Family Hikes
Easy-to-Moderate Family Hikes Near Sevierville
October 8, 20265 min read
No technical climbing, no experienced-hiker required - just four trails short enough for kids, all within about 30-45 minutes of Sevierville.
You don't need to be an experienced hiker to see some of the best scenery in the Smokies. These are the trails we point families toward most often - short enough for kids, no technical climbing, and all within about a 30-45 minute drive of Sevierville.
Metcalf Bottoms Trail to Little Greenbrier School
An easy, mostly flat walk from the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area to a one-room schoolhouse built in 1882, still standing in a clearing in the woods. A good pick for an easy half-day with young kids, with a picnic area at the trailhead if you want to make lunch part of the trip.
Cataract Falls
One of the shortest trails in the park, starting right near Sugarlands Visitor Center. It's a short, mostly flat walk through forest to a small waterfall - a good option if you've got very young kids or you're easing into the trip on your first day.
Grotto Falls
A step up in distance but still very manageable, and worth it for one reason: this is the only waterfall in the park you can walk behind. It sits along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a scenic one-way loop that's an attraction in its own right even if you don't get out of the car.
Cades Cove Loop
Not a traditional hike, but the 11-mile loop road is closed to vehicles on Wednesday mornings in season, making it one of the best car-free ways to see wildlife and historic cabins at a family pace. Bikes are available to rent at the entrance if you don't want to bring your own.
A few things worth knowing before you go: cell service is unreliable to nonexistent inside the park, so download any trail maps ahead of time. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer, so mornings are almost always the better call. And bring more water than you think you'll need - even an easy trail feels longer in Tennessee humidity.
You'll notice Laurel Falls Trail - usually the first easy hike anyone recommends - isn't on this list. It's been closed for rehabilitation work, so we swapped in Metcalf Bottoms above instead. Check the park's current trail conditions page before your trip in case that's changed by the time you visit.
If you want a printable list with distances and difficulty ratings for all of these, let us know - happy to put one together for guests before check-in.
Close enough for a pre-nap hike
The WTH Cabin's location near Sevierville makes any of these an easy half-day - back in time for the hot tub.
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