Private Tour
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Self-Guided Driving Tour
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Recommended: Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!
Explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park and discover why it’s the most visited National Park in the country! Tour these famous mountains while learning about Cherokee history and legends, Appalachian life, and much more. There’s no better way to see Clingman’s Dome, Cades Cove, or Rainbow Falls. Plus, enjoy a free bonus tour of Roaring Forks Motor Trail!
After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point.
New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Audio Setup: Connect your phone to your car's stereo system using Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. For the best experience, consider using headphones for walking tours. Audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay, with navigation features coming soon. Support for Android Auto is also on the way.
The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.
Seasonal road closures (reopening in 2026): Kuwohi Road (formerly Clingmans Dome Road) and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Closed/inaccessible sites: Laurel Falls Trail (including related sections of the Sugarlands Mountain Trail), Carlos Campbell Overlook, and Mingus Mill (preservation/rehab work). Open (weather permitting): Newfound Gap Road (US 441), Little River Road, and Cades Cove Loop Road (may close temporarily due to weather or maintenance). These roads are generally open year-round but may close temporarily due to weather or maintenance.
Valid parking tags are required for each vehicle parked anywhere within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Parking tags are available for purchase online on nps.gov and onsite.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is all misty ridgelines, lush forests, and scenic overlooks that feel straight out of a storybook. Drive through Newfound Gap and you’ll get those classic “Smokies” views in minutes. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Mingus Mill
As you drive, you'll have the option to take a detour to the Mingus Mill, an 1886 grist mill which, believe it or not, is still fully functional! If you're here on weekends, you can even see the mill operators grind corn just like they did back in the 1800s.
What‘s Included
Text transcripts of audio narration & Self-paced format (start/pause/resume anytime)
Pre-recorded audio commentary (downloadable or streamable)
This is a GPS-powered, self-guided audio tour that works through an app
Lifetime access (no expiration) with Customer support (chat/email)
Suggested walking/driving itinerary with stop-by-stop directions
This tour is NOT an entrance ticket to the park
Offline GPS-enabled route map
NO in-person guide or physical equipment (bring your own device & headphones)
Entrance fees, in-person guide, headphones, transport, parking, food,Wi-Fi or cellular data, rentals
Options
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Self-Guided Driving Tour
Reviews
301 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
April Visit
Joel M,Apr 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Good value for the cost, but too much focus on myths and Native American fables, and not enough about the park: details regarding the trails, what can be found away from the road, etc.
Not what I was hoping for
Maureen S,Apr 15, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00The narration was sporadic. I thought it would advance automatically but I had to click each time a segment finished. Not easy when trying to drive mountain roads.
Beautiful, but don’t come here during spring break
robertdB4403HA,Apr 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00My wife and I just wanted a self-guided tour not do a lot of hiking. I had some credits with Tripadvisor so I purchased this for a dollar. It was worth it. It does track pretty well and give you narration along the way it gets a little confused on the way back down, but overall was pretty good but one recommendation is not to go to Smoky Mountain national Park during spring break. It was crazy busy this time of year here we couldn’t believe it on a Thursday in March! hard to find parking anywhere and at the visitor center. We did three quick hikes one to cataract Falls on the way back, which of note is behind the Sugarland visitor center so you need to go in the back to catch the trail head, because it was too busy on the way up. and two other small ones so that was good saw little pigeon River and chimney stack remnants of old housing establishments back in the early 1900s. We had a nice 80° clear day and was beautiful. went all the way up to newfound gap the Appalachian hiking trail runs through there. The last time I was in North Carolina. I went the northbound route from Cherokee, but the road going through newfound gap north at that point was closed. It is now open all the way through of note.
Smokey mountain audio
Diane F,Mar 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Very informative- learned a lot about the great Smokey mountains- The downloaded worked without problems!!
Great guide
Melinda M,Mar 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Loved having the guide with us as we drove through the park. Very easy to stop and take a hike then resume the guide.
Wonderful Views, Fascinating Facts!
725vinced,Mar 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The tour was excellent. The Cherokee had som fanciful explanations for natural phenomena! We did not have time to do any of the side tours, but they all sounded good. Had some technology issues with the rental car, not the tour guides’ problem! Recommended.
Regular bucket worth it, fossil not so much
P7360MDandreas,Mar 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00This was a lot of fun, just wish the fossil mama bear bucket would’ve produced more than one piece of fossil or one small tooth. Otherwise it was a fun experience.
Not a good experience
I1723ZSjoanneb,Feb 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Took us forever to get there. Don’t think it brought us to the right place. When we finally found it, the roads were closed so we were not able to see anything.
Short trip
donellek894,Dec 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00It would have been fine, but I didn't get a notice that 1/2 the tour was closed for the season. So that was a bummer to find out after the fact. We were only able to see 1 area of old buildings, enclosed pictures are of the buildings
Christmas Day Adventure
Jomara R,Dec 29, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We used purchased to tour on Christmas day. It was great! Very informative, easy to navigate, clear directions, lots of information and great things to see.
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