Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Gatlinburg entrance is the most popular one because there are a lot of restaurants and tourist attractions in the nearby cities. It's also the closest entrance to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Due to its popularity, this entrance can get a bit congested during peak season, so you'll want to plan for travel delays.

To get to the Gatlinburg, Tennessee entrance, you'll take Highway I-40 to Exit 407 to TN-66 South. Continue straight at the Sevierville intersection following US-441 S through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge into the park.

The Townsend entrance is about 25 miles west of Gatlinburg and is a less-crowded alternative to the main entrance. It's also conveniently located near the Cades Cove Visitor Center, campground, and trail, so you can park your RV in the visitor center's parking lot while you hike Cades Cove Loop.

If you're coming from the north and want to enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the Townsend entrance, take Highway I-40 to Exit 386B in Knoxville to US-129 S toward Alcoa/Maryville. When you get to Maryville, go north on US-321 N/TN-73 E through Townsend and continue straight on TN-73 until you reach the park.

If you're coming from the south, take Highway I-75 to Exit 376 for I-140 E towards Oak Ridge/Maryville. When you reach Maryville, take Exit 367B to merge onto I-140 E, and then turn onto US-129 S at Exit 11A towards Alcoa. Turn onto TN-35 and follow it to US-321 N. Continue on US-321 N/TN-73 through Townsend until you reach the entrance to the park.

The last of the three main entrances is the Oconaluftee entrance in Cherokee, NC. This entrance is also much quieter than the Gatlinburg entrance and is close to park attractions like the Mountain Farm Museum, the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and the Oconaluftee River Trail, which is one of only two pet-friendly trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

If you're coming in from the north and want to use the Oconaluftee entrance, head down Highway I-40 to Exit 27 for US-74 W. Turn onto US-19, go through Maggie Valley to Cherokee, then turn onto US-441 N at Cherokee and continue straight until you reach the park entrance. If you're coming from the south, take US-441/US-23 N to Dillsboro, then merge onto US-74 W/US-441 N. Take Exit 74 to continue on US-441 and follow the road through Cherokee until you reach the park.