We are taking a family vacation to this area this summer. When looking at VRBOs, it looks like the cabins with better views tend to be further out.

Since the area gets crowded in the summer, am I going to sit in crazy traffic on these two lane mountain roads trying to get in/out of town?

Any recommendations would be appreciated!

I cannot speak to the cabin locations, but I can say that traffic does get bad. We spent a day in Gatlinburg at Ober Mountain, then one night at TownePlace Suites in PF, and then one night at Dollywood.

I will say that I REALLY liked the TownePlace Suites. I thought the location was good, just off the main strip. There is a back road behind it that made it easier to get to dinner, etc. It is a newer hotel.

I do wish we had spent at least one more day in Gatlinburg, and then a day exploring PF. Ober Mountain was neat, but it did take all day.

I know I didn't help much other than to say traffic can be bad. I wish we hadn't rushed the trip as much as we did, but I booked last minute and didn't want to pay some of the sky high prices.

Summer time is super packed. Depending on how much time you want to spend in the cities it may be worth compromising on the view for convenience.

We prefer to have a view and don't spend as much time in town on our family vacations so I'd opt to stay outside and deal with the traffic the 1-2x we'd go in.

I've also had better luck with housing providers like StayHVN & Vacasa in the SMNP area. We've stayed in some great properties!

Happy to answer any questions.

We stayed in Townsend back in 2019 in June and loved it. Only went to Gatlinburg once and Dollywood and realized it was way better outside town. Traffic wasn't bad until we got to Gatlinburg. We could access the park still through an entrance near Townsend. We really enjoyed it and would definitely do this again.

We were there in October 2024 for Aggie game vs Vols. We stayed in a beautiful cabin in Severveville. It was a good 45 minutes to Knoxville. The traffic was very thick at times in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. I've heard the summers are worse. Keep in mind that the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in the country by a mile. We did enjoy Dollywood. It reminded me of the way Six Flags used to be back in the 80s.

JT05 said:

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We stayed in Townsend back in 2019 in June and loved it. Only went to Gatlinburg once and Dollywood and realized it was way better outside town. Traffic wasn't bad until we got to Gatlinburg. We could access the park still through an entrance near Townsend. We really enjoyed it and would definitely do this again.

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Stayed in Townsend a few years ago. Loved it. Had a cabin on the river. Townsend is like the New Braunfels of Tennessee. Lots of tubing on the river.

Go to Dollywood if you have kids. Otherwise, stay out of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

We stayed at the Bearskin Lodge in Gatlinburg. It is a block off the strip and on the river. It is the closest hotel to the park entrance, and there is a trail from it to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. I would recommend it. You don't have to fight the traffic to get into the park, and you can still walk to restaurants. It is next to The Peddler Steakhouse, which we liked.

The next time when we go back, we will probably concentrate on the NC side and rent a cabin around Nantahala. My bucket list goal is to hike up to Mt, LeConte and stay in the lodge for a couple of nights.

GSMNP is one of my faves.

We did GSMNP in April 2023 and stayed in Townsend instead of the tourist trap hell that is Gatlinburg.

Townsend has easy access into cades cove for early morning bear watching.

We stayed at Little Arrow Outdoor resort in our camper, but they have houses and cabins to rent as well.

Our family of five (three teen kids) just got back from there. We stayed in a VRBO nearest to Pittman Center, back behind Bent Creek golf course. The traffic wasn't bad at all getting back and forth, but once in Gatlinburg it was nuts. On Saturday and Sunday you could walk faster than driving through the main drag, which is really the only route. Monday morning wasn't even much better.

I'd suggest staying out in a cabin in the mountains. You'll appreciate the peace, calm, space, and views after the crowded madness. Plus, I made breakfast each morning and avoided standing in line for 1 hour plus for pancakes or whatever.

Granted, the people working the venues said it's referred to as "hell week" between Christmas and New Years, so we unfortunately saw the extreme.

I'm going to suggest something different. Find a cabin in the deep creek area on the North Carolina side, close to Cherokee. We've been to the area 3 times now, the most recent last summer. This last summer we did stay closer to Gatlinburg/PF because of the younger kids (1st time had no kids, 2nd time just had an 18 month old) and it's a beating. I just hate people and touristy nonsense. We came to the mountains for the mountains and white water rafting, not shopping and crowds of oblivious idiots.

Deep creek area was wonderful with a very short drive to trail heads to waterfalls and some great hikes.

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In my experience around that area, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are the necessary evils to visiting GSMNP, and we have wanted to be well outside of town.

Perhaps it's our own personal sensibilities that are really turned off by excessive kitsch, junky souvenir shops, and wall-to-wall people, but we have spent as little time as possible in those towns. I know it sounds harsh, but we really had a sense that many of the people packing Gatlinburg are there more for cheap entertainment than for enjoyment of the natural beauty surrounding them.

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This. I knew to expect kitsch, but driving from GSMNP into town for the first time will smack you in the face with how obnoxious and over the top it is. It's like the final boss of tourist traps. If you're there for nature, stay outside of town - somewhere like Maggie Valley or Cherokee to avoid the congestion and spectacle of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. You can brave it once for lunch or to hit the aquarium, but the beauty of nature is going to outshine anything you'll find at Ripley's. Believe it or not...

Parkside Resort is nice. Easy to get to Pigeon Forge.

In terms of things to do, Gatlinburg is much better. (other than Dollywood)

Look at the NC side of the park if you're looking to avoid Gatlin/PF. I have a 2/2 Airbnb cabin in Bryson City that is ~25 min to the Cherokee entrance. Much more mellow atmosphere, a few good food options, a decent brewery in town, and tons of access to outdoor activities without the over commercialized crush of PF/Gatlin.

We were also in the area in October of 24. Park was beautiful. Too many people in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for our liking. We only did two hours in Gatlinburg because of the crowds and then left.
Loved Dollyworld. Kids would go back if we could.

Stayed in a great cabin up in the hills called Robin's Nest. Would stay there again too, and avoid the towns.