Our first trip to Smokies .. please help (Knoxville, Maryville: versus, safe)

[taurus2]

Hey friends.. Me n my husband are finally taking our first trip to the Great Smoky Mountains Nov 1st week for 4 days!! i think we should be able to see a lot of fall colours by then right?? ive been trying to research on the internet for things to do but the more i research , the more i get confused since there are so many things to see there and this is Our first trip...request all the residents n frequent travellers please help me with fllg choices ..
1) heard that there is a chair rail and a tram that takes you up the mountains. will they be operating nov 1st week as i heard they operate only till october. which do you recommend? and what is the best time in the day to get in them?
2) can you suggest some easy trails that we can take to njoy the views as we are not very good hikers..
3) till what time in the day is it safe to drive / hike outside in Gatlinburg?
4) Is it possible to see Cades Cove, Dollywood, Ripley's Aquarium, Space needle, tram/Chair rail, all in 4 days? or which do u think shd be priority?

Im super excited about this trip and dont want to miss atleast the 'must-sees' and hence please pardon so many questions.. any tips from you all would be appreciated.. thks...

[cicilyb]

I would put Dollywood and Cades Cove and hiking in the National Park on the list of must do's. Horseback riding in Cades Cove is wonderful. Have fun!

[BarbG]

1) heard that there is a chair rail and a tram that takes you up the mountains. will they be operating nov 1st week as i heard they operate only till october. which do you recommend? and what is the best time in the day to get in them?

The tram is year round and takes you to the ice skating rink/other activities. The view is beautiful, especially at night.

Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tram

2) can you suggest some easy trails that we can take to njoy the views as we are not very good hikers..

The Gatlinburg trail begins right at the Gatlinburg entrance to the park. You can take it all the way to the Welcome Center in the park, and there are several very short hikes from that center too.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Gatlinburg Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

One of our favorite easy hikes is at Elkmont. The Little River trail follows the river, and you can turn around anytime you'd like. Very slow, gradual climb.

Little River Trail - Hike Little River Trail in Smoky Mountains

There are all sorts of short hikes right off the roadway. Look for the quiet walk signs.

3) till what time in the day is it safe to drive / hike outside in Gatlinburg?

Be in before dark, if hiking. There are no lighted trails that I know of. And Gatlinburg is safe at night. Just use the regular caution you would in any town.

4) Is it possible to see Cades Cove, Dollywood, Ripley's Aquarium, Space needle, tram/Chair rail, all in 4 days? or which do u think shd be priority?

Dollywood will take at least half a day, if you are zooming through it. Ripley's Aquarium will take at least a couple of hours to enjoy. Cades Cove will take most, if not all of one day (if you take the scenic drive, will be 2 hours each way to get there, then the slow drive through the one way road.) I would recommend getting a picnic lunch for the Cades Cove trip.

You can do it all in 4 days, but they will be good, full days. We usually crammed alot into our visits before we moved here.

We love the outdoors, so our choices (and not necessarily yours) would be Cades Cove on a pretty day (plan for all day), then Dollywood another day, hiking the easy trails around Gatlinburg along with visiting Sugarlands another day, and then one last day for the odds and ends, like the tram up the mountain, ice skating, maybe a visit to the Arts and Crafts community. I would just plan the outdoor activities for pretty days, and plan the rest around it.

It's fun sharing the places we love with others. Hope your vacation brings the joy ours always did!!!

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by taurus2

1) heard that there is a chair rail and a tram that takes you up the mountains. will they be operating nov 1st week as i heard they operate only till october. which do you recommend? and what is the best time in the day to get in them?

Both the skylift and the tram will be running. If the weather's nice, I'd opt for the skylift just to be outside and for the view from the top. Best time of day is hard to say, but I'd shoot for as early as possible just to beat the masses:
Gatlinburg Sky Lift - Gatlinburg's #1 Scenic Overlook
Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tram

2) can you suggest some easy trails that we can take to njoy the views as we are not very good hikers..

Check out the trail descriptions here; they're arranged in order of difficulty starting with the easiest:
Hiking in the Smokies – Hiking trail information for the Smokies

3) till what time in the day is it safe to drive / hike outside in Gatlinburg?

Daylight saving time ends Nov. 1 so it'll be dark by 6:00 pm, if that's what you mean. Otherwise, there are no unsafe times to drive around.

4) Is it possible to see Cades Cove, Dollywood, Ripley's Aquarium, Space needle, tram/Chair rail, all in 4 days? or which do u think shd be priority?

Yes. Dollywood requires pretty much a full day if you're into both rides and shows. You could cram all the other things into one day if you really wanted to. Cades Cove will take several hours there and back. The aquarium, 2-3 hours depending on your level of interest. I enjoyed it immensely.

Here's some more info...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Maps (U.S. National Park Service)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Auto Touring (U.S. National Park Service)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Fall Colors (U.S. National Park Service)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Cades Cove (U.S. National Park Service)

And by all means, try to avoid going through Pigeon Forge this time of year unless you're staying there:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/tenne...eon-forge.html

Shortcuts and Back roads in the Smokies

Hope y'all have a terrific time!

[BarbG]

Another driving tour that many miss is accessed right from Gatlinburg. You will drive down the busy roads, turn off onto the road leading up to the one way drive, and suddenly you are in the park. Beautiful drive, interesting old buildings to see. Roaring Forks motor trail, open until December 1:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Roaring Fork (U.S. National Park Service)

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by BarbG

Cades Cove will take most, if not all of one day (if you take the scenic drive, will be 2 hours each way to get there, then the slow drive through the one way road.) I would recommend getting a picnic lunch for the Cades Cove trip.

Are you saying it takes two hours to get to Cades Cove from Gatlinburg? It takes over an hour. But maybe you are saying if you stop and look at things?

[TXboomerang]

Originally Posted by taurus2

2) can you suggest some easy trails that we can take to njoy the views as we are not very good hikers...

Foothills Parkway West is IMO one of the best kept secrets for spectacular views with very little traffic and crowds. You'll need to drive from Gatlinburg to Townsend, then just take 321 toward Maryville for about 10-15 miles. A few miles up after you get on Foothills Pkwy, there will be a sign for Look Rock. You can park and take a very short hike up to an observation tower with teriffic panaromic views of the Smokies and the Knoxville/Marville Valley.

[tntim]

This web site will answer your questions and more. Gatlinburg Forum, Travel Discussion for Gatlinburg - TripAdvisor

[BarbG]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Are you saying it takes two hours to get to Cades Cove from Gatlinburg? It takes over an hour. But maybe you are saying if you stop and look at things?

I was giving her an example of real time versus driving time. You are right, I was figuring in stops.

If she takes the scenic route through the park, on Little River Road, and she's not speeding, and the late October/early November traffic is there, then it could take up to 2 hours to get there, especially if she stops off and sees the two pretty waterfalls and the Sinks along the way. If it's her first time here, I figure she wouldn't be able to pass those up.

Of course, she could go through Pigeon Forge, Wears Valley and Townsend and save time. But, the other way is such a beautiful drive to miss it, even if your car does lurch over to the parking areas from time to time.

[BarbG]

Originally Posted by TXboomerang

Foothills Parkway West is IMO one of the best kept secrets for spectacular views with very little traffic and crowds. You'll need to drive from Gatlinburg to Townsend, then just take 321 toward Maryville for about 10-15 miles. A few miles up after you get on Foothills Pkwy, there will be a sign for Look Rock. You can park and take a very short hike up to an observation tower with teriffic panaromic views of the Smokies and the Knoxville/Marville Valley.

This is beautiful. And thanks for mentioning it! We see it from our house, and it's one of our son's favorites. Just make sure it's a clear day so those views are extra awesome. As TXboomerang mentioned, very little traffic on the road, and the views are awesome!

When you get to the Look Rock trail, you go uphill for a short bit, and turn left. If you turn right, there's a nice easy one over to the picnic grounds, if you wanted to pack a lunch to have there. The view from the picnic area is over the lower elevations (Maryville/Knoxville etc) and is very pretty too. The last time we were there, there were half a dozen hawks out "floating" and gliding on the wind right in front of us. I think the road to the picnic area is closed by now though, so the only way there would be through that trail, if you were interested.