In March 2026, we visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park for spring break. This was our first national park visit as a family of 5 and it is just the beginning. And I know March is not their high season, so I was worried for a minute that I was not going at the right time. But we enjoyed the weather; we saw as low as mid-20s and as high as mid-70s. This made packing a little tricky for us Floridians, but my kids got to see snow for the first time so that was a highlight of the trip.
There were also a lot of visitors there, many I’m sure on their spring break as well. So, I can only imagine what the park looks like during peak season. I learned on this trip that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country. In 2025, it saw 11.5 million visitors, which is more than double the number of the second most visited national park (Zion at 5 million).
We were there for 4 full days (not including travel days) and there was plenty to keep us busy. We drove Cade’s Cove Loop, stood on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, and became Junior Rangers. There were a few things though that I would have wanted to do but they were closed down either because of the time of year (sounds like a few things open back up in April) or construction. The Kuwohi observation tower for example was not open this time of year and I know that is a popular spot for people to visit.
We still had a great time though and I did not leave feeling like I missed out anything. So, let’s jump into the details.
Where to Stay?
Our home base was in Gatlinburg and that worked great for us. We stayed at the Embassy Suites for 3 nights and Margaritaville for 2 nights. While Margaritaville was convenient for walking down the main street in Gatlinburg, I preferred the Embassy Suites and would recommend to any family looking for a hotel in Gatlinburg. You can check out my separate post that compares Embassy Suites to Margaritaville to get all the details.
If you’re debating between staying in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, my personal preference is Gatlinburg. Pigeon Forge had lots of activities for families, and we did make our way over there, but it felt like International Drive in Orlando. Downtown Gatlinburg also gets very busy, don’t get me wrong, but it is smaller and I like the feel of the town more. And what I loved about the Embassy Suites is that it is off the main road, so it was quiet and peaceful, but it was close enough to downtown that you could walk or take the free shuttle. The pictures below are all from the Embassy Suites.
If we were to go back though, I would love to get a cabin in Townsend. We drove through Townsend one time on our way from Gatlinburg to Cade’s Cove Loop and it was quiet and had the cutest restaurants that looked very family friendly. I also saw Little Arrow Outdoor Resort and it is so cute. Their accommodation options include RVs, cabins, and tiny homes.
Hotel Recommendation: Embassy Suites in Gatlinburg
- Price: $130 – $300; Peak season would fall in the $250 – $300 range. Hilton has the shop by price feature and you can see what the cost is by day. This is great if you are flexible on when you travel and want to plan based on the cost.
RV/Cabin Recommendation: Little Arrow Outdoor Resort in Townsend and they have various accommodations. You can bring your own RV or they have an Airstream, glamping tent, cabins, and homes.
- Price: $100 – $200; Prices range depending on what accommodation option you are choosing.
Sugarlands Visitor Center
Our first stop in GSNP was to Sugarlands Visitor Center. While this national park is free to visit, you do need a parking pass to be able to park anywhere in the park. There are multiple kiosks outside of the visitor center where you can purchase a parking pass. It was quick and easy to do. I believe you can also purchase your pass online so if you prefer to do that ahead of time, I would look into that. The cost for a pass is $5/day or $15/week.
The visitor center opens at 9am and we got there at 9am. And I am so happy that we did because it fills up very quickly. On our first visit to the visitor center, we purchased a parking pass, picked up a junior ranger packet (in this park, the packet does cost $4.50 but you only complete one packet for the whole family), and hiked to Cataract Falls.
We had to come back to the visitor center a second time to turn in our junior ranger packet and what a great experience that was. The person who we turned the packet in to was so nice! He asked the kids questions about the park, gave us fun facts and information, and even showed us some of his own photos of cool things he discovered in the park.
Cataract Falls Hike
I highly recommend the hike to Cataract Falls from the Sugarlands Visitor Center with kids. You can park in the visitor center parking lot and then the trailhead is right next to it. The hike is only 0.7 miles, so it was a perfect starter hike for us to do with the kids. My 3-year-old ended up wanting to be carried most of it so I can confirm that even when you are carrying a child, it is a hike that can be done by the whole family. I did see people pushing strollers on this trail. I personally would not have wanted to bring a stroller on that trail. I would recommend wearing your baby instead if you are able to.
The trail had plenty of people, but it never felt overcrowded. We took our time and stopped along the way.
It was cold for us that morning, it was in the 30s, maybe 40 by the time we started walking to the falls. For my kids, that is very cold. I brought plenty of warm clothes and they were bundled up but a very nice person that we met on the trail also gave the kids hand warmers. I wish I had thought of that! So, if you are hiking on a chilly morning like us, consider hand warmers.
We made it to Cataract Falls and it was pretty. We do not have waterfalls like this in Florida, so it was fun for my kids to see.
Cade's Cove
After our hike to Cataract Falls, we took a right out of the parking lot of the visitor center and made our way to Cade’s Cove. This road will take you all the way to Cade’s Cove loop. We loved the drive to Cade’s Cove and made so many stops along the way but I will cover that in the next section. One thing I heard from people about Cade’s Cove is to make sure you get there early or it will take you hours to do. By the time we got to Cade’s Cove, it was midday and I was nervous about how it was going to go because once you are on the loop, there is no getting off. The loop ended up only taking us a little over an hour though and that was with stopping twice to get out and walk around.
We arrived at Cade’s Cove around noon and were ready for lunch. We picked up sandwiches from Old Dad’s General Store in Gatlinburg that morning, knowing that we would be out in the park somewhere come lunchtime. They have fresh sandwiches that are already made so you can quickly pick them up and hit the road. That is exactly what we were looking for. Just before you get on the loop is Cade’s Cove Picnic Area. This is where we stopped and had lunch at one of the picnic tables. It was a great spot for lunch. There is a creek right there and my kids loved exploring it after lunch. My oldest walked across a log that was going a across the creek and was very proud of himself. There are also restrooms here, which was nice to have that option before we got on the loop.
After lunch, we got in the car and started driving the loop. The views on this road are so pretty and peaceful. I loved it. I was told in the spring (April and May) the wildflowers in Cade’s Cove are beautiful and I believe it. I can only imagine what those fields would look like filled with flowers, I would love to see it.
We pulled over in one spot to get out and let the kids run. As a Floridian who barely sees a hill, watching my kids run down this path with the mountains in the background was a memory that will stick with me forever.
After that, we also stopped at one of the old cabins. That was cool to see, the kids liked exploring it. It also had a creek in the back so of course, we made our way over there to explore that as well.
Those were the only two stops we made along the way but there are so many more areas that you could pull over if you wanted to. And we saw families pulling over and having picnics.
Abrams Falls is about halfway through the loop and looked like it was a popular hike. We did not do that one with the kids but had it just been me and my husband, I would have wanted to do that.
Another day on our trip, we ended up coming back to Cade’s Cove Picnic Area for lunch and we walked down Anthony Creek Trail afterwards. The trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot. The full trail I read is a moderate hike and 3.5 miles. It sounded like the first 1-2 miles were kid friendly, so we decided to walk and see how far we made it. We made it less than a mile, which was fine for us this time. It was a nice, easy walk and there was a spot where we could stop and enjoy the creek (you may be sensing a pattern here that we always gravitate towards any creek).
I would definitely recommend Cade’s Cove and in our experience, and I’m sure it being March versus the summer was a big part of this, getting there in the middle of the day was just fine.
Stops Along the Way to Cade’s Cove
One of our favorite parts of the trip was finding spots to pull over and explore on the road from Sugarlands Visitor Center to Cade’s Cove. We went down by the river and skipped rocks, found a beautiful waterfall to see, walked across giant rocks, and walked along the river seeing what adventure we would find next. Make sure you allow yourself time to get out explore either on the way to or from Cade’s Cove. As you’re driving, there will be a spot to pull over here and there and we just stopped at those. Don’t forget, you must have a parking pass to do so.
Newfound Gap Road
We ended up doing a Pink Jeep Tour up Newfound Gap Road and had a great time. But you don’t need to, it is easy to find from Gatlinburg, and you can drive it all the way up and to where you can get a picture on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. There are so many stops along the way, and I encourage you to stop at as many as you want to. The views from some of these stops were just incredible. And this is where we saw snow. The further up you go, the colder it gets compared to the temperature in Gatlinburg. So, while Gatlinburg did not have snow at all on our trip, once we got to a certain elevation on Newfound Gap Road, there was still snow.
The sign with the border of Tennessee and North Carolina is in a fairly big parking lot. You can’t miss it. There was snow here as well and the boys got out to make snowballs and a mini snowman. And the Appalachian Trail runs through here, so we walked down it a little bit. This spot also has restrooms so keep that in mind. It’s a perfect spot to get some great pictures and have a bathroom break. Parking is hard to find though (we were there probably around 2 or 3). So it may take you a little bit to find parking. I’m sure the earlier you get there, the easier it will be to find.
After that stop, our Pink Jeep Tour took us to an offroad course that they had built behind Dollywood. The kids LOVED this. The reason I ended up booking the Pink Jeep Tour was because for my 30th birthday, we stayed in Sedona and did the PJT there and I can’t recommend it enough. My siblings and our spouses had a blast (this was before kids for me). So, for this trip, I was turning 40 in two weeks, so when I saw they do PJT there, I had to book one. It was different than Sedona in that the Sedona one is off roading the whole time. It is taking you to places and doing things that you would not be able to do yourself. With the Smoky Mountains PJT, it was taking you on a tour that you could really do on your own (except for the off roading at the end). What I did love about it (outside of the off roading at the end), was having someone drive and navigate for us who already knew the best stops to pull over at and someone who got family photos for us. Getting family photos on a trip can be hard so having a photographer ready to take one was SO nice and we now have the best pictures from our trip.
Our Itinerary While We Were Here
Day 1
- Breakfast at the hotel (Embassy Suites has free breakfast)
- It was very cold for us this morning, so we stayed at the hotel until about 11 and swam in the indoor pool
- Drove to Pigeon Forge for lunch
- Arrived for our Pink Jeep Tour to do Newfound Gap Road (this is in Pigeon Forge)
- Our Pink Jeep Tour started at 1 and was 3 hours
- After dinner we did Dolly Parton’s Pirate Voyage Dinner & Show (this was a huge hit with my kids)
- Went back to the hotel after a long day
Day 2
- Left the hotel around 8:30ish and picked up our picnic items from Old Dad’s General Store for lunch
- Arrived at Sugarlands Visitor Center at 9am and we purchased our parking pass and junior ranger packet
- Hiked to Cataract Falls
- Started our drive to Cade’s Cove Loop
- We stopped at a few of the pullovers along the way
- About 12pm, we arrived at Cade’s Cove Picnic area and we had lunch there (picnic tables, restrooms, and a creek for the boys to explore)
- Drove Cade’s Cove Loop and made two stops along the way
- Went back to the hotel after to swim and relax by the fire pits
Day 3
- We had to check out of the Embassy Suites this day and move to Margaritavilla. So we packed up that morning after breakfast and drove to the new hotel
- Checked in to Margaritaville but our room was not ready yet, so we walked down the main street in Gatlinburg (this hotel was so convenient for doing that)
- Went to Coffee & Company to get coffee and that was good, it is in The Village
- Ate at Pancake Pantry; there was a line to get in so that initially made me not want to go there. But when checking in, the woman behind the counter said the line goes fast. We ended up giving it a shot and it did go pretty quick. It was really good and considering all the pancake houses in this area, we had to try one on our trip. I believe she said that it has been around 60 years.
- Did some shopping at the stores and let the kids pick out a souvenir
- Checked in to the hotel
- Went to Anakeesta and I cannot recommend this enough. I absolutely loved it there! I wanted to be up there for the sunset, and it did not disappoint. Our arrival time was 2-4 and that worked great. We were up there for about 5 hours I believe. There is so much to do up there. I write about Anakeesta in more detail in my Gatlinburg post
Day 4
- Had breakfast at the hotel (not included here) and then went to Old Dad’s General Store to get food for a picnic again
- Drove to Sugarlands Visitor Center to turn in our junior ranger packet
- The boys became Junior Rangers 😊
- Drove down to Cade’s Cove again, stopping at new stops along the way. We also turned at the intersection to Townsend. We drove through Townsend and I ended up falling in love with this area. I wish we did not have a picnic with us because I wanted to stop at the restaurant options they had there. Check out Peaceful Side Social, Company Distilling, or Burger Master if you are in the area. They all looked very kid friendly.
- Drove to the Cade’s Cove Picnic Area and had lunch
- Hiked down Anthony Creek Trail as far as we could make it before we turned around
- Went back to the hotel to swim
- Had dinner in Gatlinburg. We ate at No Way Jose’s Cantina because it’s right next to Margaritaville, but I do not recommend it. My husband and I love Mexican restaurants, and the food and drinks were both not good.
Overall Feedback & FAQs
Overall, getting to go to Great Smoky Mountains National Park was a wonderful spring break trip and I’m so glad we did it! We drove Cade’s Cove Loop, stood on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, saw snow (my kids first time), had picnics, became junior rangers, and did some light hiking. But really one of our favorite things was stopping at any of the pull overs they have on the side of the road and exploring.
For bear sightings, my husband and two older sons saw a bear at our hotel. I never saw one but honestly for us, a bear sighting was not a top priority. We have black bears back home (in fact, they come through our backyard sometimes) so we have seen them several times before. But I did love hearing the stories and how excited some of the other tourists would get over seeing the bears.
- Where did you get a parking pass? We got ours at Sugarlands Visitor Center, but I believe you can buy online ahead of time if you prefer to
- How much is a parking pass? $5 day per day or $15 per week
- Was it busy in March? Yes, it was busy, but it didn’t feel too bad. The crowds never stopped us from doing what we wanted to. But this was not peak season, so I don’t know what summer looks like there.
- Did you like March in Great Smoky Mountains? Yes, I did. I loved the cooler temperatures (but we also saw mid 70s on our trip) and getting to see snow. The waterfalls were even more beautiful this time of year from the snow melting and I was told that some of the ones we saw were not normally there. They were only visible then because of the snow melting.
- Where did you get a junior ranger packet? At the Sugarlands Visitor Center
- How much is the junior ranger packet? $4.50
- Where did you return the junior ranger packet once completed? Back at Sugarlands Visitor Center but you can turn it into any of the visitor centers
- How long did it take you to drive Cade’s Cove Loop? Just over an hour and that was with two stops along the way (from what I hear, I don’t think it’s this quick in the summer unless you go early)
- Was Cade’s Cove worth the drive? In my opinion, absolutely.
- Where did you stay? We stayed in Gatlinburg as our home base and it is a convenient home base for our exploring the national park. I recommend the Embassy Suites.
- What kid friendly hikes did you do? Cataract Falls at Sugarlands Visitor Center and Anthony Creek Trail at Cade’s Cove Picnic Area. I read that Anthony Creek Trail is kid friendly for the first 1 or 2 miles and that was true in our experience. We did not quite make it a mile before we turned back. There were others I wanted to do but were not open.