Hey Guys!
This was our last day in Gatlinburg before heading back home.
Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here & Day 3 here
Today, we had tickets to go to the Skybridge.
After checking out of our hotel, we headed to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail one last time!
Once again, we saw bears, turkey and deer!
After leaving here, we headed to the Skybridge!
The Skybridge was only a 6 min walk from our hotel and had we known that, we would have left our car at the hotel while we visited the park because it ended up costing us $20 to park!!
After getting parked, we headed straight for the skylift that takes you to the top.
We had pre purchased all of our tickets online so we didn’t have to wait in any lines.
Purchase your tickets for the Skybridge here & Read reviews here
This skylift wasn’t as scary as the one we rode at Anakeesta!
The skybridge opened in 2019 after the original skylift was severely damaged in the 2016 fires.
The original skylift had been opened since 1954.
After arriving to the top, we walked around a bit before heading to the bridge.
The views from the top were incredible!
We spotted this huge chair and couldn’t pass up having our picture taken sitting in it!
We walked into the Skycenter to check it out.
The Skycenter includes a gift shop, cafe & bar.
After leaving the skycenter, we headed to the Skybridge.
The skybridge is the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America. It stretches almost 700 feet across and is 500 ft above Gatlinburg!
It was hard to believe that this area was completely destroyed by fires in 2016 …you would have never known it! The views were breathtaking!
The bridge was a bit scary since it swayed and bounced as people walked on it but it wasn’t as bad as the bridge at Anakeesta!
However, it became even scarier when we had to cross over the 30 ft span of see through glass flooring about half way through our walk!
Glad I read this article about a visitor cracking the glass panels after my trip!!
I wasn’t sure if I could cross it, but finally decided to walk as fast as I could and not look down!
After making it across the bridge, you have the option of walking back across the bridge or taking the SkyTrail back around to the Skycenter. The trail is just a bit over 1/3 of a mile.
We decided to take the Skytrail so we could walk up the Tulip Tower that was along the path.
The Tulip Tower is a 70′ steel tower set in the back of the ravine accessed by two rope bridges and features four elevated viewing platforms.
Views from the skytrial..
You will walk under the skybridge along the way.
Arriving to the Tulip Tower
I decided to walk to the top of the tower while my sister waited at the bottom.
From the top, you get unique views of the Smokies and the iconic SkyBridge.
There’s also information plaques at each level of the tower that tell a special story about the theme of the tower.
After climbing the tower, we continued along the trail.
The trail leads to an elevated wooden boardwalk with signage that provides information about the engineering of the SkyBridge, the history of iconic Gatlinburg SkyLift, and the wildfires of 2016.
After returning back to the Skydeck, we had our picture taken in front of the SkyBridge sign before leaving the park.
On our way back down the mountain 
After getting back down, we decided to eat lunch.
As we walked through downtown Gatlingburg trying to find something to eat, a gentleman standing in front of a restaurant, convinced us to eat at his restaurant called Burg Steakhouse.
We walked in and the inside was beautiful….it looked so fancy!
We both ended up ordering the unlimited salad bar that included all sorts of soups and vegetables for a price of $19.00.
However, after tasting the food from the bar, I decided to order the burger and fries!
The food on the bar was not good at all and neither was the burger!
Their prices were outrageous for the quality of food you were served! Maybe their dinner menu is a lot better but I definitely wouldn’t recommend having lunch here!
Our meal did come with a delicious free dessert so that almost made up for the awful food!
See their menu here & read reviews here
After lunch, we walked around downtown Gatlinburg for a while checking out some of the shops.
We went into the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen that’s been around since 1952. I had to resist purchasing some of their delicious looking homemade candy!
After walking around for a while, we decided to drive the scenic Newfound Gap Rd.
Newfound Gap Road is a 31 mile scenic roadway that travels between the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, over the mountains and into Cherokee, North Carolina.
The drive has some incredible views and I highly recommend you do this drive if visiting Gatlinburg!
Everything was so green!!
We pulled over at the Carlos C Campbell Overlook to take a few pics.
After leaving here, we continued our drive down the scenic roadway.
A few minutes later, we pulled over at the Chimney Tops Overlook…the views were incredible!
More shots along the way.
After driving for a while, we made it to the Newfound Gap where Morton Overlook is located.
This point is also where you cross over into North Carolina.
Morton Overlook is named in honor of Ben Morton, who lived from 1875 to 1952. He was a civic leader, a grocer and a Knoxville mayor. He was also a staunch advocate of the National Park and specifically Newfound Gap Road.
The views here are some of the best in the park!
At this same location, you will find the 2,190 mile long Appalachian Trail.
The fields were carpeted with beautiful wildflowers!
After leaving here, we made the short 15 min drive to the nearby Clingman’s Dome.
At an elevation of 6,643 ft, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi.
Read reviews here
Once we arrived, it was super windy, cold and cloudy!
It’s usually 10-20 degrees cooler here than the lowlands so be prepared!
We headed to the visitors center to purchase some bottled water before deciding if we wanted to walk the short 1/2 mile trail to the summit!
After making our purchase, we walked back to the parking lot to take pictures of the views from there.
We asked some of the people that had just walked up to the viewpoint if you could see anything and they said no, they said the views were obscured by clouds…so, at that point, we decided not to walk it because it’s a steep, strenuous 1/2 mile walk!
On clear days views expand over a 100 miles!
After leaving here, we decided to head home.
On the way back, we passed more flowers growing alongside the road so I had to stop for another quick pic!
Later, we pulled over at an overlook that had views of downtown Gatlinburg.
On our way home, we once again, stopped off at Buc-ee’s for another delicious sandwich!
After driving through a storm most of the way home, we finally made it home safely!
This ends our time in Gatlinburg.…thanks for reading!
Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here & Day 3 here
Tip: If you visit the park in June, don’t miss the Synchronous Fireflies
Stay tuned for my next adventure – Niagara Falls!!