#3 - Take an Easy Hike!
Even if you aren't a seasoned hiker, there are quite a few very easy, family friendly hikes in the Smokies! The hikes I'm going to list here are almost like "walks in the woods" with a few areas that are a bit more challenging, but overall, almost anyone can enjoy these beautiful areas in the National Park and be treated to waterfalls, wildflowers, original historic structures and all of the natural beauty that the Smokies has to offer. In general, you will just need to wear sturdy footwear, carry a small backpack with water and snacks and maybe a walking stick if you need one.
My #1 favorite trail in the Smokies is the "Porters Creek Trail" in the Greenbrier section of the National Park. Very easily accessible from Highway 321 East from Gatlinburg, take the Greenbrier road until it ends and you are at the parking lot. This trail is 4 miles round trip. The first 1.4 miles is very easy walking / hiking up an old road bed along the middle prong of the Little Pigeon River. There are plenty of areas to go down to the river and view or photograph lovely cascades in the river, you will find stone steps and ruins as well as an old settler cemetery, the John Messer Farm with a cantiliver barn, a hikers cabin and more. This trail has a lot of things to see along the way which will keep all ages intrigued. At about 1.6 miles you will cross a newly installed footbridge over a rapidly flowing area of the river. The forest floor beyond the footbridge is literally carpeted with bloodroot, hepaticas, white fringed phacelia, violets, white trilliums and many other varieties during mid to late-March. This is a GREAT Spring Wildflower Hike. Once you exit the forest area you will begin the toughest part of the hike for 1/4 mile where it becomes a bit more rocky, but not too terribly difficult. At 2 miles you will look to your left and find the 60 foot Fern Branch Falls which flows very nicely after a good rain! Take a rest on a fallen log or climb up to the falls before heading back.
#2 on my list of easy hikes is the first mile of the Middle Prong trail. Located at the very end of the Tremont Road in the Tremont section of the National Park. Take the Tremont Road all the way to the end and park and walk up the trial. Almost anyone can do this trail. It's a nice wide, former railroad bed from the Little River Railroad which was used to haul logs out of the Smokies in the early 1900's. Within the first 2/3 of a mile there are 3 waterfalls to the left...keep your eyes peeled for areas to go down to the river and you will be delighted with what you find! At four-tenths of a mile from the trailhead you will reach the Lower Lynn Camp Falls. This 35-foot, multi-tiered waterfall is one of the more impressive falls in the park, especially during the wetter months of the year. Continue on down the trail a short distance, look for an opening down to the river and you will find a beautiful cascade / falls (unnamed). Keep going to 2/3 of a mile and you will finally come to Lynn Camp Falls, a gorgeous waterfall with several levels. You can continue up the trail for as long as you want, (It goes on for 4 miles, relatively easy), or you can turn back and explore the rest of Tremont with your vehicle.
#3 The Walker Sisters Place from the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse is an easy hike in the park. It's just over a mile each way and follows a road bed. In the spring, summer and fall, park at the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse and go past the blocked off gate up the hill from the schoolhouse to begin this trail. This is a great trail for history buffs! The Walker Sisters were the last living settlers to the area and lived in the cabin until the last sister, Louisa, passed away in 1964. This trail is great for family because children can see how children in the Smokies attended school from the 1800's to the early 1900's at the Little Greenbrier School and then take the 1 mile walk to the cabin to see how folks lived. The stories that folks had to walk over a mile to school through the woods are true, the Walker Sisters and many others walked that far and more just to attend school.
#4 The Gatlinburg Trail from the Sugarlands Visitors Center or from a parking area located near Traffic Light 10 in downtown Gatlinburg is one of the only pet and bicycle friendly trails in the entire national park. The trail travels 1.9 miles one-way from the Sugarlands Visitor Center to the outskirts of the city of Gatlinburg, TN. It is relatively flat and runs through the forest along side the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. The trail offers beautiful views of the river, which at one point is crossed by a pedestrian foot bridge. Foundations and chimneys of several old homesites are visible along the trail. Also located behind the Sugarlands Visitors Center is a very short and easy trail to Cataract Falls. Just follow the signs!