Great Smoky Mountains National Park 3-Hour Classic Tour from Gatlinburg
by Smoky Mountain Guides
Choose from 1 available option
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.$170Overview
This three-hour day trip begins with pickup in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, traveling in comfortable eco-friendly vans. The first stop is Elkmont Ghost Town, where visitors spend about 30 minutes exploring the remains of a resort town more than 100 years old. Here, the history of logging in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the lives of early Appalachian settlers, and the park's founding are explained. Afterward, the group drives along Newfound Gap Road, a 13-mile scenic route through the Sugarlands Valley. This part of the trip lasts approximately two hours, during which the guide provides information about the region’s people, plants, animals, and history. Several stops are made at overlooks for photos and commentary on the surrounding mountains and valleys. The tour ends at Newfound Gap, located over 5,000 feet above sea level on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Visitors spend about 20 minutes here viewing the Sugarlands Valley to the north and the Oconaluftee Valley to the south. Information is shared about the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail that passes through this point and the stone stage where President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940. Bottled water and snacks are provided throughout the trip.
Highlights
What's included
Itinerary
Elkmont Ghost Town
Guests spend about 30 minutes exploring Elkmont Ghost Town, an abandoned resort town over 100 years old. The guide explains the history of logging in the Great Smoky Mountains, the lives of early Appalachian pioneers, and how the park was founded. Visitors can also learn about the roles of loggers, CCC workers, pioneer farmers, and early mountain visitors.
30 min
Newfound Gap Road
Travel along Newfound Gap Road, a 13-mile scenic drive out of Sugarlands Valley. This stretch takes about nearly two hours including stops, with the guide sharing details about the area's people, plants, animals, and history. Several stops at overlooks allow for photos of the mountains and valleys.
115 min
Newfound Gap
Located over 5,000 feet high on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the group pauses here for about 20 minutes. From this spot, they view Sugarlands Valley to the north and Oconaluftee Valley to the south. The guide explains that the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail crosses this point beside the stone stage where President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in 1940.
20 min
Meeting point
We'll meet you in the upper parking lot behind the Gatlinburg Welcome Center.
End point
We'll meet you in the upper parking lot behind the Gatlinburg Welcome Center.
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.
Additional info
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 3-Hour Classic Tour from Gatlinburg
by Smoky Mountain Guides
Choose from 1 available option
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.$170Overview
This three-hour day trip begins with pickup in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, traveling in comfortable eco-friendly vans. The first stop is Elkmont Ghost Town, where visitors spend about 30 minutes exploring the remains of a resort town more than 100 years old. Here, the history of logging in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the lives of early Appalachian settlers, and the park's founding are explained. Afterward, the group drives along Newfound Gap Road, a 13-mile scenic route through the Sugarlands Valley. This part of the trip lasts approximately two hours, during which the guide provides information about the region’s people, plants, animals, and history. Several stops are made at overlooks for photos and commentary on the surrounding mountains and valleys. The tour ends at Newfound Gap, located over 5,000 feet above sea level on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Visitors spend about 20 minutes here viewing the Sugarlands Valley to the north and the Oconaluftee Valley to the south. Information is shared about the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail that passes through this point and the stone stage where President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1940. Bottled water and snacks are provided throughout the trip.
Highlights
What's included
Itinerary
Elkmont Ghost Town
Guests spend about 30 minutes exploring Elkmont Ghost Town, an abandoned resort town over 100 years old. The guide explains the history of logging in the Great Smoky Mountains, the lives of early Appalachian pioneers, and how the park was founded. Visitors can also learn about the roles of loggers, CCC workers, pioneer farmers, and early mountain visitors.
30 min
Newfound Gap Road
Travel along Newfound Gap Road, a 13-mile scenic drive out of Sugarlands Valley. This stretch takes about nearly two hours including stops, with the guide sharing details about the area's people, plants, animals, and history. Several stops at overlooks allow for photos of the mountains and valleys.
115 min
Newfound Gap
Located over 5,000 feet high on the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the group pauses here for about 20 minutes. From this spot, they view Sugarlands Valley to the north and Oconaluftee Valley to the south. The guide explains that the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail crosses this point beside the stone stage where President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in 1940.
20 min
Meeting point
We'll meet you in the upper parking lot behind the Gatlinburg Welcome Center.
End point
We'll meet you in the upper parking lot behind the Gatlinburg Welcome Center.
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.