What to Do with Only One Day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

So here’s the problem: you’re staying in the area for just a short time, but you really want to experience the joys of nature in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and you only have a day. What should you do with your family? Glad you asked because we have a few suggestions for getting the most out of your brief stay. Put on your hiking boots so you can do some serious exploring!

Sugarlands Visitor Center

If you’re coming from Gatlinburg, this should be your introduction to the Park. Once inside, you can find everything from restaurant menus and guidebooks to a film room showing a 20 minute video about The Smoky Mountains. Feel free to ask any of the workers inside for advice on trails and park conditions; they are extremely friendly and helpful.

Go outside and you can a do a nice beginner hike to Cataract Falls to get your hiking feet wet so to speak. This trail is excellent for children being that it’s just under a mile long, and the reward is the Falls itself, which is 25 feet above the ground below. 

Laurel Falls

Just a short drive down River Road from the Sugarlands Center is one of the more popular trails in The Smoky Mountains: the Laurel Falls Trail and waterfall. Its popularity is based on the fact that the trail is paved and doesn’t have a fierce incline. Although it does gain elevation on the way, people of all ages say it’s one they can conquer rather easily. 

The Falls are a magnificent sight--especially after a hard rainfall--with the 80 foot high wall of water splashing down at your feet. This would be a fantastic place to get some family pics to put in the album after returning home.

Picnic Lunch

With two hikes under your belt, now would be a good time to unload the cooler and head for a picnic area to feed your starving family. A good place would be Chimneys Picnic Area--a 68 table rest and recreation site that can be found by picking up Newfound Gap Road after returning to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Here you can park by your table and dip your toes in the nearby Little Pigeon River.

Mingus Mill

The day is still young so a visit to one of the two working mills in The Smoky Mountains--Mingus Mill. Head back onto Newfound Gap Road and go into the North Carolina side of the Park to reach this operational mill that was built in 1886 and is a short walk from the road on a hiking trail. During operating hours--usually between 9 to 5 from mid-March through mid-November--you can view how the milling process works. A miller is usually on duty so you can talk to him to gain some knowledge about turbines and mill stones.

Clingmans Dome

On the way back into Tennessee, be sure to stop at some of the many pull-offs to get some awe-inspiring photos of those great mountains. The last part of your day can be spent climbing the highest point in the state of Tennessee--Clingman’s Dome. On a clear day up here, you can see up to 100 miles. The observation deck is the end point after the grueling half-mile trek up the paved walkway that may be the toughest hike you do that day, even though it doesn’t appear that daunting. If the sun is setting, the views are simply breathtaking and should be a perfect capper to your day.

There is so much to see in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Go to The National Park Service website to find more nature-loving things to do while you’re on vacation here. Hopefully you have some happy hiking and sightseeing on your day in the Smokies!