Snow Tubing at Ober Gatlinburg!

Snow Tubing at Ober starts November 19^th!

They provide the tube – you have the fun!

Snow tubing is a great winter activity.  It’s all the fun of sledding without the walk back up the hill!

Our “Magic Carpet” (surface lift) takes care of that.

Check out this video!

**Tubing Waiver**

A waiver is required for all individuals snow tuning at Ober Gatlinburg (regardless of age) and must be presented to pick up ticket(s). 

Click here to buy tickets and for the waiver.

If you need us to print a copy of the waiver just let us know.

Sugarlands Visitor Center

Sugarlands Visitor Center is the primary point of contact for visitors entering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park via Gatlinburg, TN.  It is located two miles south of Gatlinburg on US-441.

At Sugarlands, visitors can view extensive natural history exhibits and a free 20-minute film about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ranger-led programs are offered seasonally.  The facility includes a Great Smoky Mountains Association bookstore and shop, as well as a Backcountry permit station.  Information desk staff can answer your questions about planning your day in the park.  Nature trails nearby feature a historic cabin and waterfall.  Public restrooms, telephones, and drink machines are available. 

Cocke County

A good read about our neighborhood...

Drivers know the stretch of Interstate 40 between Hartford, Tennessee and Canton, North Carolina, as a white-knuckled experience wedged between concrete barriers and moving walls of tractor trailers.  Passengers see soaring mountain peaks and the plunging Pigeon River Gorge.  Locals know this as Cocke County - aka the "adventurous side of the Smokies" at the intersection of the Cherokee National Forest, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Pisgah National Forest.

"The national forests provide the same scenic beauty and recreation opportunities as the national park, but can be a lot less crowded," says Cheryl Summers, recreation manager for the Cherokee National Forest.  Better yet, many of these outdoor opportunities are just a short drive or hike away from the busy I-40 corridor. 

Base Camp: Hartford and Cosby, Tennessee, make ideal bases for exploring the neighboring forests.  Know as "the rafting capital of the Southeast," Hartford is home to 11 outfitters conducting guided whitewater and scenic float trips on the Pigeon River, named for the extinct passenger pigeon.  This thriving ecosystem supports rainbow trout, river otters, and nesting bald eagles and also hosts thousands of commercial rafting visitors and private boaters annually as the third most popular whitewater river in the United States.

Mountain Bike Trails: The rafting put-in at the Waterville exit off I-40 provides a starting point for an excellent "gravel grind" bicycle ride.  this route includes a shallow river crossing and is best suited for bikes that can handle off-road terrain.  Not for the faint-of-heart, the three-hour trip "offers amazing climbing with unbelievable views that you will not see anywhere else on a mountain bike," says Doug Sharp, coach of the Smoky Mountain Bears Mountain Bike Team.

Depart for the parking lot below the Waterville Bridge, and pedal upriver past the power plant.  At the end of that road, turn left up Highway 32 (Mount Sterling Road) and climb 4.5 miles to the Mount Sterling trailhead.  Turn left across from the trailhead onto logging road 287.  At the crest of that climb, stay left and begin a nine-mile descent.  Veer right on forest Road 288 and ride 1.5 miles past Tower Road.  Look for a pull-off on the left and a hanging rope marking the path to Buzzard's Roost, where outstanding views await.  then backtrack 1.5 miles to turn right onto a rough "pig trail" - a beautiful riverside ride with a creek crossing.  Once you return to Highway 32, turn right to coast 1.5 miles back to your car.

Another route, with a birds-eye view is Rocky Top Road, not far from Hartford's center.  this destination provides an outstanding vista of the French Broad River Valley for mountain-bikers, horseback riders, and high-clearance four-wheel drive motorists.  Along the summit of Rocky Top Road, the views are dramatic.  Look for a Forest Service pull-over on one side, and on the opposite side, an unmarked dirt embankment.  Scramble up that embankment to find a maintained one-mile footpath along the Rocky Top Ridge.  After a steep climb, it's a fairly level walk with soaring views.  Make it a loop hike by returning to your car by the road.  

Love This Time of Year!

The Sunsphere in Knoxville.

View from Clingman's Dome.

Forbidden Caverns

Hundreds of years ago, Forbidden Caverns was know to the Eastern Woodland Indians who roamed East Tennessee's forests and mountains in search of good hunting grounds.  The cave was used as a shelter in the winter and the cave river provided a constant supply of water.  The cave contains many unique calcite formations that are still growing and boasts the largest wall of rare cave onyx or drip stones know to exist.  An interesting Indian legend explains the fate of an Indian princess who was lost in a "hollow mountain of two streams"..."which is forbidden".  During the early twenties and until 1943, the cave was used to make moonshine.  The constant water supply and the isolated location was ideal for Moonshiner's to make their homemade whiskey.  In 1964, a group of business and professional men began the planning and vast undertaking of opening this natural attraction to the public.  After 3 years of excavation and development, Forbidden Caverns was opened in June 1967.  The approach to the caverns is through a picturesque valley that affords a beautiful view of the majestic LeConte range and English Mountain of the Smokies.  Primitive farm houses, a quaint old grist mill-museum and a trout farm are among the many points of interest along this route.  The average guided tour is 55 minutes.  Free parking is provided for cars and buses and in addition, there is a souvenir shop, refreshments, and a picnic pavilion.

Goats on the Roof Coaster

Welcome to the Coaster

Mountain Alpine Coaster in Pigeon Forge, TN

Do you want to have the time of your life? Something that you can tell your friends and family about? Then visit us here at The Coaster at Goats on the Roof, in Pigeon Forge and experience the thrill of the best alpine coaster in Tennessee!

Zip around the woods at almost 30 miles per hour on our mile long track.  Because you are in control of your speed, it is fun for young, old and everyone in between.  We offer a whole lot more than just a ride though...

As well as an awesome alpine coaster, we welcome you to get your hands dirty and feed the goats, try your luck with gem mining and taste the sweetness of our homemade ice-cream and fudge.  Come on down to the Great Smoky Mountains and enjoy Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and the Coaster at Goats on the Roof!  

Charlie's Bunion

Charlies Bunion (6,122 feet elevation) offers spectacular views of the mountains to the north, Mt. Kephart and the Jump Off to the west, and Mount Guyot towards the east.  Due to the extremely steep drop offs you'll definitely want to watch you're footing in this area.

We started off at Newfound Gap.

This trail is part of the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.  It is approximately 2,184 miles long. Along the way, the trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

The Appalachian Trail is famous for its many hikers, some of whom, called thru-hikers, attempt to hike it in its entirety in a single season.

1.7 miles down...

Jennifer Pharr Davis set the unofficial record for the fastest hike of the entire Appalachian Trail.   It took her exactly 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes since she left Mount Katahdin in Maine on June 16 2011, that's about 47 miles a day, or nearly two marathons.  Eeeek!

This is the Icewater Spring Shelter for those attempting the AT or at least part of it.  Not my kind of place, but we passed a big group of what looked like college students that had stayed the night there.

Ahhh, finally!  Charlies Bunion...

Charlies Bunion rises to an elevation of 5,565 feet (1,696 m) above sea level, and is situated along the state line between Sevier County, Tennessee and Swain County, North Carolina. The Appalachain Trail crosses the mountain's northern slope some four miles (6 km) east of Newfound Gap. 

A great spot to have lunch!

Just amazing!