Whether you are just starting out on your hiking journey or a lifelong trail lover, some of the best trails are the ones in your own backyard. Not your literal backyard. Unless you have actually been blessed with trails in right in your backyard. In that case, we are very jealous! For us, the backyard we refer to is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is host to over more than 800 miles of trails. About 70 of which are part of the Appalachian Trail. These trails go from so easy a child can do it to extremely strenuous testing the most experienced of hikers. Picking which hiking trail to take can be a difficult task especially if you do not hike very often.
This year the summer heat crept up on us much faster than expected and injuries occurred. Causing us to take refuge indoors for a few weeks to try and escape the heat. Since we had taken a break from our outdoor adventures, we needed to ease back into things. This last Saturday the high in Gatlinburg was only around 90. Which in comparison to our recent weather was a pretty cool day. Since we were a little out of practice with our outdoor adventures, we decided to find an easy trail in our backyard to warm us back up.
The Gatlinburg Trail
This trail is one of the only two in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park that allows dogs and bicycles. The main gist of why dogs are not allowed in the park is because they can carry diseases into the park and also attract large game like bears. One of the great things about this trail is that you can go from the great outdoors to the bustling downtown in no time at all. This trail starts or ends depending on which side you begin on, at the outskirts of the downtown Gatlinburg.
The trail is only about 3.8-miles roundtrip. You can start at either the Sugarland Visitor Center or the Gatlinburg City Water Services. The path is a well-graded graveled path. We even saw people pushing strollers along the trail. Showing just how family-friendly the trail is as well.
While enjoying your stroll through the mountains you will follow along the Little River. The river provides a wonderful partner for your journey. The occasional rapids and rhododendron thickets along the way make this path that much more enjoyable. Also be sure to keep a close eye on the river and you may even some trout swimming around.
Also along this path, you will find the remnants of stone walls and chimnies, as well as foundations to the homes that once stood there. For us, this was reason alone to complete this trail. We love history. Especially the history of the area we call home.
Approximately a half of a mile in from the Sugarland Visitor Center entrance, you will pass under the Gatlinburg Bypass. Not long after that, you will get a reminder of just how close you are to the city while crossing a footbridge over the West Prong. This wonderful bridge is a great chance to take a break and enjoy the river.
After crossing the bridge, you will soon find yourself at the edge of downtown Gatlinburg. Since we were so close to town, our FamLee walked up to the shops and explore for a bit. There are several shops and restaurants just at the end of the trail. You could easily grab some lunch or pick up a few supplies from the awesome outdoors store, NOC Gatlinburg.
If you are looking for a trail to put some miles on and get used to hiking before taking on some more advanced trails then this is definitely a great trail for you. The best part is you get to see some historic home sites and follow the winding river through the woods without having to worry about if the trail is too hard for a beginner. I do have to mention that unlike many other trails in the park this trail is not completely secluded from the road. The road actually runs beside the trail half the way and on the other half, it is on the opposite side of the river. We didn’t mind the road as it was not that busy the day we hiked, but we can see how this could be a turn off for some people.
Thank you so much for reading!
We hope that this inspires you to get out and explore the outdoors in your area. You never know what pieces of history are hiding in your backyard. Don’t forget to check us out on social media! We are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Youtube. For more posts about adventures, click here! Again, thank you for reading! God Bless!
