Knoxville to Gatlinburg drive: Time, distance & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Knoxville to Gatlinburg drive are Dropzone Distilling, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. The distance from Knoxville to Gatlinburg by car is 35 miles, with a one hour driving time.

Planning a Knoxville to Gatlinburg road trip itinerary

The drive from Knoxville to Gatlinburg connects two highly popular spots in eastern Tennessee.

Highlights of Knoxville include World’s Fair Park, which hosted the 1982 World’s Fair. The often-dazzling Sunsphere is the major landmark, here. You can also visit the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and Knoxville Museum of Art.

Other Knoxville experiences include ghost tours and downtown walking tours that pick out local secret spots, while serving up coffee and ice cream.

Top Knoxville accommodation options include the handily-located Graduate Knoxville, the affordable Hampton Inn and Suites Knoxville Downtown and the character-packed Oliver Hotel. To compare prices, search here.

The mountain resort city of Gatlinburg has the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the doorstep.

To explore the national park, either take an audio self-driving tour or go guided with a hiking tour or a small group bus trip.

Other Gatlinburg experiences include ziplining, ghost tours, the Impossibilities magic show, a wine and moonshine tour and the Moonshine Mountain Coaster.

Knoxville to Gatlinburg distance and driving time

The distance from Knoxville to Gatlinburg is 35 miles. You can expect a driving time of around one hour. The quickest route is usually along US-441.

The best stops on the Knoxville to Gatlinburg drive are Dropzone Distilling, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.

Knoxville to Gatlinburg drive: Dropzone Distilling

Dropzone Distilling claims to be Knoxville’s first moonshine distillery, and is run by a former paratrooper who turned his hand to mason jars.

There’s a tasting bar at the distillery, and it also offers tours that show off how the mashing process is done in the old mountain way.

Knoxville to Gatlinburg road trip attractions: Sevierville

Sevierville is a place of unashamed fun, although an element of seriousness does creep in at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation. Once that’s out of the way you can splash and slide to your heart’s content at the Soaky Mountain Water Park.

Top Sevierville experiences include seven line zipline adventures, wine and moonshine tours, plus Smoky Mountain Valley helicopter rides.

Best stops between Knoxville and Gatlinburg: Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge is popular because of its close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the US. But so many attractions have built up around the resort town that it’s now much more than a gateway.

Most famous of these is Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park, but there’s also the Titanic Museum, the Beyond The Lens interactive museum and the Rocky Top Mountain Coaster.

Other Pigeon Forge experiences include small group jeep tours in the mountains, guided ATV adventures and wine plus moonshine tours.

Pigeon Forge is also known for its evening shows, whether Elvis tributes, Motown performances, lumberjack feuds or country music extravaganzas.