Great Smoky Mountains, TN

April 2025

For Spring Break this year we took a road trip to the most visited National Park in the USA, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Leading up to spring break we took the boys shopping for “hiking gear” to get them in the spirits, and then put the gear to the test hiking the trails around our area. And to determine how long we could stretch a hike before the complaints started, turns out that was 4 miles. I found a cute AirBnB cabin in the mountains with a hot tub and a view, and mapped out a couple of hikes. We loaded the car and set off.

Unintended first stop was a Buc-ees soon after crossing in to Tennessee. That was an experience. We sat on the curb outside and ate our lunch because inside it was a bit of a madhouse. We crossed in to Pigeon Forge in the middle of a Hot Rod Parade car show, which had a profoundly negative effect on our progress. Finally, after arriving at the cabin, we unpacked and settled in.

The next day we drove through the mountains, and did a few short hikes to see a spectacular waterfall. We spent the afternoon checking out Gatlinburg and the evening in the hot tub looking at the mountains. The next couple of days included a visit to Anakeesta, which is a cool mountain-top amusement park, which the boys absolutely loved, a hike through an abandoned town, some more waterfall hikes, a couple of rides on the longest Alpine Coaster in the USA, and a great hike to a mountain-top lookout spot on the final day. It was an excellent way to spend Spring Break, and if you haven’t been, put it on your list. There’s a reason it’s the most visited National Park!