Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Smoky Mountains Roaring Fork Guided Sightseeing Tour by Jeep

• Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour in Great Smoky Mountains

• Great Smoky Mountains & Cades Cove Self-Guided Driving Tours

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park Self-Guided Driving Tour

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park Self-Guided Audio Tour

Admission to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is free, as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park doesn’t charge entrance fees. However, you'll need a paid parking pass if you stay for longer than 15 minutes at any trailhead, overlook, or historic site. You can buy daily, weekly, or annual parking tags online or at visitor centers.

No, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is not open year-round. The road closes at the beginning of December and doesn't reopen until late March or early April due to winter ice and snow creating dangerous driving conditions—the dates differ every year. Check the park website before visiting for unexpected closures.

The 5.5-mile (8.8-kilometer) one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail takes about one hour to drive with short stops, though most visitors spend longer. Due to the winding road, narrow passes, and hikers, allow about two hours to complete the drive. During peak season, bumper-to-bumper traffic can make it take much longer.

No, buses, RVs, motor homes, or vehicles with trailers aren’t permitted on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail because the road is too narrow and steep. Only vehicles shorter than 25 feet (7.6 meters) are allowed. Any vehicle can travel Cherokee Orchard Road, which leads to the trail, though.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail features historic log cabins, including Noah "Bud" Ogle Place, Ephraim Bales’s Cabin, and Alfred Reagan Place. You’ll also see old-growth forests and mountain streams. Hikers can access trailheads for Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls. You can see the Place of a Thousand Drips, a seasonal waterfall, right from the road.