The Merrell Family's Smokies Guide
The list we give our friends
Everything here is a place our family has been and would go again. Staying with us? Find your cabin's page below for a few cabin-specific tips.
Before you go
Four things to know
Parking tags
The national park is free to enter, but any car parked longer than 15 minutes needs a parking tag: $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year. Buy one online at recreation.gov or at the visitor centers.
Start early
Trailheads and Cades Cove fill up by mid-morning in summer and in October. An early start makes the whole day easier.
Bears are real
Keep food and trash inside or in the bear-proof cans, and never feed or approach a bear. Give them at least 50 yards.
Spotty signal
Cell service drops out in much of the park. Download maps before you leave the cabin.
Hikes
Mt. LeConte via Alum Cave
About 11 miles round trip and close to 2,800 feet of climbing. Start early. If that is too much, Alum Cave Bluffs is a good turnaround at about 4.6 miles round trip.
MapAbrams Falls
Five miles round trip from Cades Cove to a 25-foot waterfall. Pretty, but do not swim near the falls. The currents are dangerous.
MapRainbow Falls
About 5.4 miles round trip with a steady climb to an 80-foot waterfall near Gatlinburg.
Map
Drives
Cades Cove Loop
An 11-mile one-way loop with old homesteads, churches and a good chance of seeing deer or a bear. Go early. From May through September the loop is closed to cars on Wednesdays for walkers and bikes.
MapFoothills Parkway
Take the stretch from Wears Valley toward Millers Cove and Walland. The overlooks are some of the best views you can get from a car.
Map
Shows
Parks and fun
Dollywood
Worth a full day. Go on a weekday if you can.
MapAnakeesta
A ride up the mountain to treetop bridges and views over Gatlinburg.
MapOber Gatlinburg
Take the aerial tram up for skiing or tubing in winter and rides the rest of the year.
MapRipley's in Gatlinburg
The aquarium is the one to see if the weather turns.
MapSmoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
Our pick for the mountain coaster, and one of the best-reviewed in the area.
MapHillbilly Golf
An incline railway takes you up the mountain to play your way down.
MapRiver Rat Tubing
A lazy float down the Little River on a hot day.
Map
Seasonal picks
Get the guide updates
We send a short note each season with what is open, what is worth the drive, and the occasional open weekend. Optional, and easy to leave.