Smokey Mountain Attractions That the Whole Family Can Enjoy
Considering how valuable your time is during your Smoky Mountain camping trip, we have compiled a list of some of the top easy and fast ways to explore the woods.
Even though Big Meadow Family Campground is a wonderful place to unwind, we know you want to have a lot of fun adventures while you are in the area. Here are some ideas for quick outings that the whole family may enjoy that will last a lifetime. Call us at 865-448-0625 to plan your next adventure!
Whether you’re not a seasoned hiker, have small children, or face physical limitations, the Great Smoky Mountains Park Rangers have gone to incredible lengths to ensure that everyone can enjoy the breathtaking scenery, and abundant natural experiences found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A wheelchair or stroller may easily navigate the walking paths. You can stay in your vehicle and drive around gorgeous trails. You have the option to drive up to see waterfalls. For your convenience, we have compiled a list of the top easy nature experiences.
Photo Credit: The Great Smokey Mountains National Park
Simple Hikes in the Great Smokey Mountains
Hike through Sugarlands Valley
There isn’t a single path in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that has the distinction of being an all-access trail, which makes it wheelchair accessible. Although it is only approximately half a mile in length, the paved and somewhat level loop track is jam-packed with interesting sights to see. Wildlife such as wild turkeys, bears, and deer, as well as tall trees, wading holes, and trout fishing, as well as the remains of old homesteads from the 1920s and a profusion of flora and fauna. A little more than half a mile south of the Sugarlands Visitor Center on Hwy 441 is the trailhead.
The Nature Trail near Fighting Creek
The official beginning point of this trail is the Sugarlands Visitor Center. You can travel one way and come back the other; it’s 1.1 miles total. The trail is nearly level and made of packed dirt, but it has a trekking feel to it and there are tree roots here and there to be careful of. A well-known old cabin can be explored as you stroll leisurely through the woodland on this family-friendly trail. Despite its proximity to civilization, the route gives vistas of a variety of animals, including bears. It is important to familiarize yourself with how to safely avoid these dangerous critters.
Cataract Falls
This location is a half-mile cascade that the whole family can enjoy, and you can get there via a branching route off the Fighting Creek trail.
Photo Credit: TripAdvisor
The Elkmont Nature Trail
Seems a great option for people of all ages because it is quite flat and easy to walk.
Just a short distance west of Sugarlands, on Little River Road, is the world-renown Elkmont region. The Elkmont Nature Trail is a family-friendly, 1.1-mile loop that offers a glimpse into this ecologically significant area, which is also the site of the yearly synchronous fireflies. As it meanders through the forest, Elkmont Nature Trail should be quite uncrowded, allowing you to fully appreciate the verdant scenery and refreshing air. Seasonal wildflowers and numerous points of interest, like the world-famous troll bridge, dot the route. For fifty cents (on the honor system, like many other trails in the park), you can get a leaflet at the trailhead that describes each of the thirteen interpretive markers spaced out around the loop. Among the most enjoyable and easy routes is the wide and level Little River Trail, which is conveniently located nearby.
Alternative Simple Choices
Don’t miss out on the chance to get some fresh air and exercise by taking use of the numerous peaceful pathways that the national park has laid out for you. Most folks drive by their modest signposts. From Sugarlands to Cades Cove or Townsend, you can take a beautiful drive along Little River Road, which has several attractions along the route, and stop at some peaceful pathways.
The park features approximately fourteen of these distinct routes. Although you may find them all across the park, a good number of them line Little River Road and Highway 441. No matter your level of hiking ability, the Quiet Walkways will allow you to appreciate the unique splendor of Great Smoky Mountains National Park up close.
Discovering these hidden treasures doesn’t necessitate a hiking boot or backpack—though proper gear is usually recommended—but rather the ability to recognize the clues.
Paths Less Traveled in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Rangers have also chosen specific locations, often in the middle of the forest, for their impact, and the Quiet Walkways are brief paths that go right from the road to these locations. Get out of the city, stretch your legs, and dive into nature in just a few short minutes.
You can easily miss the peaceful pathways because they are usually only a quarter to half mile long. Of course, if you pull over, you can take advantage of the fact that most drivers ignore them.
The wonderful Great Smoky Mountains National Park has several hidden treasures among its peaceful pathways. Several of them are located along the same road, and there are around fourteen of them spread out over the park.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Natural Paths
Significant natural elements are the deciding factors in the selection of designated Nature Trails. Park rangers created these pathways specifically for people who don’t want to hike for more than a mile. They take you to some of the park’s most picturesque spots.
Nature Trails are designed to showcase exceptional natural elements, whereas Quiet Walkways are chosen and maintained as short detours from roadways into nature. While both sorts of paths are technically hiking routes, they aren’t very strenuous hikes per se; yet they are all susceptible to slipping in rainy conditions or near streams.
Roots are an ever-present danger in a forest-filled national park. Inspect the ground well before stepping on any trail and always keep youngsters under your supervision.
Traveling by car is the most typical mode of transportation for visitors to the national park. The Smokies are a delight to drive through because of all the beautiful scenery. Since most of these side paths lead to other destinations, such as picturesque rest stops along scenic drives, you can easily plan your own route using them as an accessory.
Have a fun trip and we will see you back at the campground after your day’s adventures!