Scenic pullout · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A quick ridge view with a visible story of forest recovery.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Great Smoky Mountains audio tourRecorded for this place
Carlos Campbell Overlook“Up ahead is Carlos Campbell Overlook, a quick roadside stop for layered mountain ridges.”
Plays as you drive up to Carlos Campbell Overlook in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
This roadside scenic pullout on Newfound Gap Road (US 441) is the first overlook south of Sugarlands Visitor Center. Stop for layered mountain ridges and a short break in the drive; it is a quick viewpoint rather than a hike or a destination that needs much time. If you are choosing just one view, some visitors find the panoramas farther along the road more expansive.
Look for the dense band of pines on the ridge. They grew after a wildfire burned it in 2016, and the contrast between new growth and the more open, bare slopes gives the view its character. For a photo, include both the recovering ridge and the forested valley so the pattern of regrowth is part of the frame.
The overlook honors Carlos Clinton Campbell Sr., a Knoxville Chamber of Commerce director and an advocate for creating the national park. His first Smokies visit was a Boy Scout camp in 1922; after hiking Mount LeConte in 1924, he became a forceful park advocate. He later published Birth of a National Park (1960) and coauthored Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (1962).
Wildlife
1,566 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
899 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
142 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
26 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
42 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Smoky Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyJohn Carr Place Quiet Walkway0.5 mi · 24 min · 0.2 mi awayA short forest walk links a river path and a roadside overlook.
EasyRiverview Quiet Walkway0.9 mi · 45 min · 0.2 mi awayA short river loop with a smooth roadbed and rougher return.
ModerateHuskey Gap Trail4 mi · 2.8 hr · 0.4 mi awayAn old stone wall and schoolhouse story reward the quiet climb.
EasyBullhead View Quiet Walkway0.2 mi · 15 min · 0.9 mi awayA short riverside walk reached by steep steps and a creek bridge.
EasyBalsam Point Quiet Walkway0.4 mi · 30 min · 1.2 mi awayA short wooded loop with a rock-wall clearing and stream.
EasySugarlands Valley Nature Trail0.5 mi · 15 min · 1.5 mi awayA flat forest loop with chimneys, streamside views, and an easy pace.
ChallengingBullhead Trail to Mount Le Conte13.6 mi · 10 hr · 1.8 mi awayA long, steep route to Le Conte with exposed ridge views.
EasyGatlinburg Trail4 mi · 1.8 hr · 2 mi awayA gentle river walk where dogs and bikes are allowed.
Visitor center · 2 mi awaySugarlands Visitor CenterGet your bearings with a bear exhibit, ranger advice, and trail map.
Picnic area · 2.2 mi awayTwin Creeks Picnic PavilionA wooded group pavilion for gatherings of up to 150.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayJohn Ownby CabinA short wooded walk to Sugarlands' last standing home.
Scenic pullout · 2.2 mi awayChimney Tops OverlookStep out for the twin peaks without taking a hike.
Sight · 2.2 mi awaySugarlands Riding StablesGuided rides on wooded trails, streams, and mountain terrain.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayCataract FallsA small waterfall after a short creekside walk from Sugarlands.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayNoah Bud Ogle PlaceA rare saddlebag cabin beside a creek-powered mill.
Picnic area · 2.4 mi awayChimneys Picnic AreaA shady lunch stop beside a cold, boulder-strewn river.Parkwolf’s Great Smoky Mountains ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
