Great Smoky Mountains Tour: Elkmont Ghost Town & Newfound Gap

The Appalachian Trail crosses through this spot where Roosevelt dedicated the park in 1940.

This 3-hour guided tour of Great Smoky Mountains National Park departs from Gatlinburg and travels through Elkmont Ghost Town and up Newfound Gap Road to the Tennessee-North Carolina border at 5,000 feet. You'll explore the ruins of a resort town dating back over 100 years, learn about the history of logging and early Appalachian pioneers, stop at scenic overlooks along one of the Southeast's most scenic drives, and stand at the stone stage where President Franklin Roosevelt gave the park dedication. The tour includes a live English-speaking guide, bottled water, and snacks. It suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each2 stops

1. Elkmont Ghost Town30m
2. Newfound Gap20m

Explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park

• Pickup in Gatlinburg, TN
• Visit Elkmont Ghost Town
• Drive scenic Newfound Gap Road
• Stop at scenic overlooks for photos
• Visit Newfound Gap and state line
• Learn about Appalachian Trail and park dedication

The experience

What does the park's history look like on the ground? The tour starts with pickup in Gatlinburg and heads into the mountains in an eco-friendly van. Your first stop is Elkmont Ghost Town, the remains of a resort that stood over 100 years ago. Here you'll walk among the ruins and learn how loggers, CCC workers, pioneer farmers, and early recreational visitors shaped the Smokies: how their lives intersected and what they left behind. The guide connects the physical remains to the actual people who worked and lived there, so the empty buildings become a story instead of just old structures.

From Elkmont, the van climbs Newfound Gap Road, a 13-mile drive that the operator calls one of the most scenic in the Southeast. You'll stop at several scenic overlooks along the way: places to step out, take pictures, and look down into the Sugarlands Valley and the dark, shaded valleys beyond. The guide talks through what you're seeing: the plants, the animals, the people who shaped this landscape. The drive itself is part of the experience, not just the getting there.

The tour ends at Newfound Gap, standing on the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina at more than 5,000 feet. You're looking down two valleys at once. The famous 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail passes through this exact point, and next to where you're standing is the stone stage where President Franklin Roosevelt gave the Great Smoky Mountain National Park dedication in 1940. The guide brings that moment into focus: what it meant, why it mattered, what it changed. Bottled water and snacks are included throughout.

What’s included

• Pickup from Gatlinburg.
• transport in an eco-friendly van.
• a live English-speaking guide.
• bottled water and snacks.
• stops at Elkmont Ghost Town and multiple scenic overlooks along Newfound Gap Road.
• access to Newfound Gap at the state line.

Information

Lasts 3h, runs every day at 09:00 and 14:00, from US$ 85 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 10 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00 and 14:00Another time? ›

GroupUp to 101 private ›

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.1 with pickup ›

Book up to1d before

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Smoky Mountain Guides

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to understand the park's human history (the logging, the pioneers, the founding moment) rather than just see the landscape. The 3-hour length fits a morning or afternoon without eating up a full day, and the guide's interpretation is what turns the ruins and overlooks into stories instead of just stops.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Elkmont Ghost Town and why does the tour stop there?

Elkmont Ghost Town is the remains of a resort that stood over 100 years ago in the Smokies. The tour stops there to walk through the ruins and learn how loggers, CCC workers, pioneer farmers, and early visitors to the mountains lived and worked, and how their presence shaped the founding of the national park.

How long is the drive up Newfound Gap Road and what happens along the way?

The drive up Newfound Gap Road is 13 miles long. You'll stop at several scenic overlooks to take pictures and learn about the plants, animals, and history of the Great Smoky Mountains as you look out over the Sugarlands Valley and the valleys beyond.

What is at Newfound Gap and why is it significant?

Newfound Gap sits at the Tennessee-North Carolina border at more than 5,000 feet elevation. The 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail passes through this point, and the stone stage there is where President Franklin Roosevelt gave the Great Smoky Mountain National Park dedication in 1940.

How long does this tour take and what is included?

The tour runs 3 hours and includes pickup from Gatlinburg, transport in an eco-friendly van, a live English-speaking guide, bottled water, and snacks.

Is this tour suitable for people with different fitness levels?

Yes, the tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You'll spend time walking around Elkmont Ghost Town and standing at scenic overlooks, but the pace and stops are designed to work for a range of abilities.