9 Easy Hikes in the Smoky Mountains (less than 2 miles!)
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an incredible place to visit, and one of the best way to explore it is by getting out on the trails. These easy hikes in the Smoky Mountains are perfect for families and are a great way to escape the crowds. Even though the Smoky Mountains are the most visited US National Park, on most of our hikes we didn’t see a single person! From beautiful fall colors to waterfalls to the highest point in Tennessee, these hikes have something for everyone.
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Smoky Mountains National Park At a Glance
Where to Stay:
If you’re looking for more guidance, here’s a full guide to choosing where to stay in the Smoky Mountains!
- Gatlinburg – more touristy and busy but tons of things to do
- Cherokee – quieter part of the park, much less touristy, closer to the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Pigeon Forge – little farther away, generally considered the most “kid friendly” place to stay near the Smoky Mountains. Near Dollywood and the Island at Pigeon Forge
- Camp in the Park
How to Get there & Getting Around:
If you’re flying, the closest airport is McGhee Tyson located in Knoxville, a little over an hour from Gatlinburg. You’ll definitely want to rent a car for getting around because this park is big and somewhat spread out!
We love Economy Bookings! We use them every time we rent a car and always find the best deals and have a great experience.
Fees:
Although it’s free to enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there is a paid parking fee for anyone parking longer than 15 minutes. You can purchase a daily, weekly, or annual tag in the park or online.
Make sure to familiarize yourself with all of the main things to know before visiting the Smoky Mountains!
How Long to Stay:
I would recommend exploring this park for 3-4 days if you can make the time. You can definitely experience some of the highlights in 1-2 days but to really experience the full Smoky Mountains magic, you’ll want to stay a little longer.
For more information on planning your trip, here is the Ultimate Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with kids!
Easy Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
All of these hikes are less than 2 miles and are perfect whether you are exploring with little kids, have mobility issues, or just want to take a short hike to start your day. There are stroller friendly options, hikes in more secluded areas of the park, and a few of them are some of our favorite hikes ever.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited US National Park (by far!) Most people who visit the Smoky Mountains don’t get too far away from their car, so on almost every trail we hiked, we had the place to ourselves. Hiking in the Smoky Mountains is an awesome way to escape the crowds, and see more of the park that you can’t experience from the road.
1. The John Oliver Cabin
Distance: 0.5 miles
Elevation: flat
Type of hike: Out and Back (or you can make it a loop!)
Bathrooms? No
Stroller friendly? Yes
If you’re visiting the Smoky Mountains, there’s a good chance that you will be stopping by Cades Cove (or doing one of the other four Smokies scenic drives!). It’s one of the most beautiful places in the park, but also the busiest. Getting out on a trail is a great way to break up the drive and see the mountains from land, not your car window!
The hike to the John Oliver Cabin is an easy 0.5 mile (there and back) hike off of Cades Cove Loop. There’s both a paved and an unpaved trail to the cabin, making it stroller friendly! The cabin itself, built around 1820, is open to the public so we were able to explore the inside with our boys.
Things to Know Before Hiking to the John Oliver Cabin:
- Cades Cove Loop is very popular and traffic can get backed up, so visit early morning to beat the crowds
- This trail is part of the park, so a paid parking tag is required
- The parking lot for this trail is pretty small and Cades Cove is a one way loop, so you’ll want to grab the first spot you see!
- No restrooms are available at the trailhead
2. Elkmont Nature Trail
Distance: 0.8 miles
Elevation: 95 feet
Trail Type: Loop
Bathrooms? No
Stroller friendly? No
One of the first hikes we did in the Smoky Mountains was the Elkmont Nature Trail. It was a great secluded spot in the park where we didn’t see a soul while hiking. There is a small parking lot, and there shouldn’t be an issue getting a parking spot because it’s in a less visited area of the park.
This trail has some fun elements that kids will love including some bridges, plenty of sticks for playing magic wands, and some beautiful fall colors. The scenery wasn’t as epic as some of the other easy hikes in the Smoky Mountains, but it was a great spot for getting outside and exploring.
4. Cataract Falls
Distance: 1 mile
Elevation: 32 feet
Trail type: Out & Back
Bathrooms? Yes
Stroller friendly? No
Cataract Falls is a really easily accessible trail located right at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Because of the location, this is probably one of the busiest easy hikes. The waterfall was a bit underwhelming (at least in the fall), but the smiley stump found on the way and the river views made this one worth it.
Plus, it’s so nice to not have to drive to another spot to find parking and do the trail. Time this with your visit to the visitor center so you can get your souvenirs and then experience a nice kid friendly Smokies trail.
5. Kuwohi (Formerly Clingmans Dome)
Distance: 1.3 miles
Elevation: 337 feet
Trail type: Paved out & back trail
Bathrooms? Yes
Stroller friendly? Yes
Located at the top of the tallest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, is the Kuwohi Observation Tower Trail. The observation tower has breathtaking, 360 degree views of the Smoky Mountains! There and back, the trail is 1.3 miles with a 337 ft elevation gain. It’s paved and stroller friendly, but a good portion of it is pretty steep.
Since it’s at the top of the mountain, it can be quite a bit chillier than the rest of the par. So keep that in mind, especially if hiking with littles! We made the mistake of not bundling our kids up enough so we did have some tears – don’t be like us and avoid these mistakes when visiting the Smokies!
The best time to visit is at sunrise or sunset for some beautiful sky colors to go along with the mountains! This is a popular attraction, so early morning is the best to if you want to avoid the crowds. This hike does have a visitor center, bathrooms, and a large parking lot so you can spend a lot of time up there if you’d like!
Kuwohi is one of the best things to do in the Smoky Mountains with kids and I would highly recommend adding it to your itinerary if you can. Our one day Smoky Mountains itinerary and two day itinerary has this as one of the main stops because it’s such a fun and unique place.
6. Mingo falls trail
Distance: 0.3 miles (just stairs!)
Elevation: 111 feet
Trail type: Stairs out and back
Bathrooms? No
Stroller friendly? No
This was one of our favorite trails! It’s an easy, 0.3 mile (out and back) hike that mostly consists of stairs with an elevation gain of 111 ft. It then turns into a gravel trail for a bit just before the observation bridge, which rests at the bottom of the falls. Mingo Falls Trail is located on the North Carolina side on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, so it’s less populated, which we enjoyed.
Mingo Falls is just outside of the park boundary, so you won’t need a parking pass for this hike. There is a small parking lot, but there were plenty of spots when we visited.
7. Appalachian trail
Distance: Depends on how far you go! The whole thing is 2200 miles
Trail type: Through hike
Bathrooms? Yes
Stroller friendly? No
Okay, before you get confused about why the Appalachian Trail is on a list of “easy hikes in the Smoky Mountains” let me explain. If you visit the Newfound Gap Overlook, you have the opportunity to hike on the Appalachian Trail. You can go as far as you want and then have the bragging rights of having been on the Appalachian Trail.
At the Newfound Gap Overlook, there are several incredible viewpoints and restrooms. The parking lot is pretty huge, and people don’t usually stay here too long so it’s likely a spot will open up quickly if the lot is full. It’s worth a short wait!
8. Cosby nature trail
Distance: 1.3 miles
Elevation: 187 feet
Stroller friendly? No
Cosby Nature Trail is another off the beaten path hike where you can escape the crowds! This area of the park has beautiful fall colors, several fun bridges, and we even saw turkeys here. While this trail isn’t stroller friendly, it’s definitely kid friendly and we had a lot of fun here.
This area has a huge parking lot and there was a lot of spots when we arrived even though it was a weekend. You can also stop at a cute coffee shop Bloom and Berry Coffee House on the way if you want to break up the drive! There are also restrooms at the trailhead and camping available here.
9. Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail
Distance: 0.5 mile loop
Elevation: flat
Stroller friendly? Yes
This is a nice 0.5 mile loop not far from the Sugarlands Visitor Center. It’s paved, so very stroller friendly, with lots of spectacular views of nature and some signs with historical facts dispersed along the trail. There are even a couple of old fire places made out of stones that were interesting to see!
The parking lot is small, so mid day you may have a little difficulty finding a spot. However, we visited early morning on a Saturday during peak season and were almost the only people on the trail. There are not any bathrooms at the trailhead, but this is close to the visitor center so you can easily make it there afterwards if needed.
I hope you enjoy these easy hikes in the Smoky Mountains! They are perfect for visiting with kids and a great way to escape the crowds. We loved experiencing the solitude the trails has to offer. Let me know in the comments which trail was your favorite, or if you had any others you loved that aren’t on this list.
