Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Gatlinburg, Tennessee

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Explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Horseback.  The spectacular Great Smoky Moutains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina is a terrific place for horseback riding. There are so many trails at the Park, horseback riding is one of the best ways to discover the natural beauty, abundant wildlife and fascinating cultural history of the mountains.

There are several different ways you can plan your horseback riding adventure at Great Smoky Moutains National Park. You can bring your own horses and take advantage of over 550 miles of horseback riding trails. There are 5 horse camps located throughout the Park for the convenience of horseback riders visiting with their own horses.

You can also opt to take a guided horseback ride through one of the areas of the Park. The Park offers guided horseback rides from four concession stables in the park seasonally. These guided horseback rides are available mid-march through late November. Several of the concession stables offer other options for touring areas of the park by horse drawn carriage or wagon.

Cades Cove near Townsend, Tennessess is one stable you may wish to consider for a guided horseback riding tour. Carriage rides are also available at Cades Cove. Smokemont near Cherokee, North Carolina is a second option for horseback riding tours. There are two stables near Gatlinburg, TN in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One is called Smoky Mountain, and the other is Sugarlands.

Rates for horseback rides at these four Great Smoky Moutain National Park concession stables are between $20 and $25 per hour, and you can ride for between 45 minutes and several hours. Guided tours involve walking only, and you do not need any horseback riding experience to participate on these guided walking rides.

In addition to touring some of the most scenic areas in North America, you may also view a variety of wildlife on your horseback ride in the Great Smoky Mountains Park. Some of the animals you may encounter include wild turkeys, deer, and even black bears.

If you plan to bring your own horses to the Park, plan ahead by obtaining a trail map. Trail riding on designated horse trails is the only type of horseback riding that is permitted at the Park. You can obtain a map online at the NPS.gov website for the Great Smokys National Park. The Park’s website also contains information on the horse camps throughout the park and back country camping opportunities.

Directions: Off I-40 either Exit 389 S. to U.S. 129 S. to U.S. 321 N. to Townsend entrance or I-40, Exit 407. Proceed to 66 S. to U.S. 441 to Gatlinburg entrance