Hiking the Smokies near Gatlinburg
Our recommendations for planning your hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Last checked: September 2026
At Big Bear Ridge Lodge, you are right on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The beauty of these ancient mountains is best enjoyed by walking in them – whether for just a shorter outing or a full-day or multi-day hike.
The lodge is about 10 minutes from the lesser-known Greenbrier entrance, which has some of our favorite trails and far fewer people than the main Sugarlands entrance in Gatlinburg. So we’ve put the trails closest to the lodge first. Make sure that you pick a trail that is within the comfort zone of the least experienced hiker in your group.
Before you go: parking tags and closures. If you park anywhere in the national park for more than 15 minutes – at a trailhead, a picnic area or a roadside pull-off – you need a parking tag: $5 for a day, $15 for a week or $40 for a year, one per vehicle. Buy it online on the park’s parking tag page before you go and print it, as there are no machines at most trailheads, including Greenbrier. If you’re staying for a week, the weekly tag is the best value.
Before you set out, also check the park’s trail and road closures page – some trails and roads are closed for repairs, including the Laurel Falls Trail until 2027.
See all of our recommendations in our guide for Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains, or on its map!
Our top picks
- Porters Creek Trail – an easier walk along a stream, past an old farmstead to Fern Branch Falls
- Ramsey Cascades – the best waterfall hike in the park, if you’re in good shape
- Gabes Mountain Trail – a moderate hike to Hen Wallow Falls, from Cosby
All three are 20 to 30 minutes from the lodge, and much quieter than the trails from Gatlinburg.
On the map
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Park entrances near the lodge
Greenbrier 10 min from the lodge
Greenbrier Entrance
The Greenbrier entrance to the park is much calmer but has some great trails to hike, and it’s only about 10 minutes from the lodge. It is not well marked and can be easy to miss – keep an eye out on your left on the East Parkway after you pass the Pittman Center Rd (416) and then the Little Pigeon River. Greenbrier Road inside the park is narrow and partly gravel, so allow extra time to reach the trailheads.
Gatlinburg 25 min from the lodge
Sugarlands Entrance and Visitor Center
The Sugarlands entrance is the main way into the park, which you’ll reach going through Gatlinburg (about 25 minutes from the lodge). Visit the Sugarlands Visitor Center for more information about hiking the park.
Townsend 1 hr from the lodge
Townsend Entrance
The Townsend entrance is a bit further away from Gatlinburg, but tends to be a bit quieter. The best entrance if you are heading to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont or Cades Cove.
Greenbrier and Cosby: closest to the lodge
Greenbrier 30 min from the lodge
Porters Creek Trail
Porters Creek Trail is the other main trail you can access via the Greenbrier entrance to the park, about 30 minutes from the lodge. This is a great choice for an easier hike – about 4 miles long along a rushing stream, with beautiful flowers particularly in the spring. You’ll be going past an old cemetery to an Appalachian farmstead; continue onwards for a somewhat more strenuous hike to a bridge and the Fern Branch Falls. While Laurel Falls is closed, this is our pick for a waterfall walk.
Greenbrier 30 min from the lodge
Ramsey Cascades Trail
We consider this to be the best waterfalls hike in the park – and it is very close to the lodge and tends to not be very busy. The trail is about 8 miles and you should be in reasonably good shape to attempt it (about 2,200 feet of elevation gain). You’ll be rewarded with the tallest “cascading” waterfall in the national park.
Enter via the Greenbrier entrance, take a left onto the Ramsey Prong Road, and continue to the Ramsey Cascades trailhead parking (about 30 minutes from the lodge).
Cosby 20 min from the lodge
Gabes Mountain Trail
Starting from the right side of the Cosby picnic area parking lot (about 20 minutes from the lodge), this moderate 4.2-mile hike goes to the beautiful Hen Wallow Falls, with about 900 ft of elevation gain.
Greenbrier 20 min from the lodge
Greenbrier Picnic Area
The picnic area in the Greenbrier Entrance has tables and grills in a picturesque setting, open all year and about 20 minutes from the lodge. There is also a group pavilion (seating 70) that can be reserved on recreation.gov up to a year ahead – see the park’s picnic page. Great for a family picnic close to the lodge.
More trails in the park
Newfound Gap Road 45 min from the lodge
Mt LeConte – Alum Cave Bluffs Trail
A quite challenging out-and-back trail going up to Mt LeConte – but the views are just astounding. At close to 11 miles and close to 3,000 ft in elevation gain, only attempt it if you are in reasonably good shape. In the winter, make sure to wear ice spikes and bring hiking sticks. In the summer, the parking lot can fill up quickly, so get there early.
There are also other trails up to Mt LeConte – including the Boulevard Trail, Bullhead Trail, Rainbow Falls Trail, and Trillium Gap Trail.
Near Newfound Gap 1 hr 10 min from the lodge
Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome)
Road open April to November
For a short walk that still rewards you with amazing views from the highest peak of the park, head for Kuwohi – officially renamed from Clingmans Dome in 2024 – where a paved (but steep) half-mile trail leads up to the observation tower on the top. Kuwohi Road is only open from April through November.
Sugarlands 25 min from the lodge
Cataract Falls
An easy and mostly flat hike alongside a stream to a cascading waterfall. Start at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.
Roaring Fork 35 min from the lodge
Baskins Creek Trail and Falls
Road open mid-April to November
A less crowded trail, this 3-mile round-trip hike will take you to the beautiful Baskins Creek Falls. Moderate difficulty with a steep section and crossing a few streams. The trailhead is on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, which is open from mid-April to the end of November.
Little River Road 35 min from the lodge
Laurel Falls (closed until 2027)
The Laurel Falls Trail has been closed for rehabilitation since January 2025, and the park now expects to reopen it sometime in 2027. When it’s open, the 2.3-mile round trip is the most popular hike in the Smokies – and tends to be the most crowded – with a beautiful cascading waterfall and a footbridge. Moderate difficulty.
Tremont 1 hr 20 min from the lodge
Middle Prong Trail
While a bit longer drive from Gatlinburg to get to the trailhead – enter via Townsend – this is considered by many the best waterfalls trail in the park, with three beautiful waterfalls. Note that the Indian Flat Falls are not properly marked – look out for them on the right.
Tremont 1 hr 10 min from the lodge
Spruce Flats Falls
Closed on weekdays until December Closed December 1–16
This short (2.2-mile) but moderate hike (including a quite steep section) starts at the Tremont Institute parking lot and goes to a beautiful waterfall.
The trail is being repaired: it is closed Monday to Friday until the end of November 2026 and all week December 1–16, with more work planned for spring 2027, so check Tremont’s visitor page before you go.
Cades Cove 1 hr 50 min from the lodge
Cades Cove/Townsend – Abrams Falls Trail
No cars on the loop on Wednesdays, May to September
Take this moderate 5-mile round-trip hike to the thundering Abrams Falls, with 675 ft of elevation gain. Note that the Cades Cove Loop Road is closed to cars on Wednesdays from May to September.
Guided hikes
A Walk in the Woods
A good way to experience the National Park is with a knowledgeable local guide who can help you see parts of the Smokies you might otherwise miss. We think that the best guides can be found with A Walk in the Woods, a local, family-run company based just a few minutes from the lodge.
They have a wide variety of guided walks – from half-day waterfall and wildflower hikes to full-day hikes in old-growth forest and overnight backpacking trips – and several of them start at the Greenbrier entrance, close to the lodge. The meeting point is set when you book.
Picnic areas
The Greenbrier Picnic Area is the closest to the lodge (see above).
Newfound Gap Road 40 min from the lodge
Chimneys Picnic Area
Nice picnic spot next to a creek with parking, picnic tables, and restrooms. If you want a good spot, try to come early. If you want to climb down to the creek or swim in it, make sure to bring water shoes (or sneakers that you don’t mind getting wet) with soles with a good grip.
Motor trails
For those of you who are not up for a hike, it is also possible to enjoy the park and its surroundings on one of the motor trails and scenic roads.
Gatlinburg 30 min from the lodge
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Open mid-April to November
This 6-mile one-way loop gives you plenty of opportunities to enjoy both the mountain scenery and some of the historic buildings in the park. This is also the way to access the trailheads for the Rainbow Falls Trail and the Trillium Gap Trail. There is also a waterfall accessible without hiking – the Place of a Thousand Drips is near stop 15, near the end of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. It’s open from mid-April to the end of November.
Cades Cove 1 hr 20 min from the lodge
Cades Cove Scenic Loop
No cars on Wednesdays, May to September
If you have an interest in history, the Cades Cove Scenic Loop is highly recommended – it features a variety of restored pioneer buildings: churches, log homes, barns, and a mill. There are plenty of opportunities to stop and look around on the drive, and you’ll also find a visitor center on the loop road.
As it can be a very popular sight, we recommend that you start early (and if possible, go on a weekday) to beat the crowds. The loop road is closed to cars on Wednesdays from May to September, when it’s open to walkers and cyclists only.
Wears Valley 1 hr from the lodge
Foothills Parkway
The plan for the Foothills Parkway was approved in 1944, but only part of it has been completed, with the latest section opened in 2018. Head over to Wears Valley for a drive with some of the most amazing views you can find in the country.
More trails
We have listed a few of our favorite trails in this guide, but there are many, many more, and we recommend that you have a look at a trail listing when planning your hike. Our recommended online listings are the park’s hiking page and hikinginthesmokys.com, which is particularly good for finding trails by location.