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Short answer: Four days adds a Foothills Parkway and attractions day to the three-day Smokies plan. The NPS lists three Foothills Parkway segments (5.6, 14.75 and 16.6 miles, one way) as alternative scenic drives, and Ober Gatlinburg’s site shows snow tubing and a tram.
- 4Days
- 16.6 miLongest Foothills segment, one way
- 14.75 miWalland to Wears Valley segment
- 5.6 miCosby to I-40 segment
How we checked: the National Park Service’s Cades Cove page and Ober Gatlinburg’s home page, plus the three-day plan’s sources. All read on November 3, 2026. Hours, prices, rules and closures change, so check the named agency or business before you rely on them. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. General guidance on this page is labelled as general guidance. This is not safety, medical or legal advice; where a safety or legal rule appears, the quoted words are the official source’s own.
Days One to Three
Follow the three-day Smokies plan: Gatlinburg and Roaring Fork, Cades Cove, then Kuwohi and Newfound Gap.
Day 4: Foothills Parkway and Attractions
- MorningFoothills Parkway, as the NPS lists it: Cosby to I-40, 5.6 miles one way; Walland to Wears Valley, 14.75 miles; Chilhowee to Walland, 16.6 miles. Open or closed today: Not confirmed
- Afternoon, option AOber Gatlinburg: its site lists a tram, a wildlife habitat, a bobsled, zip line and snow tubing (tubing “has limited slots available daily” and it recommends booking ahead). Ober guide. Prices and hours: Not confirmed
- Afternoon, option BRipley’s Aquarium of the Smokies: its page gave no hours or prices to our reader. Not confirmed
- SeasonalGatlinburg Winter Magic runs from November 5, 2026 to February 15, 2027. See Winter Magic.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Foothills Parkway road status. Not confirmed
- Ober Gatlinburg prices and operating hours. Not confirmed
- Ripley’s Aquarium hours and prices. Not confirmed
- Drive times between stops. Not confirmed
Sources Read
- NPS, Cades Cove, read November 3, 2026 (page updated January 21, 2026)
- Ober Gatlinburg, read November 3, 2026
- Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, read November 3, 2026 (page showed no hours or prices)
Keep Planning
Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Smoky Mountains in Four Days: Add The Foothills Parkway”, itstennessee.com/itineraries/smoky-mountains-in-four-days/ (updated ). By the It's Tennessee editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.