The Merrell Family's Smokies Guide
Welcome to Nauvoo Haus
We are glad you are here. Below are a few tips for the cabin and the places our family likes best nearby.
At the cabin
A few house tips
Wi-Fi details and check-out steps are in your booking messages and the house book on the counter.
Hot tub
The hot tub is open year-round. Please shower first, keep glass out of the tub, and put the cover back on when you are done so it stays hot.
Fire pit
Use only the firewood provided or bought locally. Moving firewood spreads pests. Make sure the fire is fully out before bed.
Trash
Bag everything and use the outdoor bins. Keep lids latched, especially in the mountains where bears check every can.
Need something?
Message us through the app you booked with. One of us will answer.
Heading into the park
Four things to know
Parking tags
The national park is free to enter, but any car parked longer than 15 minutes needs a parking tag: $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year. Buy one online at recreation.gov or at the visitor centers.
Start early
Trailheads and Cades Cove fill up by mid-morning in summer and in October. An early start makes the whole day easier.
Bears are real
Keep food and trash inside or in the bear-proof cans, and never feed or approach a bear. Give them at least 50 yards.
Spotty signal
Cell service drops out in much of the park. Download maps before you leave the cabin.
Hikes
Mt. LeConte via Alum Cave
About 11 miles round trip and close to 2,800 feet of climbing. Start early. If that is too much, Alum Cave Bluffs is a good turnaround at about 4.6 miles round trip.
MapAbrams Falls
Five miles round trip from Cades Cove to a 25-foot waterfall. Pretty, but do not swim near the falls. The currents are dangerous.
MapRainbow Falls
About 5.4 miles round trip with a steady climb to an 80-foot waterfall near Gatlinburg.
Map
Drives
Cades Cove Loop
An 11-mile one-way loop with old homesteads, churches and a good chance of seeing deer or a bear. Go early. From May through September the loop is closed to cars on Wednesdays for walkers and bikes.
MapFoothills Parkway
Take the stretch from Wears Valley toward Millers Cove and Walland. The overlooks are some of the best views you can get from a car.
Map
Shows
Parks and fun
Dollywood
Worth a full day. Go on a weekday if you can.
MapAnakeesta
A ride up the mountain to treetop bridges and views over Gatlinburg.
MapOber Gatlinburg
Take the aerial tram up for skiing or tubing in winter and rides the rest of the year.
MapRipley's in Gatlinburg
The aquarium is the one to see if the weather turns.
MapSmoky Mountain Alpine Coaster
Our pick for the mountain coaster, and one of the best-reviewed in the area.
MapHillbilly Golf
An incline railway takes you up the mountain to play your way down.
MapRiver Rat Tubing
A lazy float down the Little River on a hot day.
Map
Optional
Want our seasonal picks?
A short note a few times a year with what is worth doing in the Smokies and any open weekends at our cabins. Only if you want it.