Family Great Smoky Mountains Hiking Weekend
3 days
Duration3 days
  • Etepia
  • Family Great Smoky Mountains Hiking Weekend

Spend three days hiking with family in the Great Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains are a uniquely beautiful setting to reconnect with nature and family. More than 900 miles of tree-lined trails and a wide variety of wildlife make this a perfect place for discovery. Share a passion for the outdoors with your loved ones and watch as newly-minted, young hikers earn their trail name on a portion of the iconic Appalachian Trail. Explore trails within the park from the home base of our private Signature Camp. Head to Greenbrier to see the park’s oldest trees and tallest waterfall. Explore Cades Cove and hike to peaceful Abrams Falls. Our guides inspire an appreciation for conservation among us all while sharing their vast knowledge of the plants, fungi, and animals that make this park the most biologically diverse of any national park. Awaken each morning to the sounds of nature and the smell of fresh coffee brewing. Delicious camp meals and nights around the campfire with new friends quickly turn a weekend away into a lifetime of cherished memories. Kids get an REI day pack — Kids traveling on our Family Adventures will receive an REI day pack for their adventure! Kids age 8-17 will receive the REI Flash 18 Pack (while quantities last, colors may vary). Learn more about REI Family Adventures. Not traveling with kids? Check out our Great Smoky Mountains Hiking Weekend trip or our Great Smoky Mountains Backpacking trip.

This tour is operated by

  • Duration: 3 days
    Service level: Standard
  • Physical Grading: Average
  • Ages: 18+
Great Smoky Mountains Hiking Weekend - Tour Map

Itinerary

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Day 1: Hike along the Appalachian Trail to Charlies Bunion.
Our adventure begins at 9am in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where we meet our guides for a brief trip orientation at our host hotel. Be trail-ready for this group meeting; when we leave the hotel, we head directly to our first hike at Newfound Gap. On our 45-minute transfer to the trail our guides introduce us to the park and the Appalachian Trail. We experience a steady incline for the first three miles of the hike as we gain over 1,000’ elevation. Our guides help us identify wildflowers and tree species as we enjoy epic vista views. At one scenic spot we stop to enjoy a picnic lunch. This out-and-back hike concludes with a one-hour journey to our private Signature Camp, where our camp host has appetizers waiting. Here we discover the comforts of the deluxe camp that will be our home for the next two nights. Lunch and dinner included.Hiking 8 miles; elevation gain/loss: 1,500'.
Meals: D
Day 2: Head to Greenbrier to see the park’s oldest trees and tallest waterfall.
We awake to the sounds of nature and the smell of coffee already brewing in our private camp. After a filing breakfast, we get in our van for a 30-minute drive to the trailhead. Today we are on the hunt for some of the biggest and oldest trees in the park. Our mission is an out-and-back hike through the largest old-growth forest in the park to its tallest waterfall, Ramsey Cascades. Our hike to the falls is along a steady incline as we gain 2,200’ elevation over four miles. Along the way, we cross a narrow, 20-foot bridge and spend the last third of a mile climbing several steep rock steps and navigating roots, rocks, and boulders before arriving at the towering waterfall. Afterward, back at camp, we enjoy another great meal together and recount the day’s adventures. All meals included.Hiking 8 miles; elevation gain/loss: 2,200'.
Meals: B, L, D
Day 3: Explore Cades Cove, hike to Abrams Falls, travel back to Gatlinburg.
After a final group breakfast, we reluctantly pack up our gear and load our van to prepare to leave our camp for Cades Cove, a two-hour drive. After today’s hike we’ll head directly back to our host hotel in lively Gatlinburg. But first we explore Cades Cove! This area provides some of the best wildlife viewing within the park. Staying alert for signs of wildlife, we hike among historic buildings that give us a view into what life was like for early settlers in the Smokies. Our guides share how the early inhabitants made use of everything; plants we consider weeds today were medicine or food for them. We hike along the scenic Abrams Falls Trail on a 5.5-mile journey through a verdant valley surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. Following the hike, we make the one and a half-hour drive back to Gatlinburg where we say our final goodbyes. We anticipate being back in Gatlinburg by 6pm. Breakfast and lunch included.5.5 miles hiking; elevation gain/loss: 600'.
Meals: B, L

Inclusions

Included

  • Any park or other admission fees or permits
  • all camping accommodations as noted in the itinerary
  • guide leadership and camp host support
  • round-trip transportation from Gatlinburg, TN to all destinations visited during the trip
  • tents
  • sleeping pads
  • cooking and dining materials and utensils
  • meals as noted in the daily itinerary
  • beverages including coffee, soda, water, flavored drink mix, electrolyte drink mix (Gatorade or similar), hot tea and hot chocolate.

  • Accommodation

    REI Signature Camping, 2 nights

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