Wander the Smokies

What to do, when to go, and where to stay — your complete Smokies guide.

Explore the Smokies

Plan the drive

Smoky Mountains road trips, city by city

The Great Smoky Mountains are an easy drive for tens of millions of people. Find your city for the distance, the best route, the drive time, and exactly what to do when you arrive.

Knoxville, TN

Day trip

~42 mi · 50 minutes

I-40 E to US-441 S through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge

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Asheville, NC

Day trip

~85 mi · 1 hour 30 minutes

I-40 W to the gateway towns, or the scenic US-441 over Newfound Gap via Cherokee

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Johnson City, TN

Day trip

~95 mi · 1 hour 45 minutes

I-26 W to I-40 W, then US-441 S

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Greenville, SC

Day trip

~115 mi · 2 hours

US-25 N to I-26/I-40, or via Asheville and Newfound Gap

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Chattanooga, TN

~150 mi · 2 hours 45 minutes

I-75 N to I-40 E to the Sevierville exits

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Charlotte, NC

~200 mi · 3 hours 30 minutes

I-40 W through Asheville to the gateway towns

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Winston-Salem, NC

~200 mi · 3 hours 15 minutes

I-40 W through Asheville to the gateway towns

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Atlanta, GA

~210 mi · 3 hours 30 minutes

I-75 N to I-40 E (or the scenic US-441 through Cherokee and over Newfound Gap)

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Nashville, TN

~215 mi · 3 hours 30 minutes

I-40 E almost the entire way to the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge exits

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Lexington, KY

~225 mi · 3 hours 45 minutes

I-75 S through Knoxville, then I-40 E and US-441 S

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Columbia, SC

~240 mi · 4 hours

I-26 W to Asheville, then I-40 W to the gateway towns

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Huntsville, AL

~250 mi · 4 hours

US-72 E to Chattanooga, then I-75 N and I-40 E

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Bowling Green, KY

~265 mi · 4 hours

I-65 S to Nashville, then I-40 E across to the gateway towns

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Raleigh, NC

~285 mi · 4 hours 30 minutes

I-40 W the entire way through Asheville

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Louisville, KY

~290 mi · 4 hours 30 minutes

I-65 S to I-40 E (or I-75 S through Lexington and Knoxville)

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Cincinnati, OH

~320 mi · 5 hours

I-75 S to Knoxville, then I-40 E and US-441 S

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Birmingham, AL

~320 mi · 5 hours

I-59 N to Chattanooga, then I-75 N and I-40 E

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Columbus, OH

~360 mi · 5 hours 30 minutes

I-71 S to Cincinnati, then I-75 S and I-40 E

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Indianapolis, IN

~385 mi · 6 hours

I-65 S to Louisville, then I-40 E through Knoxville

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Memphis, TN

~415 mi · 6 hours 15 minutes

I-40 E straight across Tennessee through Nashville and Knoxville

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Where to stay

Near the Great Smoky Mountains

However far you're driving, lock in where you'll sleep. Compare live cabin, hotel, and rental prices across every gateway town on one map.

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