I'd spend as much time in the park as possible. Get there early though, it gets REALLY crowded this time of year, especially around the popular spots - Cade's Cove, Clingman's Dome, etc. When I was there around this time last year, the road to the Clingman's Dome parking lot was bumper to bumper for several miles at 10 in the morning.

I'm sure there are some on the Gatlinburg side, but there are several places on the NC side to tube the rivers. We did one in Cherokee, and it was okay.

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Posted by The Balinese Club

Coastal Bend Area of Texas

Member since Jul 2011

2797 posts

Posted on 7/7/17 at 10:09 am to The Spleen

I agree with The Spleen. I was there last week and I cannot stress enough that you need to hit the park early. Like no later than 9am. Clingman's was packed and we had to park on the side of the road. When we left, the parking was a mile down the road from the parking lot. If you wanted to go up to the top, the walk just to the visitor's center would we twice as far as the walk up to the observation deck.

Grotto Falls, same thing. Cade's Cove can have bumper to bumper traffic for hours if you go late. Also, Cade's Cove is closed for cars on Saturday and Wednesday to allow for bicyclists. Keep that in mind.

We stayed two days in Bryson City so we could ride the train. There are several tubing outfitters at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I also think there are tubing outfitters in Townsend, TN (closer to where you are staying).

Cherokee, NC is a dump. If you do the NC side focus on Bryson City, Fontana Lake, and the Nantahala Gorge areas. They are beautiful and really nice.

Pack a lunch each day and enjoy this beautiful park. It is the most visited national park for a reason! We absolutely loved our trip.

This post was edited on 7/7/17 at 11:04 am

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