Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Hike the Chimney Tops

3.8 Miles Total - 1487 ft gain - Out-and-Back Trail

Originally added by Mason Boring

Scramble to the top of the peak for great summit views on this short steep, but fun hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Chimney Top's Trail is one of the most visited trails in the Smokies, which is why I recommend going up just before sunset to beat the crowd!

During the summer and fall months, it's easy to see a hundred people taking in the view on the same trail, but if you scramble on out after hours, you can easily find yourself alone just in time to catch the sunset. Get to the trailhead and hour and a half or two hours before sunset to give yourself plenty of time to explore in the daylight.

Be very cautious on the out scramble. This isn't recommended for beginners. But if you do, you won't regret the solitude or the view.

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Corey Payne

Hike the Chimney Tops

11 months ago

Worth it!

You get halfway and you think, is this gonna be worth it? It is. I had hiked this when I was a kid and as a child with endless energy, I didn’t remember it being as strenuous as it is. We arrived at 11:00am and were back to the bottom by 1:30pm. I will agree with other reviewers, if you have bad knees this hike isn’t for you. Lots of stairs. Take your time, enjoy the scenery and the reward will be really amazing views from the top. Just a note also that The Pinnacles are still closed due to the 2016 fires.

Emma Roberson

Hike the Chimney Tops

over 1 year ago

S t a i r s

My husband and I did the trail in about 1.5 hours to get out and back, didn’t really know the extent of the stairs, but it was definitely worth it! The views are spectacular just note- if you have bad knees or feet, maybe another trail will be better 😬 not many flat parts to the 3.5ish miles. Either straight up or down

Ashley Garner

Hike the Chimney Tops

about 2 years ago

Awesome Day Hike

My 2 college friends and one of their moms and I took this hike yesterday and what a great time we had! A couple of us are pretty out of shape so the steep and constant uphill battle took us about 3 hours to get up but when we hit the top it was completely worth it! Breathtaking honestly. Also, because we took the majority of pictures on the way up it only took an hour to come back off. Definitely come see it!!