With around 850 miles of trail just down the road, the hardest part is choosing. Here are our favorites, grouped by effort — from flat riverside strolls to lung-busting climbs with a view worth every step. Distances are round-trip, and drive times are from the cabin.
Before any hike: wear real shoes, carry water and a layer (mountain weather flips fast), tell someone your plan, and expect spotty cell service on the trail. Check the weather and the park's trail conditions first.
Almost every trailhead needs a Park It Forward parking tag — print yours before you go. Details on The National Park.
Easy & family-friendly
Cataract Falls — ~1 mi · easy · flat. A sweet little waterfall right by the Sugarlands Visitor Center — the perfect leg-stretcher. (~25 min)
Gatlinburg Trail — ~3.8 mi · easy · wide gravel. One of the few trails that allows dogs and bikes; follows the river between Sugarlands and Gatlinburg. (~25 min)
Metcalf Bottoms → Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse — short & easy. A riverside picnic area and a historic 1880s schoolhouse and cabin; great with kids. (~25–30 min)
Moderate — our sweet spot
Grotto Falls (Trillium Gap) — ~2.6 mi · moderate · dirt. The only waterfall in the park you can walk behind. Via the Roaring Fork motor trail (closed in winter). (~25–30 min)
Porters Creek (Greenbrier) — ~4 mi · easy–moderate · dirt. Old-growth forest, stone walls, and a famous spring wildflower show. (~25–30 min)
Spruce Flats Falls (Tremont) — ~2 mi · moderate · dirt. A local-favorite hidden waterfall behind the Tremont Institute that most tourists miss. (~35–40 min)
Abrams Falls (Cades Cove) — ~5 mi · moderate · dirt. A powerful, wide waterfall off the Cades Cove loop. Do not swim — the currents are dangerous. (~50–55 min)
Andrews Bald (Forney Ridge, from Kuwohi) — ~3.6 mi · moderate · rocky. Starts at the park's highest parking and ends at a grassy mountaintop meadow with huge views. (~55–60 min)
Rainbow Falls — ~5.4 mi · moderate–strenuous · rocky, ~1,600 ft gain. An 80-ft waterfall (with a real rainbow on sunny afternoons). (~30 min)
More ambitious — earn the view
Alum Cave Bluffs — ~4.4 mi · strenuous · rocky steps. Past Arch Rock and Inspiration Point to a huge dry bluff; one of the most scenic hikes in the park. Push on to Mount LeConte (~11 mi, very strenuous) if you're fit. (~35 min)
Charlies Bunion — ~8 mi · strenuous. Along the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap to a dramatic rocky outcrop with knockout ridgeline views. (~45 min)
Chimney Tops — ~3.3 mi · strenuous, steep. Short but a real climb; the very top is closed since the 2016 fire, but the observation point still delivers. (~35 min)
Want the view without the hike?
Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome) — ~1 mi · steep but paved. The highest point in the park, with a 360° observation tower at the top. (~55 min)
The Foothills Parkway — no hiking required: pull-offs with some of the best panoramas anywhere. (~25–30 min)
Heads-up — Laurel Falls is closed. The popular paved Laurel Falls trail is closed for a major rehabilitation and is expected to reopen in summer 2026. Check the latest before you count on it: park closures (NPS).
Bear country. Keep your distance (at least 150 ft), never feed or approach wildlife, and pack out everything you bring in. More on Nature & bears.