Best Full-Day & Long Hikes in the Smokies

The best full-day hikes in the Smokies include Mount LeConte by Alum Cave, Trillium Gap or Bullhead, Ramsey Cascades, Maddron Bald, Old Settlers and Bote Mountain, plus long corridors like the Appalachian Trail. Most gain 2,000 to 3,800 feet, so start before 8 a.m. Backcountry camping costs $8 per person per night.

These 16 hikes made the cut because they're substantive; not day-strolls padded to a list, but actual long routes with real mileage and real elevation. The shortest here, Bote Mountain Trail, still runs 6.9 miles with 2,000 feet of climbing. At the other end, the Bartram Trail covers 100 miles and requires multi-day planning or several return trips to complete.

A few practical things worth knowing before picking your route:

• Multi-trail systems like the Bartram, Benton MacKaye, and Appalachian Trail don't have a single trailhead. Each has distinct entry points with different parking situations, shuttle logistics, and permit requirements depending on where you stage.
• Parking tag: Any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs a tag ($5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year), bought at visitor centers, lot kiosks or recreation.gov. No national parks pass covers this fee.
• Bullhead Trail is closed Monday through Thursday until November 19, 2026 for rehabilitation and open Friday through Sunday. See the closures page for any other trail changes.
• Trailhead crowds peak from mid-May through October, especially at Ramsey Cascades, Trillium Gap, and Alum Cave. Arriving before 8am or on a weekday cuts the parking scramble.
• Weather at elevation runs colder and less predictable than valley readings suggest. Routes hitting Mount LeConte (Bullhead, Trillium Gap) can see clouds, wind, and temperatures well below freezing in shoulder months when Gatlinburg feels fine.

The trails split roughly into two categories: distance-focused routes where total mileage is the point (Old Settlers at 16 miles, Conasauga River at 13.5, the long AT corridor sections), and gain-focused routes where you're climbing hard for views or summits (Maddron Bald packs 3,000 feet into 7.1 miles; Bullhead pushes 3,800 feet into 13.8). Several manage both.

A few routes here sit outside GSMNP entirely. Panthertown Valley falls in Nantahala National Forest, the Conasauga River Trail in the Cohutta Wilderness, and the John Muir Trail runs along the Hiwassee River. The Park-It-Forward tag doesn't apply to those, though each has its own access rules and, in some cases, separate day-use fees.

Spring (late April through early June) brings peak wildflower bloom and high waterfall volume but also muddy conditions on lower trails. Fall color on the higher ridges peaks in mid-October. Some access roads close in winter, and upper trails can be icy from November through March.

Plan the rest of the trip with the hiking hub, the parking tag explainer, the fall color timing guide, Smokies itineraries and the events calendar.