If you have just one day to explore the wonders of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you can still experience many of the highlights of what makes the park so special! It is best to focus on two of the most iconic areas, the Cades Cove Valley and the high-elevation vistas along Newfound Gap Road, where you can take a few short hikes, see some of the park’s fascinating historical structures, enjoy phenomenal views, and maybe even encounter some wildlife! Here is the perfect Great Smoky Mountains itinerary for one day:
Morning Hours in Cades Cove
Get an early start and head directly to Cades Cove Loop Road, which is open daily from sunrise to sunset. This scenic 11-mile loop road circles the valley and features many faithfully restored 18th and 19th-century structures, including several churches, a working gristmill, barns, and log houses.
Cades Cove is also an excellent destination for wildlife viewing as its wide open valley offers plenty of visibility and abundant food sources, so keep your eyes open for white-tailed deer and black bears! If you want to stretch your legs for a bit, consider the 5-mile roundtrip hike to Abrams Falls, where a 25-foot waterfall flows over a ledge of sandstone into a beautiful deep pool.
Picnic Lunch, Scenic Drive & Sugarlands Visitor Center
Take advantage of the Cades Cove picnic area for lunch, where you’ll find shaded tables and creekside spots. Then, head out of the Cades Cove area by driving east on Little River Road toward Gatlinburg (one of the best scenic drives in GSMNP!)
We suggest a brief stop at Sugarlands Visitor Center, where you’ll find natural history exhibits, a bookstore, a souvenir shop, public restrooms, parking pass kiosks, and vending machines. There are also several hiking trails behind Sugarlands Visitor Center that are easy and ideal for families with kids!
Newfound Gap & Visit to Kuwohi
The best way to spend the late afternoon of your Great Smoky Mountains itinerary is with a visit to Kuwohi, which is the highest peak in the park at 6,643 feet! From the Sugarlands Visitor Center, drive along Newfound Gap Road for about 20 miles until reaching the Kuwohi parking area. The drive should take about 40 minutes without stops, but you might want a brief break to take a photo at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line!
Once you reach the parking area at Kuwohi, walk up the steep, paved 0.5-mile trail up to the observation tower for breathtaking 360-degree views of the Smokies. Be sure to bundle up though, as the temperatures at Kuwohi can be 10-20 degrees cooler than the lowlands. If you have the time, stick around to watch the sunset on this spectacular peak for an incredible ending to your day in GSMNP!
Plan Your Great Smoky Mountains Itinerary
While you can see many of the highlights of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in this perfect one-day itinerary, it’s just scratching the surface of everything the park has to offer!
In addition to all of the popular spots, consider returning to explore these hidden places in the Smoky Mountains!
