09/27/2026
Some great tips for planning your next hiking trip to the Smokies!
🥾🏔️ 8 OF THE BEST SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKES FOR BEGINNERS!
Want to HIKE the Great Smoky Mountains...
But you're not exactly looking to climb a mountain for 8 hours? 😂
GOOD NEWS!
You don't have to be an experienced hiker to get off the road and experience the beauty of the Smokies. 🌲❤️
These are some great trails for beginners, families, first-time hikers and anyone looking for a shorter adventure.
📲 SAVE THIS LIST for your next Smoky Mountain vacation!
1️⃣ CATARACT FALLS 💦
🥾 Distance: About 0.7 miles round trip
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: EASY
📍 Sugarlands Visitor Center
This may be one of the BEST first hikes for someone who's never hiked in the Smokies.
The trail begins near Sugarlands Visitor Center and follows Fighting Creek through the forest to a beautiful 40-foot waterfall.
Short hike + waterfall = GREAT beginner combination!
2️⃣ SUGARLANDS VALLEY NATURE TRAIL 🌲
🥾 Distance: 0.5-mile loop
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: VERY EASY
📍 Near Sugarlands Visitor Center
If you want a peaceful Smoky Mountain walk without a difficult climb, START HERE.
This paved, relatively flat trail travels through beautiful forest beside the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River.
It's also designed as an accessible trail, making it a great option for visitors looking for an easier way to experience the park.
3️⃣ GATLINBURG TRAIL 🏞️
🥾 Distance: About 4 miles round trip if you walk the entire trail
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: EASY
📍 Gatlinburg/Sugarlands Area
Here's the great thing about this trail...
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WALK THE WHOLE THING!
Walk as far as you're comfortable and turn around.
You'll travel along the river, through the woods and across a pedestrian bridge.
🐕 BONUS: This is one of only TWO trails inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park where dogs are permitted.
Keep them leashed and follow park rules.
4️⃣ COVE HARDWOOD NATURE TRAIL 🌸
🥾 Distance: About ¾-mile loop
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: EASY
📍 Chimneys Picnic Area
Short, beautiful and especially impressive during wildflower season!
This trail takes you through a rich cove hardwood forest filled with the kind of vegetation that makes the Smokies so special.
Perfect if you want to combine a short hike with a picnic. 🧺
5️⃣ LITTLE GREENBRIER SCHOOL AREA 🏡
🥾 Distance: Roughly 1.2 miles to the historic area from Metcalf Bottoms
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: EASY TO MODERATE
📍 Metcalf Bottoms
Want a hike with some HISTORY?
Walk from the Metcalf Bottoms area toward Little Greenbrier School and explore a piece of Smoky Mountain history.
Continue farther if you're comfortable, or turn around whenever you've had enough.
This is a great way to combine hiking, history and a picnic beside the Little River. ❤️
6️⃣ QUIET WALKWAYS 🌲🤫
🥾 Distance: Varies
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: GENERALLY EASY
📍 Found along several park roads
Here's something MANY first-time visitors completely overlook.
See those little brown “Quiet Walkway” signs along the road?
STOP sometime!
These short walks give you an opportunity to get away from the road and experience the forest without committing to a major hike.
Sometimes the BEST Smoky Mountain experience isn't the famous trail everybody else is hiking...
It's the little path almost everyone drives past. ❤️
7️⃣ KUWOHI OBSERVATION TOWER 🌄
🥾 Distance: About 1 mile round trip
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: SHORT... BUT STEEP! 😅
📍 Kuwohi
We're including this one with a WARNING.
The paved walk to the observation tower is SHORT...
But DON'T confuse short with easy! 😂
You're climbing uphill at high elevation, so take your time and use the benches when you need a break.
Make it to the top on a clear day and the panoramic Smoky Mountain views can be absolutely incredible.
8️⃣ LAUREL FALLS 💦 — ONE TO SAVE FOR 2027!
🥾 Distance: About 2.6 miles round trip
⭐ Our Difficulty Rating: EASY TO MODERATE
📍 Little River Road near Gatlinburg
We couldn't make a beginner hiking list without mentioning one of the most famous hikes in the Smokies!
Laurel Falls Trail leads to the beautiful 80-foot Laurel Falls and has long been one of the most popular hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT YOU NEED TO KNOW! 🚨
⛔ LAUREL FALLS TRAIL IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.
The National Park Service is completing a major rehabilitation project on the trail.
The current expected reopening is:
👉 SUMMER 2027
So if you're visiting during 2026, DON'T plan your day around hiking Laurel Falls.
📲 Instead, SAVE THIS ONE for a future Smoky Mountain trip!
Once Laurel Falls reopens, we'll keep everyone updated here at It's Your Smoky Mountains. 🏔️❤️
🔥 BEGINNER HIKING TIP:
NEVER choose a hike based only on mileage!
A 2-mile mountain trail with significant elevation gain can be MUCH harder than a relatively flat 4-mile walk.
Before starting any hike, check:
🥾 Distance
⛰️ Elevation gain
🌧️ Weather
🪨 Trail conditions
⏰ Sunset time
💧 How much water you're carrying
And ALWAYS tell someone where you're going.
🐻 REMEMBER — YOU'RE IN BEAR COUNTRY!
Never approach a black bear.
Never feed wildlife.
Give animals plenty of space and know what to do if you encounter a bear BEFORE heading onto the trail.
🚨 DON'T FORGET THE PARKING TAG!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park does NOT charge an entrance fee.
However, if you park your vehicle inside the national park for MORE THAN 15 MINUTES, a parking tag is generally required.
Also check current road and trail conditions before leaving Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge or Sevierville.
Conditions in the mountains can change quickly!
❤️ YOU DON'T HAVE TO CLIMB THE HARDEST MOUNTAIN TO EXPERIENCE THE SMOKIES.
Sometimes a half-mile walk through the woods...
The sound of a rushing stream...
A waterfall...
And 30 quiet minutes away from everything...
Is EXACTLY what you came to the Smoky Mountains for. 🏔️🌲
👇 NOW WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
What's the BEST EASY HIKE you've found in the Smokies?
And which trail would YOU recommend to someone visiting for the first time?
DROP IT IN THE COMMENTS! 👇👇
📲 SAVE this list for your next trip!
🔄 SHARE it with someone who says, “I'd love to hike the Smokies, but I don't know where to start!”
Follow **It's Your Smoky Mountains** for hiking tips, hidden gems, restaurants, attractions, traffic shortcuts, scenic drives and everything Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and the Great Smoky Mountains! 🏔️❤️
