Cherokee Lodge Rentals

Cherokee puts you at the Oconaluftee entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Museum of the Cherokee People. It suits visitors who want the North Carolina side, with fewer crowds than the Gatlinburg corridor, and it is a good base for Maggie Valley and Bryson City day trips. Gatlinburg is a drive of roughly an hour or more over Newfound Gap Road, which can close for ice or snow in winter.

• Find a real office and a phone number. A legitimate company lists a local address and answers during business hours.
• Ask who holds your deposit and who handles problems after hours.
• Match the photos to the address. Ask for the exact address or road so you can find it on a map.
• Read recent reviews on more than one site, not only the company's own page.

• Driveway and road grade. Many Smokies cabins are up steep, narrow, sometimes gravel roads, and winter ice can strand a two-wheel-drive car at the bottom. Ask about the access road before you book anything from December through March.
• Hot tub, pool and game room details. Confirm whether the hot tub is private, whether "pool access" means a shared seasonal pool, and whether the game room is a pool table or a full arcade.
• Pet rules. Pet-friendly cabins usually carry a fee and a limit on number or size. Get the policy in writing before you bring a dog.
• Minimum stays. Fall color weekends, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's often carry a multi-night minimum, and Winterfest weeks fill early.
• Cancellation and weather policy. Ask how a road closure or park closure affects your reservation, and whether travel insurance is offered.
• Distance to what you came for. Cherokee is close to the Oconaluftee entrance but far from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge attractions. Confirm the drive time.

The map below shows nightly rates for lodging around Cherokee so you can compare for the same dates.