3 Days of Hikes in the Smokey Mountains

Travel Itinerary

Itinerary for hiking in the Smokey Mountains

near Gatlinburg, TN

🌞 Day 1: Rainbow Falls Trail

🥾Trail Stats: 5.1 miles / 1,617 ft elevation gain

📝 Tips: A great day one hike as the elevation gain isn’t too bad, but the trail is long enough that you get to stretch your legs for the first day. This should take about 3+ hours. Don’t be fooled by the first waterfall and think you are finished, keep going passed it to get to the main event!

🌞 Day 2: Clingman’s Dome

🥾Trail Stats: 1.3 miles / 331 ft elevation gain

📝 Tips: This hike has big rewards without a long haul up a mountain for miles and miles so it’s a good break between days 1 and 3. At only about 1 mile round trip on a paved trail, this hike is a great stop in the mountains! Just make sure you are prepared for a steep climb up.

🌞 Day 3: Alum Cave Trail to Mount Le Conte

🥾Trail Stats: 11 miles / 3,061 ft elevation gain

📝 Tips: What a view at the top! Without stopping too much it took us 2h 45m to hike to the top and another 2 hours down.

There are two great stopping points 2-2.5 miles in if you don’t want to go all the way to the top - Inspiration Point and Alum Cave. Both had great views and plenty of children made the climb up to them.

At the top of Mount Le Conte is what looks like a small town with several cabins to rent, a dining hall and gift shop. They did close at 4pm before we arrived but we packed some snacks for a little picnic at the top! Make sure to do the last 0.2 miles from the lodge up to the Cliff Top - 1000% worth it.

#hiking2023 #tennessee #smokeymountains