The easiest hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, by the numbers
Of the 315 trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in our dataset, 39 (12 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; these are the 25 with the lowest rating.
Wet Bottom Trail has the lowest rating: 113 ft of gain over 1 mile, 113 ft per mile.
Across the 25, gain runs from 98 to 429 ft and distance from 1 mile to 2.8 miles; the median gain is 260 ft and the median distance 1.3 miles.
16 of the 25 are point-to-point routes; the rest are out-and-back (9).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wet Bottom TrailWest and Mountains | 1 | 113 | 113 | 7% | 1,703 to 1,814 | 15 | |
| 2 | Fighting Creek Nature TrailWest and Mountains | 1.2 | 110 | 92 | 19% | 1,457 to 1,555 | 16.2 | |
| 3 | Gatlinburg TrailEastern TN | 1.4 | 98 | 70 | 5% | 1,333 to 1,419 | 16.6 | |
| 4 | Metcalf Bottoms TrailWest and Mountains | 1.3 | 112 | 86 | 8% | 1,683 to 1,768 | 17.1 | |
| 5 | Oconaluftee River Trail | 1.6 | 110 | 69 | 19% | 1,982 to 2,140 | 18.8 | |
| 6 | Cabin Flats TrailWest and Mountains | 1 | 191 | 191 | 14% | 2,926 to 3,117 | 19.5 | |
| 7 | Appalachian Trail | 1 | 204 | 204 | 24% | 5,816 to 6,013 | 20.2 | |
| 8 | Gatlinburg TrailEastern TN | 2.8 | 102 | 36 | 5% | 1,333 to 1,417 | 23.9 | |
| 9 | Newton BaldWest and Mountains | 1.2 | 239 | 199 | 19% | 2,168 to 2,400 | 23.9 | |
| 10 | Riverview Quiet Walkway | 1.4 | 218 | 156 | 10% | 1,601 to 1,819 | 24.7 | |
| 11 | Painter RidgeWest and Mountains | 1.1 | 285 | 259 | 49% | 1,853 to 2,138 | 25 | |
| 12 | Appalachian Trail | 1.1 | 310 | 282 | 22% | 5,225 to 5,535 | 26.1 | |
| 13 | Appalachian Trail | 1.4 | 260 | 186 | 19% | 4,963 to 5,199 | 27 | |
| 14 | Deep Creek Horse TrailWest and Mountains | 1.2 | 305 | 254 | 21% | 1,905 to 2,197 | 27.1 | |
| 15 | Gold Mine TrailWest and Mountains | 1 | 376 | 376 | 13% | 1,687 to 2,057 | 27.4 | |
| 16 | Bone Valley TrailWest and Mountains | 1.9 | 213 | 112 | 7% | 2,281 to 2,477 | 28.4 | |
| 17 | Appalachian Trail | 1.1 | 373 | 339 | 29% | 5,690 to 6,022 | 28.6 | |
| 18 | Clingmans DomeWest and Mountains | 1.3 | 327 | 252 | 46% | 6,319 to 6,646 | 29.2 | |
| 19 | Tunnel Bypass TrailWest and Mountains | 1.6 | 274 | 171 | 15% | 2,059 to 2,242 | 29.6 | |
| 20 | Smokemont Stables TrailWest and Mountains | 1.9 | 269 | 142 | 13% | 2,154 to 2,345 | 32 | |
| 21 | Loop TrailWest and Mountains | 1.2 | 429 | 358 | 18% | 1,956 to 2,386 | 32.1 | |
| 22 | Duds BranchWest and Mountains | 1.6 | 324 | 203 | 14% | 1,571 to 1,894 | 32.2 | |
| 23 | Appalachian Trail | 1.4 | 394 | 281 | 26% | 4,974 to 5,345 | 33.2 | |
| 24 | Cataloochee Horse TrailWest and Mountains | 2.4 | 234 | 98 | 7% | 2,636 to 2,870 | 33.5 | |
| 25 | Grassy Branch TrailWest and Mountains | 1.4 | 412 | 294 | 25% | 1,583 to 1,990 | 34 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Great Smoky Mountains National Park" here means the 315 trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in our dataset, not every trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Wet Bottom Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other parks in our dataset.