, but we went to Cades Cove, saw a bear close up, saw many elk too, I will be back!

[@dhigdon0629]

You have Definitely Captured the Beauty of the National Park Very Well. Thanks For Sharing

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Thanks for watching!

[@rachescakes]

I’ve been here a dozen times, but you still pointed out things I haven’t seen, thanks!

[@zimrivences8583]

Thank you for really giving us details that really matter! Love the video💪🏼

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Glad you liked it!

[@cottagecharm1847]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hannahfrank4742]

Great vid. Thanks for sharing.

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

You bet

[@joshuajgrillot]

The Sinks is a nice swimming hole in the summer months

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

How is the current there?

[@FollowThomas]

Smokey Mountains are awesome, very pretty. Thanks for the video 👍

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Yes they are!. Thanks for watching

[@phoebebergeron176]

Thank you for sharing! I’m here with my husband and we are planning our hikes 🤗

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Have fun! Let me know which ones you decided to hike and what you thought of them.

[@bigoldavey]

Enjoyed your video, we are going in mid April and will watch this video again. Thank you!!!

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Mid-April is a great time to visit! Not too hot and well past the snow season. Enjoy!

[@wesh388]

Quality video, sir 👍 great tips and info!

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RVAmerica]

The Smokies are at the top of our list for national parks. We have been to most of the places that you mentioned and hope to make it to the rest. Thanks for sharing. Lynn and Danny

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

You are welcome... hope you enjoyed the video.

[@ShowMeAnAdventure]

This list is so helpful for our trip this summer! I have a goal of seeing all the national parks in the US too so I subscribed!! 💕

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@amandagough4675]

thank you! very informative

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment!

[@soldishero_YY]

Thank you for the video and review. I'm surprised that it's top1 by visiting park. Nothing to see compare to Utah, Colorado and so on. Anyway, I'm going to Smoky in 2 weeks. Let's see what happen)

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

It's #1 in visitation mostly because there are a lot of people who live "near" the park, it's free, and the main road is used as transportation, in addition to touring. I live in NC and thought the same as you relative to scenery compared to Utah etc. but a friend who lives in the west can't get over how green the southeast is. To me, who live in NC, red rocks are different and beautiful and I take the green and the tall pines around here for granted. To him, red rocks are "normal". All in the eye of the beholder. Let me know how your visit went.

[@glennwells5943]

Great photography!

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Thank you!

[@kameeljuman5916]

Excellent video with good tips especially for people who are a little north of 40. We are going in mid June and I appreciate the detail of how strenuous the hikes are as well as the parking situations.

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Glad it was helpful! I'm with you in the north of 40 club!!

[@fruitsyfarms5115]

Some are tuff but man they are worth it

[@marmeedoll]

Go deep into the Balsams, part of the Great Smokys, and that is where we courted. She lived there; schooled in a tiny k-12. Beautiful like her mountains. We courted in mid century, last century. Her family was from Cades Cove. Her family name is on a building in Cullowhee, home of Western Carolina U. Her school taught her well, author, business owner, wife, mother. 60 years married. What a wonderful creature that the Lord created. The Smokys were almost impenetrable back then; no big roads, we traveled slowly behind a pickup or a Florida plate. Up highway 107 we could drive behind a waterfall - a road her mother helped survey. Had to lay her to her rest in 2021. Beautiful mountains. Beautiful girl. Beautiful woman, mother and grandmother.

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Wow, Thank you for sharing! What a great love story!

[@taracastille5625]

We are coming in December around Christmas and would like to hike to see water falls. What address should we type in coming from sugarlands visitor center since roaring fork motor trail will be closed for the winter?

[@Chillaxing113]

Excellent video! I've watched many videos preparing for my visit to Great Smoky Mountain National Park and I have to say this is definitely one of my favorites. Not overly long but full of useful information. Well done! I'm a new subscriber now and look forward to watching more of your videos. I also love visiting national parks, state parks and wildlife refuges as well. I go in the shoulder seasons to avoid crowds and so far that has worked. But I feel COVID put our parks on more people's radar looking for outside safe places to visit so I expect the parks have more visitors now. Thank you for sharing this video!

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Thank you!!! I love these parks and like you, I avoid the peak seasons. It's worked out well as long as you plan ahead and actually go on trails instead of just stopping at the parking spots. I don't like the crowd but it's a good thing for more people to be outdoors to enjoy these magnificent scenery.

[@lostchild06]

I agree. Very good video with lots of great information.

[@anne-mariedesmond6733]

What stretch was this on 441? I’m driving tmrw from Cherokee to Knoxville. Any big side drop offs I need to be worried about going north?

[@MollysMum-A.K.]

Thanks for sharing. I don’t know about other viewers but for us it would be helpful if you could tell us if the trails are dog friendly cause we always bring our dog. I enjoyed watching but found out that none of these trails were dog friendly 😢

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Dogs are generally not allowed on National Park trails, but at the Great Smoky, there are a couple of small trails where dogs are allowed. See this link: www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/pets.htm

[@sonnypinoy7159]

pinoy? Thank you for very informative tour we will be there in JUN 29

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Enjoy! Hope it won't be too crowded for you.

[@paulellis557]

Deep Creek and Bryson City are on the south side of park, not eastern

[@ByronWinksCateringCo]

🤔Bull Elk in the Smoky Mountains.... news to me?

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

We definitely saw them in the fall!

[@dianapearson1771]

Don’t you have to purchase a parking permit to park anywhere in the parkway??!

[@michelleplatt1695]

Hello. Could you tell me what month this was filmed? I thought I heard October which is when we are going to see leaves change. But there weren’t leaves changing in this video so I got worried we might be going too early.

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

This was October. We missed the leaves by about 2 or 3 weeks.

[@michelleplatt1695]

@@JourneytoAllNationalParks when in October?

[@fruitsyfarms5115]

Tell your wife here in the Appalachian mountains where we have our own language you can say “elks” if you want to

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

LOL - yes, I will.

[@faithroark6309]

Is there anything to do with people who can't walk on trails at the park??

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

You can drive the roads, get out at viewpoints but you won't be able to see the best parts of the park.

[@faithroark6309]

Thank you. @@JourneytoAllNationalParks

[@bradking8770]

Did you see any e-bikes used?

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

No... Only saw a few bikes. e-bike would help with the hills but Cades Cove, for example, is pretty flat.

[@Huntermann0893]

Do you know how steep is the laurel trail compared to the clingman's dome? clingman dome is paved very good but too steep

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Laurel Falls is not as steep. Laurel Falls climbs 396 feet over 1.3 miles. Clingman's Dome climbs 330 feet in half that distance.

[@Huntermann0893]

@@JourneytoAllNationalParks thanks for your info. we made to your #1 pick.

[@OnMyFingerTips]

My only option is late June. Guess I will face a lot of traffic…

[@JourneytoAllNationalParks]

Did you get a chance to go and how was the traffic?