We recently experienced our very first big family road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains (with toddlers)! When choosing a destination, I thought the Smoky Mountains would be a great escape from reality (especially in the year of COVID, 2020). We were not disappointed! I’m excited to share the finer details of our trip with you today.
Because there is so much information to share, I’ve broken my “Family Road Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains” posts down so it’s easier to get to the information you’re really interested in instead of sifting through a massive amount of content.
Here are the other posts related to our Great Smoky Mountain Family trip:
- 6 Favorite Experiences from Our First Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains
- Travel Essentials for Toddlers – Build a Travel Bin!
Great Smoky Mountains Family Road Trip Preparation
Planning Your Route
One of the first things I considered and planned for our trip to the Smoky Mountains was the route in which we’d take to get there. We live in Iowa, so I knew we’d obviously be heading southeast and it would be a 14-hour drive (without stops). But then it occurred to me that we have friends and family out in Illinois and in Ohio. Hmmmm…
With a quick search for directions comparing the most direct route and the one using an alternate route to stop and see people along the way, I quickly realized we weren’t giving up more than about 15 minutes. That’s it! From there, it was a no brainer to include these stops as part of our journey in getting to the Great Smoky Mountains.
I am so glad I thought to do this! It was so wonderful to see friends and family that we don’t get to see often enough. It also saved us a nice chunk of change in lodging and eating expenses because both parties treated us oh so well! You know who you are, and we can’t thank you enough! 😘
My First Tip for Planning a Road Trip
Consider who you know along the way (or a different, but similar-length route) that you could stop to visit, and potentially stay with for a night. The journey is half the fun, people!
I’d encourage you to let the “we just have to get there” mentality go because it was seriously so great to spend a bit of time with our loved ones in their homes. They really enjoyed the visit, too (I’m pretty sure🤔)! Don’t overlook this opportunity. It will also allow you to break up the drive, which is great to do when you have littles in tow.
We left at 12:45pm on a Friday and got to our destination at about 5:30pm that evening. Saturday was our big driving day. We had six hours of driving time between Illinois and Ohio. We left around 11 am and arrived at our destination around 5:30 pm (there’s a time change in here, ps). On Sunday, we had about five hours of driving ahead of us. I think we left around 9am, and got to our campground around 3pm.
All of these were easy drives with our two small kiddos (who are 3 1/2 and 1 1/2). We stopped one time each day (maybe twice on the long day) for lunch or to gas up. The kids did surprisingly well for their first big road trip. You can read about the Travel Bins I put together to keep them entertained on the road here (coming soon!).
Building an Itinerary
I spent a significant amount of time on Pinterest leading up to our family road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains (click here to see my board to learn more yourself!). I knew realistically we wouldn’t be able to “do it all” with two little ones in tow, so I kept my expectations low. My main goals for this trip were simply to be fully present and enjoy quality time as a family of four in nature.
Since I also knew there would be precautions being taken for COVID-19, I didn’t seek out many of the “touristy” things to do. First, those aren’t things we wanted to spend time or money on since our kiddos wouldn’t be able to participate in many things at this stage. I also wanted to avoid dealing with COVID restrictions and stress as much as possible.
Second, I knew it would be more enjoyable to be able to go at our own pace when exploring the area. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park serves as an excellent destination for this. We were rarely among crowds, which eased our minds, and anything we wanted to do was at our leisure. No time restraints, schedules, limited seating, etc.
Another key fact to note about taking a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is that it’s one of the only FREE National Parks in the U.S. What a perk and savings for families, huh?!
Our Great Smoky Mountain Family Trip Itinerary
You’ll find a brief summary of our trip itinerary below. Please note, this is laid out in hindsight. Leading up to the trip, I only had detailed plans for the first few days. I started a bucket list for our trip as I was researching and pinning. I then created a loose itinerary for each day based on what I knew we’d want to see and do.
Due to weather and new knowledge that we learned once we got there, we made adjustments and switched things around as needed.
Side Note: I remembered about fifty miles from our house that I didn’t send myself the bucket list/itinerary I’d created! I almost had a meltdown (hello, type A).😅 But, I remembered so much and knew I could always hop on Pinterest to find things again. When we got back, I reviewed that bucket list. We’d actually done everything on it but a few things! Moral of the story, don’t over-plan because something will go awry anyway!
I’ll also note and suggest that you leave your return trip unplanned until you get further into your trip. This adds a little spontaneity and something to look forward to on the way back home!
What our Family Road Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains Looked like:
- Friday – Half-day drive to Peoria, IL, stay with friends
- Saturday – 6-hour drive to Amelia, OH, stay with family
- Sunday – Half-day drive to Campground, Cosby, TN; get settled at Campground
- Monday – Get Groceries, get acquainted with Gatlinburg area, Drive to Clingman’s Dome
- Tuesday – Explore GSMNP, Drive/Explore Newfound Gap Road, Hike Appalachian Trail, Explore Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Drive Blue Ridge Parkway
- Wednesday – Drive to Cade’s Cove, Picnic, Clingman’s Dome (again), Movie at Campground/Laundry Day/Fire and Cookout
- Thursday – Check-out of Campground, Ripley’s Aquarium, Roaring Forks Motor Tour, Pigeon Forge for Dixie Stampede; stay overnight in Pigeon Forge
- Friday – Laural Falls Hike, Cades Cove Motor Tour, begin drive home, overnight in Evansville, IN
- Saturday – Drive Home, get home at 7pm
Lodging in the Great Smoky Mountains
As already mentioned, we stayed with family and friends on the way out to the Smoky Mountains. Therefore, we only needed lodging for the time actually spent in the Smoky Mountains and for our return trip.
We did consider going home the way we came, to revisit the same people we stayed with on the way out. But, we ultimately decided to take another route home, go at our own pace, and get home in just two days instead of three.
Lodging Options in The Smoky Mountains
I did quite a bit of research to sift through the crazy amount of lodging options in preparation for our trip. There’s no shortage of lodging from a quantity standpoint. There’s also a great variety of ways you can stay in the Smoky Mountains.
You can completely rough it – doing back-country hiking and camping (you need a permit for this, I believe). There are a few actual campgrounds located in GSMNP. We drove through two of them, and they are really nice!
And, of course, there are campgrounds galore in the surrounding areas of the GSMNP, such as in Gatlinburg, Cosby, Pigeon Forge, etc. You might also consider staying on the North Carolina side.
You can even rent an RV to travel around and stay wherever you’d like on your journey (we saw quite a few of these RVs on our trip). If you need an alternate camping experience, you can camp in yurts or teepees. There is also an astonishing amount of cabin rentals and AirBnB options.
Our Trip Lodging
I definitely wanted a “camping” experience for this trip. I looked at a couple of cabin rental options, but we ended up renting a camper that is set up permanently at a campground. We stayed at Imagination Mountain Campground Resort! It’s a really cool little campground that is surrounded by a creek; nearly every site backs up to the creek.
Our campground was technically located in Cosby, TN, which is about 12 miles NE of Gatlinburg. This property also backs up to the GSMNP, and even has a couple of access points to trails at the campground! When we were there, it wasn’t jam-packed (mid-September). We were right in between the busy summer and fall seasons, so it was fairly quiet.
There is a gift shop and ice cream parlor on-site, as well as a playground, laundry room, movie area, mini-golf, pool, and many other amenities. Imagination Mountain is definitely a family-focused campground resort.
Overall, we’d recommend staying here. There a variety of ways you can stay at Imagination Mountain – they have tent sites, yurts, cabins, and regular campsites. Our camper is the only rental available at this time.
Our camper was huge (a 38ft. fifth wheel), but was kind of a letdown for many reasons. We love the idea of renting a camper for trips in the future, but we’ll definitely know what questions to ask to make sure it’ll meet our needs better. This was definitely a great learning experience for us!
When Planning Your Lodging
I’d recommend focusing on what you know you need/want to make your trip more enjoyable. With two small kids, we knew we wanted plumbing, water, and electricity readily available to us. While we didn’t want to be in the hustle and bustle of Gatlinburg and other tourist areas, we were sure we didn’t want to be roughing it either. Renting a camper was a great in-between option for us. It was $105 per night, for those curious.
Other Notes Worth Mentioning for a Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains
Be Prepared to Drive
One thing I wasn’t really prepared for was just how much driving we would need to do to get to certain parts of the park, and just how much time it would take to get there. In hindsight, I probably would have chosen a campground a bit closer to Gatlinburg or on the other side of Gatlinburg, just so that we could get into the park quicker.
From our campsite, it took nearly half an hour (sometimes more) to get to the GSMNP entrance. Then it’s quite a jaunt getting to places like Clingman’s Dome, Cades Cove, Oconaluftee, etc. We couldn’t really avoid going through downtown Gatlinburg so that oftentimes held us up the most.
It took a bit for me to recognize that 12 miles in the GSMNP is not the same as 12 miles in Iowa! It takes much longer to get places because the roads are so windy and vary in elevation so much. It’s also well-traveled by other enthusiastic visitors.
We were in the car a lot during this trip. It worked well because our kids were so little, but this may not work for other families. The good news is that there are tons of opportunities to get out and do some hiking, picnicking, sight-seeing, which we took full advantage of and why we…
Always Pack a Picnic
Look, I’ll be the first to tell you that our first meal after four days of picnic meals and snacks was the most glorious meal I’d had in what felt like a lifetime. Eric and I both kept expressing to each other just how nice that meal was! haha
Anyway, always make sure you head out for the day with a cooler packed. It’s not only smart going into more deserted areas, but it will save you a ton of time and money! And, it’s actually pretty fun to scout out a great picnic spot along your drive, lay a blanket out or sit in the back of your car, and enjoy the views while you fill your belly!
Here are some ideas for easy, mess-free food to bring along:
- Turkey/Beef Sticks
- Crackers
- Peanut Butter and Graham Cracker sandwiches (a new favorite!)
- Cheese sticks
- Bananas/Apples/Grapes
- Fruit/Veggie Squeezies
- Pretzels
- Sandwiches – deli meat and cheese
- Raw Veggies – Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots, Snap Peas (and a little container of dip/ranch)
- Granola Bars
- We always have water bottles, but we also packed bottled water/juice/gatorade for a change
Make clean-up easy by packing extra grocery sacks for the trip and keep a package of baby wipes with you at all times, as well as hand sanitizer. The park has a “Leave No Trace” rule, so you’ll need to take everything with you that you bring in.
Always Pack Extra Layers
We forgot about this on our first trip up to Clingman’s Dome, but luckily we’d thrown some sweatshirts in the car before we set out. Always make sure you have clothing layers packed in your car or on your hike for everyone in your family. The temps really dip the further up you go, so it’s nice to have another layer to put on to stay comfortable.
Side Note: We didn’t have a Baby Hiking Carrier prior to going on this trip. We don’t do a lot of serious hiking in our everyday life. I kept an eye out on Facebook Marketplace and scored this carrier for $30. They are pretty expensive for a decent one, but they come in very handy on a trip like this. We used it every time we went out and G really loved it. Keep an eye on your buy, sell, trade sites!
We really enjoyed our family road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. I think we’ll go back again when the kids are older and we can do more challenging hikes together. We went in mid-September this time. I think I’d like to go later in the fall to see more fall foliage in the mountains. It’s breath-taking and so peaceful no matter when you go, though.
Have you been to the Great Smoky Mountains? What’s your best tip for traveling that area of the U.S.? Let me know in the comments!
To the Chaos!
-MG
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