Smoky Mountain cabins with private pools

Why the Smokies work for a pool stay

Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers about 800 square miles, split almost evenly between Tennessee and North Carolina. On the Tennessee side, cabin country climbs the ridges around Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Wears Valley. Many of the pool cabins we’ve researched here are built for groups, often with game rooms, and several managers list private indoor pools, which makes the Smokies one of the few mountain regions where a year-round pool stay is realistic.

Pool season: elevation is everything

The park ranges from about 875 feet to 6,643 feet at Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome), and the National Park Service notes that temperatures can differ by 10–20°F between the base and the summit. In Gatlinburg, NPS averages put July at about 88°F by day and 59°F at night. September averages about 83°F and 55°F, and winter nights fall to around freezing (January averages about 51°F by day and 28°F at night).

What that means for your pool:

• June to August: prime season for an outdoor pool. NPS describes summer as hot, hazy and humid, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, so a pool with some shade and a covered deck earns its keep.
• September to early November: warm days and cool nights. NPS notes first frosts often arrive in late September. An outdoor pool needs heating to be comfortable, so ask whether it’s heated, when, and for what fee.
• Winter: look for an indoor pool, and ask whether both the water and the pool room are heated.

Where to base yourself

• Gatlinburg sits right at the park’s main Tennessee entrance, with a walkable downtown. Cabins in the hills above it trade convenience for views.
• Pigeon Forge is the attractions corridor. Dollywood, which the town’s tourism office calls Tennessee’s most visited commercial attraction, is here.
• Sevierville is first off the interstate. It’s quieter than Pigeon Forge, and home to many of the larger group cabins.
• Wears Valley is a quieter valley west of Pigeon Forge, with access toward the park’s Metcalf Bottoms area.

Between swims

• Cades Cove: an 11-mile, one-way loop road through a valley with the widest variety of historic buildings in the park. NPS suggests allowing at least two to four hours. In recent seasons the loop has been car-free on Wednesdays from May to September; check the current year’s dates.
• Newfound Gap: at 5,046 feet, it’s the lowest drivable pass through the park, on US 441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, North Carolina.
• Trails: the park has 848 miles of trail, including 74 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

Know before you go

• Parking tags. Entering the park is free, but NPS requires a parking tag for any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes. At the time of writing tags cost $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year, sold online, at visitor centers and at tag machines. Check the NPS fees page for current rules.
• Bears. NPS says about 1,900 black bears live in the park, and visitors must stay at least 50 yards away. Follow your cabin’s trash instructions.
• Rivers aren’t pools. NPS doesn’t recommend swimming in the park; drowning is one of its leading causes of death. Your private pool is the safer place to swim.
• Firewood. Only heat-treated, certified firewood may be brought into the park.

Getting there

NPS names McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) near Knoxville as the nearest major airport, about 45 miles west of the Gatlinburg entrance. The Gatlinburg visitor bureau calls it about an hour’s drive. From I-40, take Exit 407 and follow US 441 through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.

Pool questions to ask a Smokies cabin

1. Is the pool private to our group, and is it indoor or outdoor?
2. If outdoor: what are the open dates this year, and is it heated (included or a fee)?
3. If indoor: is the water heated, and is the pool room heated in winter?
4. How steep is the driveway, and is it manageable in winter weather?

Read our indoor pools and heated pools guides for more on what to ask.