Best Places to See a Sunset in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains

If you’re trying to catch a good sunset in Gatlinburg, you’ve got two kinds of options: places you can get to yourself, and one place you can only reach with a guide. Great Smoky Mountains National Park sits right on the edge of town, and between the park’s overlooks and a handful of paid attractions with lift access, there’s a sunset spot here for almost any effort level you’re willing to put in.

I’m splitting these up by how you actually get there because that matters more than most lists let on, especially if you’re a family with children or have limited mobility. A pull-off on Newfound Gap Road and a five-mile hike to Mount LeConte both count as sunset spots, but they’re not the same trip.

Sunset Spots at a Glance

Sunset Spots You Can Drive Right Up To

These take the least effort. Park, walk a few steps, and you’re set.

Morton Overlook

Morton Overlook sits on Newfound Gap Road (US-441), and Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s own social channels have pointed to the sunset here as one of the best in the park. It’s a pull-off, not a hike. You park and walk a few steps to the rail. The lot is small, so get there before the light starts going gold if you want a spot.

Newfound Gap

Newfound Gap marks the halfway point between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, North Carolina, right on the state line. The parking area opens up in both directions, so you get a view east and west without picking a side.

Gatlinburg Scenic Overlook

The closest option on this list if you don’t want to leave town. It sits off the Gatlinburg Bypass, a good pick if you’ve only got twenty minutes before the sun goes down.

Foothills Parkway and Look Rock Tower

The Foothills Parkway near Townsend is a scenic drive on its own, and Look Rock Tower adds a short walk, under a mile, to a 360-degree view. It’s a bit further from downtown than the other drive-up spots, and towers like this occasionally close for maintenance work, so check current conditions before you commit to the drive.

Sunset Spots Worth the Hike

These thin the crowds out fast. Most people won’t walk twenty minutes for a sunset, let alone climb a mountain for one.

Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome)

Kuwohi is the Cherokee name the U.S. Board of Geographic Names officially restored to the mountain in September 2024, replacing Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 feet, it’s the tallest point in the Smokies. You still drive to the parking area, then it’s a short, steep paved path up to the observation tower, more of a climb than a hike, but nothing like the ones below. From the top, you’re looking down on the ridgelines every other spot on this list is looking up at.

Chimney Tops Overlook

Chimney Tops is still a great spot to catch the sunset, even though the original rock summit is no longer accessible. After the 2016 wildfire, the final quarter mile of the trail was closed, but the National Park Service added a new observation area just below it. The hike is about 3.5 miles round trip, with plenty of mountain scenery along the way and a rewarding view at the turnaround point. 

If you’re heading up for sunset, bring a flashlight or headlamp for the hike back since you’ll likely be coming down after dark.

Mount LeConte and Cliff Top

Mount LeConte is one of the tallest peaks in the park, and there’s no road up. The shortest route, Alum Cave Trail, runs 5 miles one way to the summit, 10 miles round trip, so this is closer to an all-day trip than a sunset detour. Cliff Top, near LeConte Lodge, is the spot hikers aim for once they’re up there.

If you’re exploring by car, check out these scenic drives around Gatlinburg

Paid Attractions With a View

If you’d rather skip the hike and the parking scramble, a few of Gatlinburg’s ticketed attractions get you to a view without much walking at all.

Anakeesta

Anakeesta gets you up the mountain by chondola, and Cliff Top Grill and Bar puts you at a table with a view while the sun goes down. Good option if you want dinner and the view in one stop.

Ober Mountain

Ober Mountain‘s chairlift and tramway carry you up Mount Harrison, and depending on the season, you’ll have ski slopes or summer rides for company while you wait on the sunset.

Gatlinburg SkyPark and the Space Needle

Gatlinburg SkyPark and the Gatlinburg Space Needle both get you up fast, the SkyLift and SkyBridge at one end of downtown, the Space Needle’s glass elevators at the other. Neither takes more effort than buying a ticket.

Catch the Sunset on a UTV Drive

Last one on the list: consider renting a UTV for sunset. We rent them, so yes, we’re a little biased, but there’s a good reason we’re including it here.

Since our UTVs are street legal in Tennessee, you can drive to several of the spots on this list, including Foothills Parkway, Newfound Gap, and Kuwohi. The open sides make the drive feel a little different than doing it in a car, and you have the freedom to take your time, pull over when something catches your eye, and make a few stops along the way. If you’re traveling with kids, chances are they’ll enjoy the ride too.

If you want to make a full evening out of it, the Gatlinburg-to-Cherokee route is a good one to look at. It takes you through the Smokies past Chimney Tops, Newfound Gap, and Kuwohi before continuing into Cherokee, so you can combine a sunset stop with a longer mountain drive instead of heading to one overlook and straight back.

Our rentals start at three hours (up to a full day), which works well for this kind of plan. Give yourself enough time to make a few stops before sunset, then enjoy the ride back once the mountains start to quiet down for the night.

If this sounds like your kind of sunset plan, check out our Gatlinburg UTV rentals and explore some of the routes you can take with them.

Planning Your Sunset Trip

Pick based on how much effort you want to put in, not just which spot photographs best. A drive-up overlook works fine if you’re squeezing this in around other plans. If sunset is the plan, book UTV rentals and spend the ride out there instead of ten minutes at a pull-off.

Hope this gives you a few good ideas for your next sunset in the Smokies!