The Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers walks and talks by park rangers from June through October. Park rangers talk about the wildlife and history of the Smoky Mountains National Park. The guided walks range from 0.25 mile to 5.0 miles. The Smokey's Guide can be obtained by calling (865) 436-7318.
The National Park Service maintains 800 miles of trails and more than 500,000 acres of land within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for walkers and hikers to enjoy; wildflowers, streams of water flowing over rocks, evergreens, the wonderful scent of pine, and the beautiful sounds of birds can all be found here. These are best seen and heard while enjoying your nature walk or hike as opposed to driving in a vehicle.
Choosing a trail can be a difficult task when considering the 150 trails located in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Consider how far you would like to hike and the scenery you would like to view. Some of the trails contain waterfalls, old-growth forests, endless views, log cabins, grist mills, and wildlife, or a combination of any of these. Remember, if you are a novice, a five mile round trip hike is a good distance.
The Rainbow Falls trail is a moderate 5.4 mile round trip hike, or you can do the easy 3.8 mile round-trip hike known as the Gatlinburg Trail. There is the 6.8 mile round trip hike to Shuckstack Tower. This is a medium to strenuous hike, with steep terrain and gorgeous views of the Unixoi, Snowbird, Nantahala, Blue Ridge and the Smoky Mountains. Be sure to choose to go on this hike on a clear day.
When you are ready to explore the trails located in the Great Smoky Mountains call the Back Country Information Office at (856) 436-1297 from 9 a.m. until noon (Eastern Standard Time), or visit http://www.nps.gow/grsm/planyourvisit/hiking.htm.
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