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Things to do near the cabin

The Pigeon Forge Parkway is under 2.5 miles from the cabin, Dollywood is 6.3 miles, and the national park's Sugarlands Visitor Center is about 13 miles. Start with these guides.

  • Fireflies glowing over a grassy path through dark summer woods at dusk

    Synchronous fireflies

    Thousands of fireflies flashing in unison at Elkmont, eight nights a year. Getting in takes a lottery pass.

    Late May or June

  • Game room with air hockey and foosball tables, a sectional and a wall-mounted TV

    Rainy days

    Museums, shows, indoor slides and snow tubing in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, plus the cabin's own game room.

    Indoor picks

  • Dollywood's steam locomotive No. 70, dressed with a holiday wreath, under a plume of smoke at sunset beside a lit water tower

    Dollywood

    When to go for smaller crowds, where to park, and where the dog can spend the day.

    6.3 miles away

Easy hikes in the Smokies

The park is free to enter, but any car parked there longer than 15 minutes needs a parking tag: $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year. Buy one at a visitor center, or online before you go: daily and weekly tags on Recreation.gov, annual tags from Smokies Life. Sugarlands Visitor Center is about 13 miles from the cabin.

  • Gatlinburg Trail: about 4 miles round trip and mostly flat, from Sugarlands Visitor Center to the edge of Gatlinburg. It's one of only two trails in the park that allow dogs, on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
  • Grotto Falls: 2.6 miles round trip on the Trillium Gap Trail, to the only waterfall in the park with a trail that runs behind it. The trailhead is on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, which is open from spring to late fall (April 17 to November 29 in 2026) and closed to RVs and trailers.
  • Alum Cave Trail: 2.8 miles round trip to Arch Rock, or 4.6 miles to Alum Cave Bluffs, and steeper past Arch Rock. The trailhead is 6.8 miles past Sugarlands on Newfound Gap Road, and its parking fills early.
  • Kuwohi, formerly Clingmans Dome: a paved but steep 1-mile round trip to the tower on the park's highest peak, 6,643 feet up. The road to it closes in winter; in 2026 it's open April 1 to November 29.

Laurel Falls Trail is closed for rehabilitation; the park expects to reopen it sometime in 2027.

Grotto Falls pouring off a mossy rock ledge into a shallow pool, with rhododendron around the rocks
Grotto Falls, on the Trillium Gap Trail. Photo: National Park Service
The view from the Kuwohi observation tower ramp over spruce-fir forest to layers of blue mountain ridges
The view from the Kuwohi observation tower. Photo: National Park Service

Winterfest lights

From early November, more than 15 million lights line the Parkway through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Dates for the 2026–27 season:

  • Pigeon Forge Winterfest, November 6 to January 31: walk the Wonders of Light trail along the Riverwalk, where dogs are welcome, or drive the Parkway's tour of lights.
  • Sevierville, November 6 to February 15: the Christmas parade is December 5 at 11 a.m., and Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland is a drive-through light show from November 13 to December 31.
  • Gatlinburg Winter Magic, November 5 to mid-February: the Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade is December 4 at 7:30 p.m., and the downtown trolleys are free.
  • Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas, November 6 to January 3: see the Dollywood guide.

Sources

Checked October 9, 2026. Dates, prices and closures change, so confirm on the official pages before you go. Drive distances from the cabin are on the Location page.

Check dates for your stay

  • 3-night minimum
  • Check-in 5:00 pm
  • Check-out 10:00 am
  • Pets welcome