Bicycling In
The Great Smoky Mountains
National Park
There are no mountain biking trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A few graveled trails, the Gatlinburg Trail, the Oconaluftee River Trail, and the lower Deep Creek Trail are the only Park trails on which bicycles are allowed. Bicycles are prohibited on all other Park trails. For more extensive mountain biking opportunities, visit the Tsali Recreation Area near Fontana Village, NC, or take a trip to Big South Fork National Recreation Area. Click Here for maps that you can download and print.
Bicycles can travel on most paved and gravel roads within the Park. However, due to steep terrain, winding narrow roads, and heavy automobile traffic, many Park roads are not well suited for safe and enjoyable bicycle riding.
Cades Cove Loop Road is an exception. This 11-mile, one-way road is an increasingly popular bicycling area. It provides bicyclists with excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing and touring 19th century homesites. During summer and fall, bicycles and helmets may be rented at the Cades Cove store (located near Cades Cove Campground). The gravel roads of Sparks or Hyatt Lanes can be used to shorten the loop and to avoid the steepest hills. Helmets are strongly recommended. Drinking water and restrooms are found only at the beginning/ end of the loop and at the Cable Mill area, six miles into the loop. From May through September, the Loop Road is closed to motorized vehicle traffic Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 10:00 a.m. to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to enjoy the cove. For information call (865) 448-9034.
Other areas suitable for bicyclists include Greenbrier and Tremont roads in Tennessee, and Lakeview Drive and Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina. Cyclists may also traverse unfinished portions of the Foothills Parkway in Tennessee. Click Here for maps that you can download and print.
Safety is always a major concern where cars and bicycles must share the road. The State of Tennessee requires that children age 16 and under wear a helmet. It is strongly recommended that all riders wear helmets, use rear view mirrors, and ride properly fitted and well-maintained bicycles. Cyclists must obey road signs and traffic laws and should walk their bicycles on particularly steep and curvy hills.
Mountain biking trails are open on National Forest and Recreation lands outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For information on mountain biking in these areas, Click Here for maps that you can download and print, or contact the following offices:
- Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area: (423) 286-7275
- Chattahoochee National Forest: (770) 297-3000
- Cherokee National Forest: (423) 476-9700
- Mount Rogers National Recreation Area: (800) 628-7207
- Nantahala National Forest: (828) 257-4200
- Pisgah National Forest: (828) 257-4200
- Tsali Recreation Area: (828) 257-4200
