About Cosby Entrance Overlook
Cosby is the Smokies' quiet door. Most visitors take the Gatlinburg road, which leaves the Cosby entrance, on the park's northeast corner, to a different crowd: hikers headed for Albright Grove, anglers on Cosby Creek and families looking for a picnic table without a line.
The first view
Inside the entrance, a small pull-off less than half a mile along the Cosby road looks up the valley to the long, forested face of the park's main ridge. It is not a cinematic overlook. It is more of an orientation: you see the wide valley floor, the creek-side farms at the boundary, and the Smokies rising behind them. In October the hardwood color moves down the slopes, and in the morning, fog often lies in the valley and thins by 10 a.m.
Use it as a starting point
From here:
- Cosby Picnic Area is about 2 miles on, with a campground and restrooms, and a campground that closes for winter.
- Gabes Mountain and Albright Grove trailheads are within a short drive and are good ways to see old-growth forest without the Gatlinburg crowds. Albright Grove and other trails here are fine, but check the park's conditions page because Helene-damaged trails are listed there.
- Foothills Parkway East begins a few miles away, with a 6-mile open section from Cosby to I-40.
Getting there
Take TN-32 from I-40 exit 435 or from US-321 through Cosby. There is no direct park road from Gatlinburg; the drive around by Pigeon Forge and Newport takes roughly an hour. Plan on a 10-minute stop. A parking tag is needed if you stay longer than 15 minutes.
Good to know
- Do I need a parking tag?
- A Park It Forward parking tag ($5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year) is required for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Entry is free, and federal passes such as America the Beautiful do not replace the tag.