Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a stunning national park with breathtaking mountains, picturesque waterfalls, and epic hiking trails! If you’re hoping to take a trip to the Smokies (the United States’ most visited national park!), I can help you find the perfect place to stay.
Where should you stay while visiting the Great Smokies? If you want to be right in the national park, stay at an in-park campground or the adventurous LeConte Lodge. If you want a few more luxuries, you’ll want to stay in one of the gateway towns like Gatlinburg, Townsend, or Cherokee.
My name is Ash, and I’m a former park ranger! I love this gorgeous area of the country, and I’m excited to help you decide where to stay while visiting the Great Smoky Mountains. Let’s talk about your lodging options.
Great Smoky Mountains Map, Entrances, and Nearby Towns
First, let’s look at the area around Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are three main entrances to the park, and each one has a nearby town with any modern amenities and outdoor adventures you might need during your stay.
Gatlinburg Entrance
The most popular way to access Great Smoky Mountains National Park is through the exciting town of Gatlinburg! You’ll drive along Highway 441 to reach the park from this area, and you’re in for a big surprise if you decide to access the Smokies from this direction.
Gatlinburg has everything you could need by way of amenities, plus an extremely impressive collection of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not attractions, kitschy gift shops, and unique dinner shows!
Entering the Great Smokies from Gatlinburg is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a good central location for exploring the park, but you also want to experience the fun of Gatlinburg. You’ll be close to popular Gatlinburg activities like Ober Gatlinburg, the Ripley’s Aquarium, and Anakeesta. But you’re also just a short drive to some of the park’s most popular activities, like the Newfound Gap Road, Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome), the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, and Elkmont. Cades Cove is a little further away but still within an hour’s drive.
If you’d like to stay in an equally central location but would like to skip the traffic and crowds in Gatlinburg, stay in Wears Valley instead. You can enter the park via the Wears Cove Gap Road, and you’ll have a much quieter experience.
Townsend Entrance
Townsend is the quiet side of the Smokies and is perfectly situated for exploring Cades Cove and the Little River Road. You’ll find a few small hotels and B&Bs, plus a few gas stations and restaurants.
I love this beautiful entrance to the park, but if you want to stay here, I recommend splitting up your time and booking a few nights here and a few nights in either Gatlinburg or Cherokee to cut down on your drive times to the main sights in the park.
Cherokee Entrance
Cherokee is a good choice for your basecamp if you want to dig deep into the spectacular hikes and great views on the North Carolina side of the Smokies.
Cherokee is within the Cherokee Indian Reservation, so you’ll notice there are buildings and sights relating to the Native American history in the area. If you’re wanting to do a little gambling, you’ll also find a large casino in town.
I usually like to split my lodging between Gatlinburg and Cherokee if I am in the Smokies for more than 3 or 4 days. Cherokee is a great area to stay in if you want to explore some smaller sections of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including Cataloochee and Deep Creek. The famous Blue Ridge Parkway starts from Cherokee as well!
Outlying Entrances
When you look at a map, you’ll notice many small side entrances to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These entrances include Abrams Creek, Greenbrier, Cosby, Big Creek, Cataloochee, Balsam Mountain, and Deep Creek.
These small areas are stunning, but they don’t connect to the main roads in the park that you’ll want to drive on your first trip. If you’ve never been to the Smokies before, I don’t recommend booking your lodging near any of these entrances — save that for a return trip after you’ve already explored the main part of the park!
If you’d like more information on the best airports and roads around the park, including details about the surrounding area, check out the Best and Closest Airports to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Staying Inside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park has many fabulous in-park camping options and one very unique in-park lodge. I recommend staying inside of the park if you want to be within minutes of the most popular hikes and viewpoints.
Hotels in the Great Smokies
The only lodge in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the LeConte Lodge. This isn’t your typical in-park lodge, however, because this lodge can only be reached by hiking!
If you decide to stay in the LeConte Lodge, you’ll need to choose a hiking route to reach the lodge near the summit of Mt. LeConte at 6,593 feet above sea level.
Staying at the LeConte Lodge is an experience you’ll never forget. If you love to hike, this is something you’ll definitely want to add to your Great Smoky Mountains National Park bucket list!
The lodge is usually open from mid-March to mid-November, and it fills up quickly! To make a reservation, visit the website for more information. The LeConte Lodge has flush toilets, propane heaters, bunk beds, and hot meals that they serve to overnight guests. Click here for a full list of amenities.
Camping in the Great Smokies
Camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an amazing experience — waking up in the forest and being surrounded by wildlife is something your group will love!
You’ll find nine frontcountry campgrounds in the Smokies, all of which have flush toilets and running water. Cades Cove and Smokemont are the only campgrounds that are open year-round. The rest of the campgrounds open when the weather starts to warm up in April or May, then shut down when it gets cold again during October or November.
If you’re a first-time visitor and want to see all the park has to offer, I suggest picking a campground along a main park road. That includes Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont. It can be difficult to snag a site in these campgrounds, but it’s worth it to be in a more central location for exploring the park.
Camping is extremely popular in the Smokies, so you’ll want to reserve a campsite well in advance. To learn more about each campground and how to get a site, read all about camping in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Planning a trip to the Smokies can be overwhelming.
How do you make a solid plan if you’ve never been to the park before? How do you keep everyone in your group excited and engaged?
You can spend hours on the internet searching for things to do, but you still won’t find the insider tips and first-hand knowledge that I’ve gained from working as a park ranger.
If you’re hoping to see the best sights without getting stuck in traffic, circling parking lots, or being surrounded by people, check out this Great Smoky Mountains Itinerary.
You will see all of the can’t-miss spots, plus get lodging and dining guides, driving directions, and insider tips!
Staying Outside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Because there are several large towns just outside the Smokies, it’s easy to stay close to the park without actually being in it. I recommend staying outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park if you want nicer amenities like a hot tub and indoor pool or more dining and activity options.
Staying in Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg is the most popular place to make a basecamp for your Great Smoky Mountains adventures. You have convenient access to a very wide choice of accommodations, restaurants, and activities!
This is the busiest town near the Smokies, and you will likely get caught in traffic as you try to make your way toward the park on Highway 441. Many people also stay in Pigeon Forge, just a few minutes north of Gatlinburg. If you decide to stay in this area, expect to have a ton of fun! But with that comes massive crowds and traffic both in town and near the park entrance.
I recommend staying in Gatlinburg if you want to be only a short drive from Great Smoky Mountains National Park but are also looking to incorporate other activities outside the park into your trip, such as the Gatlinburg SkyPark, Anakeesta, or river rafting.
Click here to find somewhere to stay in Gatlinburg.
Staying in Townsend
Much like Gatlinburg, Townsend is close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but Townsend couldn’t be more different! This area is known as “the peaceful side of the Smokies” and will provide a much quieter experience for you if you want to be surrounded by natural beauty instead of people.
My favorite outdoor activities in Townsend are river tubing, horseback riding, and exploring Cades Cove. You’re far from the Newfound Gap Road from out here, so I recommend booking something in Gatlinburg or Cherokee for a few nights to supplement your time in Townsend. Or, if you want to stay in the same place for your entire trip to the Smokies, you might compromise and book something in the Wears Valley, halfway between Townsend and Gatlinburg.
I recommend staying in Townsend if you want to stay in a nice hotel but still plan on spending a lot of time outdoors.
Click here to find somewhere to stay in Townsend.
Click here to find somewhere to stay in Wears Valley.
Staying in Cherokee
Cherokee is located on the park’s southern end and is the best place to stay if you want easy access to the North Carolina side of the park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I don’t usually base my trip out Cherokee, but I will sometimes come and stay here for a night or two after staying in Gatlinburg for a few nights. The town isn’t my favorite, but the location is great for getting into Deep Creek (which has several beautiful waterfalls), Cataloochee (historic building and lots of elk), and the Blue Ridge Parkway (gorgeous Smoky Mountain views).
I recommend staying in Cherokee if you’re visiting the Great Smokies from the south or want to supplement your trip with some cultural activities.
Click here to find somewhere to stay in Cherokee.
I hope you find the perfect place to stay while visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Have a great trip!
More Great Smoky Mountains Trip Planning Information
Great Smoky Mountains Itinerary — a detailed hour-by-hour sightseeing schedule.
How to Get to the Smokies — the best airports and roads in the area.
How Many Days Should I Spend in the Great Smokies? — itinerary ideas.
The Best Time to Visit — what to expect during each month of the year.
Where Should I Stay? — the best options in and around the park.
Weather, Hours, and Closures — important weather info and common closures.
All About Camping — learn about the park’s campgrounds and how to get a site.
12 Things You Can’t Miss on Your First Visit to Great Smoky Mountains — the top 12 spots.
The Best Easy Hikes — the perfect trails for kids, wheelchairs, and beginners.
The Ultimate Smokies Trip Planning Guide — everything you need to know.
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How about staying in Bryson city area? We like cabins in the mountains, and are going the second week in March for about a 5 night stay ( 3 of us including our 15 yo.). Thought that may be a good spot to base out of for the River fly fishing areas ( for spouse), a day trip to Biltmore, and several days for some various hikes is the GSM park and finally the opening day of Dollywood. We are road tripping from Austin Tx. We have good mountain bikes. Is there a good reason to bring them along?
Thoughts?
Thank you
Bryson City is beautiful, it’s just quite a drive from some of the most popular spots in the Smokies (for example, it takes about 2.5 hours to get to Cades Cove from there…5 hours round trip). But if you’re not there primarily to spend your time in the park, then a day or two of driving that far might not be a big deal if the area has everything else you want!