T o reach the Chimney Tops trailhead from Gatlinburg Tennessee, take Newfound Gap road into the park. From the Sugarlands Visitor Center, continue 6.7 miles until you reach the parking lot at the Chimney Tops trailhead. If traveling from Cherokee to Chimney Tops, take the Newfound gap road twenty-two miles from Oconaluftee Visitor Center. O nce at the trailhead, there is plenty of room for parking, but the trail itself is sometimes a bit crowded due to its popularity. If so, beware of ice in really cold weather, as the trail is steep, rising 1,300 feet from the trailhead to the chimney-like pinnacles which give this trail its name.
Ice tends to form early at the higher elevations of the Great Smoky Mountain National park.
The highest point of Chimney Tops trail is 4,840 feet above sea level. T he Chimney Tops Trail begins at the low rock wall bordering the parking lot area. Here you will find Eastern hemlocks. The trail descends to a bridge across the Walker Camp Prong of the Little Pigeon River. In fact the trail crosses several bridges and tributaries along the one mile hike to Beech Flats.