GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
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Hiking Trails Junior Ranger Program
Whether out for a quiet stroll or outfitted for a day- National parks offer a special Junior Ranger
long hike, Great Smoky Mountains National Park program for kids 5-12 years old. By completing a
has a trail for you. Here are some of the series of activities during a park visit and sharing
most popular. answers with a park ranger, youngsters may receive
LAUREL FALLS TRAIL – 2.6 paved miles; 80-foot-
high Laurel Falls is found at the 1.3-mile mark. It is
the longest of four paved trails in the park.
an official Junior Ranger patch and certificate.
Booklets are available at any park visitor center
($2.50) or can be downloaded at gps.gov/grsm.
CLINGMANS DOME – At 6,654 feet, this is the
highest point in Tennessee. An observation tower
is at the end of a steep half-mile paved trail, where
you can see for hundreds of miles on a clear day.
ALUM CAVE TRAIL – Creeks are crossed on log
bridges along this 5-mile round-trip trail that winds
through an old-growth hardwood forest. It leads
to Alum Cave Bluff, an 80-foot-tall concave cliff,
and Arch Rock, one of the park’s most unusual
geologic formations.
MOUNT LECONTE – Several trails lead to the
top of Mount LeConte: Alum Cave Trail (5 miles),
Boulevard Trail (8.3 miles), Rainbow Falls Trail (6.5
miles), Trillium Gap (6.9 miles), and Bullhead Trail
(6.8 miles).
PET LOVERS – Dogs are allowed on two park
hiking trails – Gatlinburg Trail and Oconoluftee River
Trail. Outside those two areas, pets are allowed in
the park only in campground and picnic areas.
Wheelchair
Accessible Trail
Located near Sugarlands Visitor Center, the
Sugarlands Valley Trail is wheelchair accessible.
Partially paved and nearly level, the half-mile path
is good for all skill levels and is highlighted by
a waterfall. The self-guided nature trail features
numbered interpretive signs along the route.
Cades Cove
Cades Cove is a lesson in Smoky Mountain history.
Park visitors can view cabins, barns, gristmills,
stores and other buildings constructed by early
settlers, before the area became a national park.
The cove is a special place to see via car, on foot
or by bicycle. From early May until late September
on Wednesday and Saturday, 6-10 a.m., Cades
Cove Loop Road is open to bicyclists only. Bicycles
can be rented at Cades Cove Campground store.