The best places to unplug in Tennessee

Most people who come to East Tennessee for the mountains end up on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge, in traffic, looking at a go-kart track. You don't have to. The Great Smoky Mountains are the most visited national park in the country, but most of that crowd sticks to a few roads.

The places here are rated highly by guests and sit close to trails, rivers or a porch with a view. We skipped the ones on the strip. These are sorted by the part of the state they're in.

Hiking trails Horseback riding Kayak & canoe Fishing Board games Fire pit

See them on the map

Townsend and Wears Valley

Townsend calls itself the peaceful side of the Smokies, and it mostly is. It's a small town on the Little River, right at the park entrance closest to Cades Cove. Wears Valley is the next valley over, a long stretch of farms and cabins between Townsend and Pigeon Forge.

You're still close to everything, but at night it's dark and quiet.

Read our Townsend and Wears Valley guide →

The back roads east of Sevierville

East of Sevierville and Gatlinburg, out toward Pittman Center and Cosby, the country gets hillier and emptier. This is the way into the Greenbrier section of the park, where the trail to Ramsey Cascades starts.

Most of the cabins out here are up on ridges, so expect some steep, winding driveways.

Berry Springs Lodge

★ 4.90

Sevierville, TN

Hot tubHiking trailsNear wilderness

Check dates

An adults-only lodge on the back roads outside Sevierville, about 15 minutes from the national park. Every room has a balcony, some have their own hot tub and fireplace, and breakfast is three courses. There's fishing and hiking on the property.

Johnson City and the northeast corner

The far northeast corner of the state is up against the North Carolina line and has some of the highest ground in Tennessee. Roan Mountain State Park is here, and above it the Roan Highlands, open grassy balds that the Appalachian Trail runs across. The rhododendron up there blooms in June.

Johnson City is the main town and makes an easy base.

Watts Bar Lake and the Cumberland Plateau

West of Knoxville the mountains give way to big lakes, and past those the Cumberland Plateau starts. The plateau is flat on top and cut through by deep gorges. Frozen Head State Park, the Obed Wild and Scenic River and Fall Creek Falls are all up there.

Kingston sits on Watts Bar Lake, close enough to the plateau for day trips.

Before you go

To park anywhere in the Smokies for more than 15 minutes you need a parking tag. You can buy one for a day, a week or a year online or at the visitor centers.
Summer weekends and October leaf season are the busiest times. Come midweek or in early spring and you'll have a lot more of the park to yourself.
Cell service fades fast once you're in the park or up a hollow. Download your maps and the cabin's directions before you go.