Top Backpacking Trails in Tennessee

Backpacking in Tennessee covers two kinds of country. In the east, the site’s trips run through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including Alum Cave to Mount LeConte, Gregory Bald, and Spence Field, and through the Cherokee National Forest, from the Big Frog Wilderness to Laurel Fork and the Roan Highlands on the Appalachian Trail along the North Carolina line. To the west, the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains hold sandstone gorges and waterfalls on the Fiery Gizzard Trail, the Savage Gulf loops, Virgin Falls, the Obed, Frozen Head, and the long John Muir route in Big South Fork.

Mountain trips climb steeply to cool, often wet ridges where water can be scarce and winter brings ice. Plateau routes trade elevation for rocky gorge descents, creek fords that can become impassable after heavy rain, and waterfalls whose flow varies with the season. Spring brings wildflowers, and azaleas on Gregory Bald and rhododendron in the Roan Highlands bloom in late June.

Camping rules depend on the manager. The Smokies require a reserved permit for every backcountry night, state parks take reservations for designated campgrounds, Big South Fork issues permits for camping at existing sites, and the national forest allows dispersed camping. Store food from bears on cables or a hang. Check closures too: in mid-October 2026, Cosby Knob Shelter in the Smokies was closed for bear activity, a fire order covered the Roan Mountain area through October 20, and Frozen Head had been under renovation. Wear blaze orange during fall hunting seasons.