3 Days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
We recently took a family vacation to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and had a great time! We visited the park for 5 days, but after being there, I’ve put together what the can’t miss spots are if you have less time. If you only have 3 days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you can still see and do a lot.
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Here are my top family-friendly things to do on a Great Smoky Mountains 3 day itinerary. Catch some great views, visit some stunning waterfalls, see a little history from the area, and even enjoy a river float if the season is right!
Table of Contents
Day 1 in Great Smoky Mountains NP – Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Morning– Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail stops or hikes
Packed Lunch at a Pull Out
Afternoon- More stops on the Motor loop
This first day you’ll need to be a little flexible. The day is spent on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This road is a one-way driving loop not far from Gatlinburg.
To get to it, you’ll take Cherokee Orchard Road to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. There will be a sign showing you where Cherokee Orchard splits onto the loop. The loop is 5.5 miles and is done at a slow, relaxed speed.
The thing about the motor loop is that there are a lot of potential things to see, but not a lot of parking. So you’ll need to stay flexible because if there’s nowhere to park, you have no option but to keep driving.
Baskins Creek Falls is a great one to hike on Roaring Fork
Spend the day on the Roaring Fork Motor Loop. I suggest stopping wherever you can! There are lots of little historic sites, cabins, roadside views, and lots of hikes.
Here are my family-friendly recommendations for the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Ephraim Bales Cabin
These are in order of when you drive the loop:
- Noah Bud Ogle Cabin (technically on Cherokee Orchard before you enter the loop)
- Rainbow Falls trail– this is also just before you reach the motor trail and leads to a beautiful waterfall, but is a 5+ mile hike. If you do this hike, this will be your entire morning itinerary since it takes few hours. Not recommended for smaller children.
- Grotto Falls– about 2.5 miles to a popular waterfall. Consider yourself lucky if you get parking here and take advantage of it!
- Baskins Creek Trail– just over 2.5 miles roundtrip for this great waterfall. Parking is in a designated pull out, just before you get to the Alex Cole Cabin.
- Alex Cole Cabin– The last remaining cabin of the Sugarlands community. This cabin was transfered from Newfound Gap Rd to The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail for preservation.
- Ephraim Bales Cabin– The cabin that housed Ephraim, his wife, and 9 children
- Alfred Reagan Tub Mill and Home– The mill was built in 1895. Both can be seen right off the road.
- Place of A Thousand Drips– If there is a spot available, make sure to stop here! On the left side of the road are tons of tiny beautiful waterfalls dropping down the mountainside. I’ll put a picture below, but it doesn’t do it justice.
Place of a Thousand Drips is right off the road- no hike required!
Those are some of the highlights and family-friendly stops along the Roaring Fork Motor Trail. Find one or two to visit in the morning, take a lunch break at a roadside pull out, and then do a couple more in the afternoon.
Unfortunately, there are no picnic areas on the motor loop, so find a designated pull out area to park in and enjoy your packed lunch.
Once you’ve finished your day on the Roaring Fork loop, head back to Gatlinburg for activities, dinner, and your lodging.
Day 2 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Little River Road
The second day in GSMNP will take you into the western part of the park. You’ll start by going through the entrance south of Gatlinburg and heading to the Sugarlands visitor center. Then make a right turn and head toward the other end of the part for some easy hikes and a chance at some wildlife sightings.
Morning
- Sugarlands Visitor Center
- Cataract Falls
- Laurel Falls
- Picnic
Drive to the Sugarlands Visitors Center. Grab a souvenir, check out the exhibits, fill your water, and use the restroom.
Then, walk behind the visitor center (through the bathroom area) to find the trail to Cataract Falls.
Cataract Falls is a very easy waterfall in the park and it is one of the most kid-friendly. At only 1 mile roundtrip, kids can hike to their own waterfall through the woods and under a bridge.
Laurel Falls is the next stop as you continue down Little River Road. This is about the most popular waterfall in the park, but it’s really family-friendly thanks to its gentle, paved path.
Note- Laurel Falls is closed until mid 2026 for construction
Stop for lunch at the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area down Little River Road. Bring a packed lunch and enjoy eating amongst the trees and fresh air.
Afternoon
- Middle Prong Trail (with cascades)
- Cades Cove Loop (wildlife)
Cades Cove
After lunch, continue driving down Little River Road and head to Tremont via Laurel Creek Rd. (Instead of turning north into Townsend when the road splits, stay left onto Laurel Creek Rd). Then turn left on Tremont Road and take it until the end.
Middle Prong Trail can be found at the end of Tremont Road. Park and walk over the bridge. Then keep LEFT up Middle Prong Trail. This trail is nice and easy, wide and flat, and will walk you along beautiful cascades and small falls along the trail. Go about a mile or so to get to some stunning cascades. Enjoy, and then turn around.
Middle Prong Trail runs along a river to the side
Cades Cove is the final stop. You’ll need to head back to Laurel Creek Rd and turn LEFT when you get there. This will continue taking you west and will end at Cades Cove.
Cades Cove is a very popular area for spotting wildlife. I have put it at the end of the day for this itinerary because your chances of seeing wildlife will increase after 3pm. There are also a couple historic chapels that you can visit on the loop.
Driving the Cades Cove loop requires patience. It is a one-way loop.
While there are signs everywhere saying NOT TO STOP on the road, people inevitably do anyway. Some even put their car in park and get out to take pictures, which will back up the whole line of traffic. Try not to be this person.
👉🏼 Nearby: Spruce Flats Falls, a shorter uphill hike to a great waterfall area
Day 3 in GSMNP- Newfound Gap Road
Your final 3 days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be spent along Newfound Gap Road. This road is the main thoroughfare of the park, taking you from Gatlinburg to Cherokee, North Carolina.
Newfound Gap Road is where you’ll get many classic views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Make sure to enjoy a few pullovers along the way!
Morning
- Chimney Tops Trail (to waterfall)
- Kuwohi Observation Tower
- Lunch in Cherokee
Chimney Tops Trail is a great trail for families. My kids loved the multiple bridges and spots to feel the water in the Road Prong River. I suggest doing what we did, which was just hiking .8 miles to the 4th bridge where beautiful cascades await you. If you go further, the hike takes you to a great viewpoint, but gets even steeper.
Find Chimney tops trailhead along Newfound Gap Road just before you get to the loop-dee-loo on the road (look at a map of the road and you’ll know what I mean).
Kuwohi Observation Tower was once called Clingman’s Dome. It’s a tower built 54 feet above the ground to get iconic views of the park. It requires a short but steep 1/2 mile hike on a paved trail to get to.
To get to the Kuwohi Lookout, take Newfound Gap road south from Gatlinburg. Turn right onto Kuwohi Road and continue 8 miles until you reach the large parking area.
Kuwohi may be steep, but it’s short and we saw plenty of families of all ages on this trail. We loved the foliage, red berry trees, and views you get the whole time. Kuwohi is one of those classic stops in the park, so I have to include it on the Great Smoky Mountains 3 day itinerary.
Lunch in Cherokee– finish the Newfound Gap Road to the end where it drops you in Cherokee, North Carolina. This may be a little bit of a late lunch, so make sure you’ve packed snacks for the hikes before.
Right as you enter Cherokee there is a Firehouse Subs, which tasted perfect to us after a day of hiking. There’s also a Mexican restaurant across the road from Firehouse.
Afternoon
- Oconaluftee VC and Mountain Farm Museum
- Drive back to Gatlinburg
The final stop on your 3 days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an easy one.
When you finish lunch, head back onto Newfound Gap Road and stop at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Head inside for exhibits, ranger talks, and souvenirs.
Then head on the trail that goes to the side to visit the Mountain Farm Museum. This is a collection of historic farm structures that show the Appalachian life from as early as the late 1800s. It even still has live animals on the farm.
My kids loved watching for chickens running around, but didn’t enjoy the smell of the pigs as much.
The kids loved seeing the barn, log house, spring house, blacksmith shop, chicken house, and other historic buildings that they could get right up to.
When you’re finished walking through the farm area, you can take the trail back near the creek for a little nature walk to end the day.
End of your 3 days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This Park is huge and offers so much to see. While it would be easy to spend a week or two here, you can see a lot in this 3 day itinerary at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
This itinerary gives you a great sampler of historic sites, hikes, waterfalls, easier walks, and interactive farm life. Plus, it takes you to 3 very different sections of the park so you can really experience it all. It’s a great itinerary for families visiting Great Smoky Mountains.
Quickview: Great Smoky Mountains 3 day Itinerary Graphic
Where to Stay
I highly suggest staying in Gatlinburg. It’s a great central location full of life, restaurants, and lodging. At the end of each day, you can drive back to Gatlinburg and have a huge selection of places to eat.
Plus, it works great for this itinerary because Gatlinburg is very close to Newfound Gap Road and very close to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
👉🏼 We stayed at SureStay, which is located right on the southern edge of Gatlinburg within a few minutes of the park entrance on Newfound Gap Rd.
SureStay had spacious rooms for our family of 6, a decent sized “mini-fridge” so we could stock up on groceries and lunch items, and included breakfast!
Other Great Lodging Options in Gatlinburg:
| Margaritaville | Sleep up to 6 | Indoor and Outdoor Pool (with a slide!) | Nice Fitness Center | Restaurants on site (Breakfast NOT included) |
| Bearskin Lodge | Sleep up to 4 (connecting rooms available) | Season Pool (and Lazy River) | Mountain Feel | Breakfast included |
| Historic Gatlinburg Inn | Sleep up to 4 | Seasonal Pool | Central Location | Highly-rated Breakfast included |
| Courtyard – Marriott | Sleep up to 6 | Indoor Pool | Cafe and Coffee Shop on site | Breakfast not included |
What to Bring for your 3 days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Other than the typical packing items, I would add:
- Hiking shoes – not required, but helpful on some of the steeper, rockier hikes for support. Our feet got really sore by the end of the day in sneakers.
- Hiking Backpack
- Hiking Snacks (shop for some at the grocery store when you get there)
- Reusable Water Bottles
- Hiking Poles (if you have knee issues)
- Child Backpack Carrier if you have toddlers/younger kids
- Layers because the temperature can change quickly
3 Days in Great Smoky Mountains Wrap Up
3 Days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great way to get a taste of the park and plenty of time to see what it offers. From waterfalls to historic moments in time to epic mountain views, there is a never-ending amount of this to explore in this great park.
If you only have a few days, that’s no problem! It’s plenty of time to see 3 main sections of the park and really enjoy them. Next time you plan your family vacation to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, use this 3 day itinerary to make sure you make the most of your time!
