Hike the Appalachian Trail through the Great Smoky Mountains
Tackle the highest section of one of the world's great long distance trails through a classic American national park
Duration
3 nights
Annual Leave
2 days off work
Group Size
Up to 6 people
Season
Jun-Oct
Location
United States
Meeting Point
Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport, Tennessee
Accommodation
Wild camping · Glamping
Customer Reviews
This trip is brand new
Difficulty
Challenging
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Hike a spectacular section of the historic Appalachian Trail and pass its highest point beneath Clingmans Dome
Hike through old growth forests and experience backcountry camping in one of America's most picturesque national parks
Keep an eye out for black bears, salamanders, coyotes, deer, bobcats and elk while on the trail
Day 1
Welcome to Tennessee!
Hiking
Your host will meet you at Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport and whisk you straight off to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The afternoon will be spent enjoying a hike around the wooded trails in the National Park, before setting up your tent. In the evening, you'll enjoy getting to know the group around the campfire and your guides will brief you on tomorrow's big hike.
Day 2
Head out into the backcountry on the Appalachian Trail
Hiking
Today you'll follow the historic Appalachian Trail along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, taking in the misty blue vistas of 'The Smokies'. After an amazing day of hiking you'll arrive at your backcountry campsite ready to cook a well earned dinner around the campfire before another night sleeping out in the wild.
Day 3
Continue along the Appalachian Trail
Hiking
Today you'll continue along the Appalachian Trail with the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains for company again, eventually making your way out of the backcountry. The evening will be spent back in the lush, wooded area at your luxury glaming spot. You've earned it!
Day 4
One last hike before heading back to Knoxville
Today you can either have a leisurely morning at the camp spot or, if you still have life left in your legs, you can squeeze one last hike in before it's time to head back to Knoxville for your departing flight.
Included
Guides
Expert naturalist guides with wilderness first responder training.
Accommodation
2 nights backcountry wild camping, and 1 night in luxury safari style tents
Meals
Enjoy tasty food throughout with all your meals included
Transfers
Transfers to and from Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, and everything in between
Equipment
We'll provide all the group equipment you need for your backcountry camping including tents, sleeping mats and cooking items.
Permits
All national park entry fees, backcountry camping fees and permits
Not Included
Flights to and from the meeting point
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Tips for your guides
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Evening meals around the campfire will be based around rice and pasta dishes with fresh vegetables. For breakfast there will be eggs, pancakes and fruit. Lunches will be meat-based sandwiches, unless you request a vegan/vegetarian option. During the adventure you'll be kept topped up with delicious, local snacks. Water, tea and coffee are all provided, as well as wine and beer in the evenings.
Vegetarian, vegan and most dietary requirements can be accommodated on this trip.
What is the accommodation like?
Backcountry wild camping
For your first two nights, you'll stay at a backcountry camp site. You'll carry your own tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat - and everyone will muck in to help set up and take down camp.
Luxury Glamping in Great Smoky Mountains
Your final night will be spent at a luxury glamping site called 'Under Canvas' situated amongst 182-acres of lush, wooded terrain and just a few minutes from the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The safari style tents are shared on a twin or triple basis.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private tent just for the backcounty camping (nights 1 and 2) can be requested. Or you can also request a solo tent and your own Glamping Safari tent for all three nights of the trip.
See Optional Extras for prices. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
The Area
Logistics
Starts
McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville (TYS)
12pm on Day 1
Ends
McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville (TYS)
16:00 on Day 4
Transfers
Your host will meet you at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee at 12pm on Day 1 so please book a flight that arrives before 11.30 am. Alternatively, you can be collected at your accommodation in Knoxville at 10:30 if you are already in town.
Your trip ends back at McGhee Tyson Airport at 16:00 on Day 4. We recommend booking a flight that leaves after 17:30 to ensure you have enough time. Alternatively you can be dropped at your accommodation in Knoxville if you are staying on.
Travel options
There are direct flights to McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville (TYS) from across the US and Europe.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's included?
We'll provide your tent, sleeping mat and cooking equipment
What's available to hire?
- Sleeping bag (see Optional Extras for prices)
What do I need to bring?
Bags
- Soft overnight duffel bag or rucksack
- Daypack (35+ litres)
- Waterproof liner for kitbag or rucksack / drybags
Clothes
- Waterproof jacket
- Waterproof trousers
- Breathable wicking layers
- Fleece jacket or similar
- Warm hat
- Buff or neckscarf
- Lightweight trousers/shorts/skirts
- T-shirts
- Underwear & socks
- Sunglasses
- Sunhat
- Something to sleep in
- Hiking boots (worn-in)
- Sandals
Sleeping
- Cotton or silk sleeping bag liner
- Sleeping bag (2-3 season)
- Travel pillow or pillowcase (optional)
Other
- Padlock for left luggage
- Universal travel plug adapter
- Power bank or solar charger
- Spare camera batteries
- Passports (and visas)
- Travel Insurance documents
- Ear plugs
- Insect repellant
- Suncream
- Personal first-aid kit (inc. blister treatment)
- Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
- Toilet kit (toilet paper, biodegradable bags to carry out)
- Quick-dry towel
- Alcohol hand-gel
- Headtorch or torch
- Reusable water bottle x1 ltr
- Biodegradable wet-wipes
- Energy bars and snacks
Optional Private Tent & Glamping Upgrade
Payable Before Departure
Optional Private Tent & Glamping Upgrade
… Per Person
Optional Private Tent Upgrade
Payable Before Departure
Optional Private Tent Upgrade
… Per Person
Sleeping Bag Hire
Payable Before Departure
Sleeping Bag Hire
… Per Person
We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 54kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
The terrain isn't too challenging, though you will be ascending and descending along the trail whilst carry a pack loaded with your gear for camping overnight, so you'll need to have decent fitness levels.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Tips are not included in the trip cost. The amount to tip is entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip in the USA; your guides will rely on tips for a considerable portion of their income.
We suggest to budget for 10%-20% of the trip cost as a guideline.
Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
There is drinking water available at your glamping site on the final night.
You will be expected to carry extra water and there are water sources near most campsites where we can resupply. Guides will bring filters for the group. You just need to bring reusable water bottles to fill up throughout.
In July and August you can expect cool mornings followed by warm pleasant daytime temperatures. Summer days are typically sunny, with an occasional thunderstorm. Daytime highs are mostly in the 70s Faranheit (20-25 Celcius), occasionally creeping up to the 80s (late twenties Celcius)
September is a little cooler, particularly in the mornings and evenings while camping out, so bring extra layers of clothing. October can vary, often getting cold in the mornings and evenings but comfortable during the day. Dress in layers to adapt to changing temperatures!
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
Our team of Adventure Hunters create exclusive adventures with highly vetted, specialist hosts. We only work with independent, local in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. See here for more info about the local teams we partner with.
TRIP DEPARTURE DATES
Go private and split the bill with ease.
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