

Furthermore, rooms fill up very quickly, so we recommend booking a room a few months in advance. Planning Tip : Like most places, the Smoky Mountains area has more expensive lodging costs during the summer, so just be prepared if you plan to take a summer vacation here. You may prefer to visit less popular locations like Foothills Parkway, Balsam Mountain, and Abrams Creek to avoid some of the crowds. As a result, the summer months are the most crowded time to visit the Smoky Mountains, with July being the busiest month.Ģ4 Unique Tennessee Smoky Mountains Attractions for Couples One of the most popular seasons for visiting the Smokies is summer. Summer: A Favorite Time to Visit Smoky Mountains You can learn more about bear behavior and what to do if you’re attacked here. Although bears are dangerous at any time, they become particularly defensive when cubs are nearby. During late March and early April, female bears start emerging from their dens. Wildlife Tip : Spring is bear season in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The snowmelt creates spectacular flows, and there are fewer crowds.Īs a matter of fact, being the least crowded season makes spring an ideal time to visit the Smoky Mountains. In addition to the wildflowers, late spring is an incredible time to explore Smoky Mountain waterfalls - such as Ramsey Cascades, Rainbow Falls, and Abrams Falls. This weeklong festival revolves around wildflower viewing and includes guided hikes and walks, as well as other wildflower-focused activities. That’s when the park hosts a Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage. You might even see snow at high elevations (over 5,500 feet), so you should stay at low elevations around Cades Cove and Greenbrier to see the wildflowers.ĭespite that, the rain lets up and temperatures get warmer in April. In particular, March has quite a bit of rain and temperatures can still be pretty cold, so you should wear appropriate clothing and take an umbrella.

Keep in mind that spring brings unpredictable weather. These hikes range in length and difficulty, and they offer awesome opportunities for photographs. You can take numerous trails to view the wildflowers - such as Gregory Ridge Trail, Schoolhouse Gap Trail, Little River Trail, and Porters Creek Trail. In fact, it has more than any other national park in North America.ġ1 of the BEST Smoky Mountain Horseback Riding Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville TN Opportunities The reason is that the park has more than 1,500 different flowering plants that bloom during the spring months. “Wildflower National Park” is one of the nicknames for the Smokies. Photo Courtesy Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage Visiting the Smoky Mountains During Spring And since that’s the case, we’ll cover the reasons why you should visit the park during each season. Our answer is that there is no wrong time to visit the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, as each season of the year has something unique to offer visitors. So, when is the best time to visit the Smoky Mountains and all of these attractions?


On top of that, there are tons of attractions in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. The Smoky Mountains has 14 major waterfalls, over 150 trails, and more than 500 miles of scenic drives. By comparison, Yellowstone National Park welcomed more than 3.8 million people. In 2020, the park welcomed over 12 million people. On the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park gets more visitors than any other national park.
