Foxfire Mountain Trail, located inside the 150-acre Foxfire Mountain Adventure Park , begins with a 335-foot walk across Foxfire Gorge on a swinging bridge. From there, hike the one-mile out-and-back trail to a beautiful waterfall. Then trek the second one-mile out-and-back trail alongside the east prong of the Little Pigeon River on a trail that incorporates several bridges—some made of logs, some covered, and others made of cables. This easy hike features a mix of stunning views from pristine forest to bubbling creeks to cow and llama pastures.

Looming adjacent to Sevierville, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts 800 miles of trails—including 70 miles of the famed Appalachian Trail—and offers a hiking option to match your ambition of any length, any difficulty, in any season. One of the Park’s easier trails is Little Brier Gap, a 2.6-mile roundtrip located in Metcalf Bottoms. It features some striking historical buildings (including an 1882 schoolhouse and the Walker Sisters’ vintage log cabin), a gurgling stream, occasional birds and other wildlife, and seasonal wildflowers along a path with minimal elevation gain.

Among the Park’s moderate hiking options is the trek to Hen Wallow Falls, a 95-foot waterfall that fans out to 20 feet wide across its bottom. The trail is 4.4 miles roundtrip through old-growth forest thick with hemlock and rhododendron. The waterfall is on a short side trail off the Gabes Mountain Trail; look for the wooden sign pointing where to turn.

The Middle Prong Trail is another moderate hiking option in the Park. Located in Tremont near Townsend, the trail begins where the Little River is formed at the confluence of the Lynn Camp Prong and the Thunderhead Prong. Following the route of an old logging railroad, the trail is 8.3 miles roundtrip and passes three spectacular waterfalls—including Lower Lynn Camp Falls, a 35-foot, multi-tiered cascade, and Indian Flats Falls—plus several small cascades. Seasonal clumps of violets, crested dwarf iris, wood sorrel, trilliums and other wildflowers bloom near the trail.

For an epic, day-long hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, try the Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain trail. This strenuous, 13.9-mile roundtrip hike climbs more than 3,665-feet in elevation through rhododendron tunnels and up three separate summits. Start at the Anthony Creek Trailhead in the Cades Cove picnic area. On Rocky Top, bask in 360-degree views considered among the best in the Smoky Mountains—including an aerial look at North Carolina’s Fontana Lake. Tackle this steep challenge to walk among Appalachian Trail thru-hikers.