Is Chattanooga close to the Smoky Mountains?

Wanderlog staff
Updated • updatedJul 14, 2022

Nonstop drive time

How far is the distance between Chattanooga and Great Smoky Mountains National Park? The direct drive from Chattanooga, United States to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, United States is 175 miles or 282 km, and should have a drive time of 4 hours in normal traffic.

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Chattanooga to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park drive time with breaks

Driving from Chattanooga to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park takes about 4 hours if you do it nonstop, and given that it's just 4 hours, you probably can do it in one go without issues.

If you want to stop along the way, though, there are definitely interesting sights to see! Take a look at the best stops on a Chattanooga to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park drive for some inspiration.

What cities are between Chattanooga and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

If you're thinking of driving between Chattanooga and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and thinking of staying a night, it's worth looking at a few of the cities that are on the route. The most popular cities to stop between Chattanooga and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, Sevierville, and Townsend. Gatlinburg is the most popular city on the route — it's 3 hours from Chattanooga and less than an hour from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Going back? How far is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Chattanooga?

Honestly, it shouldn't differ by too much, but if you're curious about the drive back, check out the reverse directions to see how far the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is from Chattanooga.

Popular cities to stop between Chattanooga and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

On your trip from Chattanooga to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, stop by Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, Sevierville, and Townsend! Make sure to visit Gatlinburg, the most popular city on the route, and see Gatlinburg's top attractions like Sugarlands Distilling Company, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, and Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine.

1

Knoxville

Knoxville is a city on the Tennessee River in eastern Tennessee. Downtown, the Market Square district has 19th-century buildings with shops and restaurants. The Museum of East Tennessee History has interactive exhibits plus regional art, textiles and Civil War artifacts. James White’s Fort, built by the Revolutionary War captain, includes the reconstructed 1786 log cabin that was Knoxville’s first permanent building.

14% as popular as Gatlinburg

0 minutes off the main route, 48% of way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2

Townsend

Townsend is a city in Blount County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 244 at the 2000 census and 448 at the 2010 census. For thousands of years a site of Native American occupation by varying cultures, Townsend is one of three "gateways" to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

6% as popular as Gatlinburg

3 minutes off the main route, 59% of way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

3

Sevierville

Sevierville is a city in east Tennessee. To the south, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has forest trails and waterfalls. A statue of country singer Dolly Parton, a Sevierville native, is downtown by the 1896 beaux arts–style courthouse. The Tennessee Museum of Aviation has vintage aircraft, including 2 rare P-47 Thunderbolts. To the east, the Forbidden Caverns are vast underground caves with calcite formations.

17% as popular as Gatlinburg

1 minute off the main route, 61% of way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

4

Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge, a mountain town and vacation area in eastern Tennessee, is the home of Dollywood, country singer Dolly Parton’s Appalachian-themed park consisting of rides, an adjoining water park and a museum of her costumes and memorabilia. The city’s other attractions include country music revues like the Smoky Mountain Opry, dinner theaters such as Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and outlet malls.

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Famous musicians like Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and June Carter, and Patsy Cline are all lifelong members. The Opry’s format is bit different than you’re used to; rather than having one main act, they have a series of artists who each play for about 10-15 minutes, followed by a headliner for the night who maybe gets 20 minutes of stage time.

97% as popular as Gatlinburg

1 minute off the main route, 66% of way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

5

Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg, a mountain town in eastern Tennessee, is known as a gateway to the roughly 520,000-acre Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Many of its key attractions offer sweeping views of the neighboring park, including the 407-ft. Space Needle observation tower and the Sky Lift, a 2.1-mile aerial cable car that journeys from Downtown to the popular amusement park and ski resort Ober Gatlinburg.

Most popular city on this route

0 minutes off the main route, 72% of way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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