Wears Valley Horseback Riding | Horseback Riding Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Horseback Riding Wears Valley

Cades Cove Riding Stables
Horseback riding, hayrides & carriage rides
(865) 448-6286

Rent horses by the hour. Guides will take you along cool, wooded trails, over small mountain brooks, and up to vistas of trees and wildflowers. Age 6 and up can ride by themselves. Cost is $20 per person. Open 7 days a week, 9 am-5 pm.
cadescovestables.com

Apple Valley Riding Stables
5614 Old Walland Hwy.
Walland, TN 37886
(865) 448-8300

Horseback riding, 4 mile ride (about an hour), $22 with tax. Hayrides with reservations $5 per person.

Bear Hollow Stables and Cabins
P.O. Box 416
Townsend, TN 37882
(877) 448-6910 • (865) 448-6910

Boarding facilities only

Davy Crockett Riding Stables
505 Old Cades Cove Road
Townsend, TN 37882
(865) 448-6411

Open 7 days a week, 9 am-5 pm; horses for hire or board your own; guided tours

EchoBrooke Farm
117 Flynn Road
Walland, TN 37886
Phone: (865) 984-1459

Horse-drawn Carriage Rides, Romantic Wedding venue.
Carriage Rides and Haywagon Rides. Boarding.

Gilbertson's Lazy Horse Retreat
938 Schoolhouse Gap Road
Townsend, TN 37882
(865) 448-6810

Boarding facilities only; self-guided tours

Next to Heaven Stables
1239 Wears Valley Road
Townsend, TN 37882
(865) 448-6947

Horses for hire; self-guided tours

Orchard Cove Stables
1263 School House Gap Road
Townsend, TN 37882
(423) 400-6667

Boarding facilities; 20-stall barn, a 90' x 200' covered arena, and a bathhouse; self-guided tours

Pack's Stables
P.O. Box 184
Townsend, TN 37882
(865) 448-6318

Boarding facilities only; self-guided tours

Twin Valley B&B Horse Ranch
2848 Old Chilhowee Road
Walland, TN 37886
(865) 984-0980

Ranch horses available for mountain riding adventure, 1/2 Day & Day rides, instruction, stabling. Call for reservations.

Renting a Horse in the National Park
If you wish to rent a horse in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, horseback riding by the hour is available from mid-March through late November at four commercial stables located in the park. Rates average $20 per hour. Weight limits and age restrictions may apply. Please call the stable you are interested in for operating hours and hourly rates.

• Cades Cove, near Townsend, TN (865) 448-6286
(also offers hayrides and carriage rides)
• Smokemont, near Cherokee, NC (828) 497-2373
• Smoky Mountain, near Gatlinburg, TN (865) 436-5634
• Sugarlands, near Gatlinburg, TN (865) 436-3535.

Bringing Your Horse to the National Park
Caution is advised in the backcountry. The park's backcountry is managed as a natural area where the forces of nature determine trail conditions. Please be prepared for swollen streams, bridge washouts, downed trees, and trail erosion—riding is not recommended from early December until May due to the seasonal nature of the trail maintenance program.

About 550 miles of the park's hiking trails are open to horses. Horses are restricted to trails specifically designated for horse use. If you wish to ride your own horse in the park, please obtain a copy of the park's trail map. This map indicates the trails on which you may ride horses and explains the park's rules and regulations concerning horse riding in the backcountry. It also provides information about backcountry camping and permit requirements. To obtain an official trail map, stop at any park visitor center or call (865) 436-0120. The cost of the map is $1. You may also download a trail map.

Horses are allowed only on trails specifically designated for horse use. Off-trail or cross-country riding is prohibited. Horse riders may use designated campsites located on trails open to their use, however some backcountry campsites must be reserved in advance. These sites are indicated on the park's trail map.

Five drive-in horse camps provide ready access to backcountry horse trails in the park. Camps are located at Cades Cove (Anthony Creek), Big Creek, Cataloochee, Round Bottom, and Towstring. Horse camps are open from April through October. Reservations are required and may be made for all five-horse camps through the National Park Reservation Service by calling 1-877-444-6777. Please write down your reservation number—you will need it when you register at the horse camp.

Fees are $20 per site, except for Big Creek, which is $25 per site. You must pay for the site when you make your reservation. Fees are not accepted at the horse camp. Payment can be made by credit card. Personal checks are accepted only if the reservation is made at least 20 days in advance.

Each campsite has a limit of six people and four horses. If you have more than six people or four horses, you will need to reserve more than one site. Sites vary, but generally you are permitted to have two vehicles and two trailers (horse or camping) at each site.