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Smokies Weekend Itinerary

A look at how things don't always go as planned.

Smokies Weekend Itinerary
A collage of my trip to the Smokies!

I visited the Great Smoky Mountains for the first time ever in late May and this was my itinerary for the trip. You'll see what I had originally planned on the left and what actually happened on the right. Most things didn't go as planned but the trip was just as adventurous and fun as I hoped it'd be.

I know planning camping trips can be daunting especially if you've never done it before or just aren't the type to plan. So if you're thinking of going to the Smokies and need a starting point for your own trip, I think my itinerary (either one) is a pretty solid one to go off of.

Day Original Plan What actually Happened...
Day 1

7am - Depart for Smoky Mountain National Park (from Charlotte)
11am - Hike Charlies Bunion via Appalachian Trail (8mi, 1,886ft el gain)
4pm - Head to Smokemont Campground 🏕️
4:30pm - Set up camp, walk around campground, make dinner, eat, relax
8:30pm - Go to sleep

7am - Depart for Smoky Mountain National Park (from Charlotte)
11am - Hike Charlies Bunion via Appalachian Trail (8mi, 1,886ft el gain), took longer than expected because I stopped to take a lot of photos 📸
4:30pm - Head to Smokemont Campground
5pm - Set up camp, make dinner, eat🍴, get water, clean up
7:30pm - Hammocked (journal and read)
8:30pm - Fall asleep in hammock🌌
9pm - Stumble back to tent to sleep 🥱
Day 2

5:45am - Wake up 🌄, eat breakfast, get ready
6:30am - Drive to trailhead
7am - Hike Myrtle Point & Mount Le Conte via Alum Cave Trail (13mi, 3,097ft el gain)
3pm - Head back to campground, stop by Ben Morton Overlook, and pull out at the bridge area
4pm - Relax, make dinner, eat, hammock, read 📖
8:30pm - Go to sleep

6am - Wake up, eat breakfast, get ready
7:30am - Drive to trailhead (I’ve found that this place is busy even on a weekday so it’s important to show up early or just leave on schedule 🙄. Snagged the last spot around 8am)
8am - Hike Myrtle Point & Mount Le Conte via Alum Cave Trail (13mi, 3,097ft el gain)Hiked to Alum Cave and had to turn around because people were doing trail maintenance 😞
12:30pm - Head to Gatlinburg (paid $5 for parking at a church, saw some cool things, ate yummy donuts at the Donut Friar)🍩
3:30pm - Find a swim spot along the way back
4pm - Swim in the West Prong Little Pigeon River 👙 then drive back to campground
6pm - Make dinner, eat, take pictures of an elk walking through the campground 😱
8:30pm - Go to sleep
Day 3

7:45am - Wake up, pack up 🎒
8:30am - Head to Mabel’s Kitchen and eat breakfast, check out nearby stores (9:30am Above and Beyond Outlet, 10am Village Leather, 10am Great Smokies Gifts)
11am - Eat at Funnel Cakes Ice Cream Station 🍦
11:15am - Explore the rest of Cherokee (Fudge Store, Beef Jerky Outlet, Southern Charm etc.)
1pm - Head home
4:30pm - Arrive back at apartment

8am - Wake up, pack up
9:30am - Head to Mabel’s Kitchen for breakfast sandwiches (highly recommend) 😋
10:45am - Explore the rest of Cherokee (Fudge Store, Beef Jerky Outlet, Southern Charm etc.), got a caramel apple 🍏, honestly the town seemed kind of dead
12pm - Head home, stop at Gastonia for ice cream and fries
4:30pm - Arrive back at apartment 😴
Another, less chaotic, collage of my time in the Smokies!

I was disappointed we couldn't hike the entire trail to Myrtle Point and Mount Le Conte because I knew it was going to be an epic hike. But if it weren't for the trail maintenance, I wouldn't have seen Gatlinburg, ate a couple freaking delicious donuts, and go for a swim in the river.

The swim on day 2 was a top trip highlight for me. It was so refreshing and the area I was swimming in was so beautiful. The water was super clear, the weather was perfect, there were big rocks to rest on, and the surrounding green nature made the it feel like I was in an oasis of some kind.

The elk that walked through the campground was also a super unexpected occurrence. It was probably normal for the elk though because she seemed super unbothered as she grazed, even with people watching her. That moment was so surreal and also a highlight of the trip.

I hope you get the chance to visit Smoky National Park if you haven’t already because it’s an absolutely breathtaking place. Make sure to look at the National Park Service website for information about fees and warnings before your visit. I had to pay and print out a parking pass for my visit, despite me already having the Annual Pass.

If you don't have a camping trip planned this summer, you're doing summer wrong. It's good for you and worth taking time off for. Go to Rec.gov and fix that now!

Otherwise, happy almost summer! 🌞