Discover the Great Smoky Mountains: A Self-Guided Tour, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

About this activity

Explore the Great Smoky Mountains with your self-guided tour through America’s most visited national park. Walk through the stunning Newfound Gap Road past misty peaks and ancient forests, walk behind a waterfall at Grotto Falls, and stand atop Kuwohi at 6,643 feet, the highest point in Tennessee. Discover Cades Cove’s preserved pioneer cabins, churches, and mills that tell the story of Appalachian mountain life. Watch for black bears in misty meadows and learn why these mountains are the salamander capital of the world with thirty species. Hear the powerful story of the Cherokee people who called these peaks home for thousands of years before the park was created. Beyond the park, explore Gatlinburg’s arts and crafts community, Pigeon Forge’s famous Dollywood, and Townsend’s peaceful trails. From moonshine history to mountain music, synchronous fireflies to spectacular fall foliage, the Smokies reward curious visitors with natural wonders and deep Appalachian culture at every turn.

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At a glance

Duration: 8 h 30 min
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Audio guide: English
Written guide: English
Operated by: CloudGuide S.L

Ages: Adults (15–65 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Digital Map.
Included: Access to the audio guide for 60+ Great Smoky Mountains stops, trails, and hidden spots.
Included: Self-guided walking tour (app)
Included: This tour is NOT a ticket or in-person guided tour.

Not included

Not included: Private transportation
Not included: Entry fees to tourist attractions, national parks or museums.
Not included: Our app-based self-guided tour has no physical guide on-site.
Not included: Headphones, transport, parking, food,Wi-Fi or cellular data, rentals.

Itinerary

Sugarlands Visitors Center

one hour

Begin your Smoky Mountains experience at Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, where exhibits introduce the park’s remarkable biodiversity of over nineteen thousand documented species. The center, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, provides maps, ranger advice, and orientation for exploring America’s most visited national park. The Great Smoky Mountains are one of the few national parks with no entrance fee, though parking tags are required. From here, Newfound Gap Road stretches thirty-one miles across the spine of the mountains to Cherokee, North Carolina.
Newfound Gap Road

one hour

Drive the most scenic route in the park, climbing from two thousand feet to over five thousand feet at Newfound Gap where Tennessee meets North Carolina. Continue to Kuwohi, recently restored to its Cherokee name meaning mulberry place and formerly known as Clingmans Dome, where a steep half-mile trail leads to a forty-five-foot observation tower at 6,643 feet. On clear days the views extend over a hundred miles across rolling blue ridges, though the famous smoky haze often creates an atmospheric scene. The road passes through four distinct forest ecosystems as you climb.
Cades Cove

one hour

This eleven-mile loop road through a broad valley surrounded by mountains preserves one of the most complete collections of pioneer-era buildings in the Southern Appalachians. The John Oliver cabin from 1818 was the valley’s first permanent European settlement, and the preserved churches, mills, and homesteads tell the story of communities that thrived here for over a century before the park was established. Cades Cove is also one of the best places to spot wildlife, with black bears, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys frequently visible from the road, especially at dawn and dusk.
Grotto Falls Trail

one hour

The moderate 2.6-mile roundtrip trail through old-growth hemlock forest leads to the only waterfall in the park you can walk behind. The twenty-five-foot cascade pours over a rock ledge creating a natural grotto where the trail passes directly behind the curtain of water. The path follows the Trillium Gap Trail through one of the park’s most atmospheric forest sections, and lucky hikers may spot the llama train that carries supplies up to LeConte Lodge, the highest guest lodge in the eastern United States.
Cataloochee Valley

one hour

The best viewing times are early morning and late evening, particularly during the September and October. Maintained historic structures including churches and homesteads dot the landscape, and the valley’s remoteness means far fewer visitors than Cades Cove, creating an intimate viewing experience.
Chimney Tops Trail

Passing by

The dramatic twin bare-rock peaks of Chimney Tops rise above the forest canopy, formed from two-hundred-million-year-old rock that resisted the erosion wearing down the surrounding mountains. The challenging trail to the summit involves over 1,400 feet of elevation gain in a short distance, rewarding hikers with panoramic views across the heart of the park.
Dollywood Theme Park

Passing by

Dolly Parton’s beloved theme park in Pigeon Forge celebrates Appalachian heritage through world-class rides, award-winning entertainment, and mountain crafts demonstrations across one hundred sixty acres in the foothills of the Smokies. The park features over fifty rides including the new NightFlight Expedition hybrid coaster, traditional craftspeople demonstrating blacksmithing and glassblowing, and performances ranging from bluegrass to gospel. Dollywood consistently ranks among America’s top theme parks and serves as a cultural ambassador for the Smoky Mountain region.
Rainbow Falls Trail

one hour

The 5.4-mile roundtrip trail leads to the highest single-drop waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains, where LeConte Creek plunges eighty feet over a rock ledge. The trail climbs steadily through rich cove forest alongside the creek, passing old-growth trees and crossing several log footbridges. In winter, the falls can freeze into spectacular ice formations, and on sunny afternoons the mist creates the rainbows that give the falls their name. The strenuous hike rewards with one of the park’s most dramatic natural features.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Location: Sugarlands Visitor Center

Address: 1420 Fighting Creek Gap Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Coordinates: 35.688400, -83.533700

End point

Location: Sugarlands Visitor Center

Address: 1420 Fighting Creek Gap Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Coordinates: 35.688400, -83.533700

Using your ticket

INSTRUCTIONS

1 – Download the CloudGuide App

The first step is to install the CloudGuide app. The app can be found under the name CloudGuide in the app stores (iOS and Android). You can also get our app here: cloudguide.me/get. Review how to use: cloudguide.me/l/howtouse_en_web.

2 – Get the guide

Once downloaded, open the app. Click "I HAVE A CODE". Type using the keyboard or paste the code that can be found above your ticket on the left, just below the barcode (a 12-digit number starting with “A”, one code per visitor).

Click "START TOUR". You can pre-download or use your guide in streaming. Once activated on your phone, the guide grants access to content for the following 30 days.

3 - Go to the starting point

When you're ready to start the guide, head to the suggested starting point (or feel free to customize the order of your tour).

4 - Need help?

If you have any issues with access codes or in-app purchases, please contact us at [email protected]. We have also prepared a list of the most common issues and the ways to solve them: cloudguide.me/l/issues.

5 – Didn’t receive your code?

If you haven’t received your access code (a 12-digit number starting with “A” — one code per visitor), please contact us at [email protected]. Be sure to include your booking number and the name of the tour, and we’ll assist you as soon as possible.

TIP: Having troubles? Apps and phones aren’t perfect. Sometimes they freeze or crash. If this happens, simply close the app (don’t just minimise it!) and reopen it. In most cases that should help.

All stops, routes, and points of interest in this app are recommendations only. Conditions can change — please check local weather, road conditions, and official sources (such as national parks, tourism boards, visitor centers, and municipal websites) before and during your trip. CloudGuide and its publisher are not liable for any loss, injury, inconvenience, or damages resulting from use of this information or decisions based on it.