Great Smoky Mountains National Park & Bryson City NC Travel Guide
Known as the “Gateway to the Smokies,” Bryson City, NC is the perfect getaway for outdoor adventurers and nature lovers. This travel guide highlights where to stay, the best time to visit, and all the things to do when you explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Bryson City, NC!
Just about one hour west of Asheville and three hours north of Atlanta, you’ll find Bryson City, North Carolina–a small mountain town tucked against the southern edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Bryson City is a small town surrounded by an outdoor playground of majestic mountains, cascading waterfalls, a rushing river (perfect for whitewater rafting), the largest lake in western North Carolina and miles of hiking and biking trails.
It’s also just minutes from the Deep Creek and Oconaluftee entrances to the national park, making it easy to explore wildlife, historic homesteads and sweeping mountain views on the North Carolina side of the Smokies.
Start or end your days in the small, stroll-able downtown which is perched along the banks of the Tuckasegee River, and is home to local restaurants and breweries, bookstores, galleries, a fly fishing museum and excursion train and more.
In this Bryson City travel guide, you’ll find the best things to do, where to stay, and the best time to visit this charming smoky mountain getaway.
Check out Off the Eaten Path’s other North Carolina Travel guides as well as other National Park guides including Acadia National Park and the Utah National Parks!
Best time to visit Bryson City and Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open to visitors all year round. While there is no “best time” to visit Bryson City and the national park, each season has its own magic, benefits and drawbacks when it comes to things to do, weather, crowds and more.
With the leaves changing colors, fall is the most popular season to visit the national park, when the surrounding mountains transform into tiers of red, orange, and gold, making it prime time for scenic drives, camping and hikes.
Spring brings wildflowers and rushing waterfalls fed by winter snowmelt.
Summer offers warmer weather, making it perfect for rafting the Nantahala River, boating on Fontana Lake, and hiking shady trails.
Winter is the quietest season, with chilly temperatures, fewer crowds, the chance to see snow dusted peaks and ride Bryson City’s very own Polar Express.
Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the United States (with over 12 million visitors in 2019). And obviously, the best spots to stop in the most visited park is first on the list!
GSMNP offers a variety of attractions and activities including hiking, scenic drives, wildlife viewing (including black bears, white tailed deer, elk, and over 200 species of birds), camping, fly fishing, and horseback riding, as well as several picnic areas and preserved historical sites and historical structures and buildings.
Here are our top things to do in the Great Smokies:
- Go for a scenic drive on Newfound Gap Road. Newfound Gap Road bisects the park (connecting the North Carolina side to the Tennessee side of the park: with Bryson City and Cherokee, NC in the South and Gatlinburg, TN and Pigeon Forge, TN in the North) and gives your access to a variety of scenic overlooks and hiking trailheads.
- Try to spot some elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The elk graze in the pastures near the visitor center and mountain farm museum in the morning just after sunrise or in the evening just before sunset. You can then enjoy a 3 mile riverside stroll on the Oconaluftee River Trail, which is wheelchair, stroller and bicycle friendly, and one of the only pet friendly trails in the park.
- Explore the various areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers 522,427 acres and is divided into fourteen designated areas including:
- The historic Cades Cove area: the 6800 acre valley is known for its scenic 11 mile loop road, which is home to a visitor center, campground, riding stables, access to hiking trails, opportunities for wildlife viewing, and chances to explore the many historic homesites, cemeteries, and churches.
- The Deep Creek Area: ust north of Bryson City and west of Cherokee, North Carolina, is known for its many streams and waterfalls.
- Cataloochee Valley: Cataloochee is home to one of the park’s two main elk herds and preserves rich cultural history nestled in a valley surrounded by rising mountains. picnic area, two wooded campgrounds, scenic drives, and access to multiple trails.
- Hike Kuowhi, the highest point in GSMNP and one of the highest peaks in the Eastern United States. Kuowhi, formally known as Clingman’s Dome, is the Cherokee name for the mountain as it the highest point within the traditional Cherokee homeland.
- Speaking of hiking, there’s over 850 miles of trails in GSMNP, offering a variety of different lengths and difficulty levels for all types of hikers. Some of our favorite hikes in GSMNP are Mount LeConte and Alum Cave, Laurel Falls, Kuowhi, Mount Cammerer, Chimney Tops and the Road to Nowhere.
Take a scenic train ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.
Experience a new view of southwestern North Carolina by train!
The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad offers a variety of different scenic adventures and excursions (like the Nantahala Gorge Excursion which takes you into the gorge) that range from just a few hours to a full day.
And every winter, the train is transformed into the magical Polar Express for an hour and a half journey through the wilderness to the North Pole to visit Santa.
Walk the Road to Nowhere.
The Road to Nowhere is a road in Great Smoky National Park that, as its name says, ends nowhere.
It actually ends at a tunnel and if you want to explore more, you have to do it by foot!
The history of the Road to Nowhere is that in the 1930s and 1940s, Swain County North Carolina gave a lot of land to the federal government for the creation of Fontana Lake and GSMNP…and as part of that project the old highway was actually buried beneath Lake Fontana after it was dammed.
The government promised to build a new road to replace the one that was now sunk into the lake, but unfortunately an environmental issue halted construction and the road was never completed.
The scenic mountain highway takes you six miles into GSMNP and ends at the mouth of the tunnel. From there, you can walk through the tunnel to a number of hiking trails for you to explore.
Go for a hike
Beyond Great Smoky Mountains National Park (check out the hikes we love there above!) Bryson City will give you access to tons of other beautiful hiking trails in the Nantahala National Forest and off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
So basically, hiking options are limitless!
We really enjoyed the Tsali Mouse Branch loop trail in the Nantahala National Forest because it was dog friendly (the national park hiking trails don’t allow pets) and offered 8 pretty easy miles winding through fall’s changing leaves plus gave beautiful views of Fontana Lake.
Another great dog friendly hike we enjoyed was Waterrock Knob at milepost 451 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We really enjoyed the drive to the trailhead on the parkway and the views that we got on our way up and at the top!(If your looking for hikes off the Blue Ridge Parkway or closer to Asheville, North Carolina, check out this post featuring five romantic Asheville hikes!)
Another great dog friendly hike we enjoyed was Waterrock Knob at milepost 451 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We really enjoyed the drive to the trailhead on the parkway and the views that we got on our way up and at the top!
(If your looking for hikes off the Blue Ridge Parkway or closer to Asheville, North Carolina, check out this post featuring five romantic Asheville hikes!)
Ride the rapids.
Bryson City is home to the Nantahala River, which has become a popular spot for river rafting. The Nantahala is the headquarters for the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which is one of the largest outdoors outfitters in the country, and offers a variety of activities including whitewater rafting, kayaking, ziplining, mountain biking and stand up paddleboarding. Plus it has two riverfront restaurants and cabins along the Appalachian Trail!
Relax in the treetops.
While there are quite a few relaxation and spa options in and around Bryson City, we highly recommend booking a soak in Lakeview at Fontana’s Treetop Cabanas.
90 minutes in a hillside cabana with a beautiful view of Fontana Lake was a one-of-a-kind, totally unique experience for us. A signature soak includes soaking salts, bath products, towels, robes and music for 90 minutes. You can add additional amenities to the signature soak including a romance package with champagne and rose petals, a body mind renewal package with hair and face masks, or a calming CBD package.
Bonus: the cabanas are self-check in with no staff contact. And you can add an spa service on top of your cabana reservation.
Stroll through downtown Bryson City.
Downtown Bryson City is charming and super walkable, where you can pop into locally owned shops, galleries, cafes, breweries and restaurants. Key attractions downtown include the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, the Swain County Heritage Museum, the Appalachian Rivers Aquarium and the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians, as well as outdoors outfitters, art galleries and a walkable street art trail.
When you get hungry or thirsty, Bryson City is home to two local breweries, a winery, and a wide variety of restaurants serving up everything from diner food, deli sandwiches and barbecue to farm to table fine dining.
Explore Fontana Lake.
Fontana Lake is the largest lake in Western North Carolina, which gives visitors plenty to do and see on its waters: fishing, boating, kayaking, paddleboarding and swimming are all popular activities.
90% of Fontana Lake’s shoreline is protected by Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Nantahala National Forest and both offer beautiful hikes with dramatic overlooks of the water.
Where to Stay in Bryson City, NC
When we visited Bryson City, we rented a cabin through a local company (we loved this experience but you could totally get a cabin through AirBNB or VRBO too).
Our cabin was in Almond, North Carolina (about a 20 minute drive from downtown) and we loved having a place to call home for a few days and everything that came with it, including more privacy, a full kitchen (so we did a combination of cooking and dining out), a wrap around porch, fire pit and hot tub, and the space to spread out.
It’s so nice coming home after a long day of hiking, lighting a fire, pouring a glass of wine (or making a cocktail like an apple cider cocktail or a pumpkin old fashioned) and setting up a board game! (If you want to know our faves, check out this post all about fun board games for couples).
Often when you get to the more remote places of the state or in the mountains, Internet and cell service can be iffy…so I totally get being prepared before you go. Our cabin rental company offered an add on for WiFi that we opted not to do because we wanted to unplug for a few days…but we had pretty good cell service at our cabin and excellent cell service when we were hanging out downtown.
If you’d prefer to stay closer to all of the action rather than in a cabin in the woods, there are a few hotels downtown, some quaint bed and breakfasts, and a few resorts near Bryson City that would be the perfect home base for your mountain getaway.
Lakeview at Fontana Mountain Inn
Don’t forget…camping is always an option! There are several campgrounds surrounding Bryson City, but we’d recommend booking a site at one of the campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (we like Smokemont Campground and Deep Creek Campground), which are featured in Off the Eaten Path’s best tent camping in NC guide!
Thank you for this post. Very helpful and informative. Planning a trip here soon and so excited.
I’m so happy this was helpful to you!