Scenic pullout · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A short pullout with a southwest view over Cosby Valley.
Overview
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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
Green Mountain and Cosby Overlooks“You're approaching Green Mountain Overlook on Foothills Parkway East. Its southeast-facing view takes in a wooded slope, a valley and the high ridge beyond, making it my pick along this short drive around sunrise.”
Plays as you drive up to Cosby 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
Cosby Overlook is a roadside pullout on the eastern section of the Foothills Parkway, 1.4 miles from Cosby Highway. It sits at 1,811 feet and faces southwest. If you’re already driving the 5.6-mile section toward I-40, it’s an easy pause for a layered mountain view; the overlook is the whole visit, with no hike needed.
The view opens across a forested valley and long ridges. Cherokee National Forest and Raines Knob are among the named vistas along this stretch of parkway. From the pullout, a wide photo that holds the wooded valley and ridgeline together shows the scale better than a tight crop.
Wildlife
1,569 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
900 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
ModerateAlbright Grove Loop Trail6.7 mi · 4.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayOld-growth trees reward the long approach to Albright Grove.
ChallengingMaddron Bald Trail7.2 mi · 6.5 hr · 3.2 mi awayA long climb from old growth to a brushy high bald.
ModerateGabes Mountain Trail to Hen Wallow Falls4.3 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.7 mi awayA rooty 4.3-mile out-and-back ends at a steep 90-foot waterfall.
ChallengingMount Cammerer Trail11.1 mi · 7 hr · 3.9 mi awayA steep climb to a historic tower above the Smokies.
ChallengingLow Gap Trail5.4 mi · 5 hr · 3.9 mi awayCreek crossings and a steep climb to the remote Walnut Bottom junction.
ChallengingLow Gap, Appalachian Trail and Snake Den Ridge Loop Trail13.1 mi · 9 hr · 3.9 mi awayA full-day loop links Low Gap, the AT, and Snake Den Ridge.
ModerateSutton Ridge Overlook Trail3.5 mi · 2 hr · 3.9 mi awayA short, steep spur reaches a north-facing view over Riding Fork.ChallengingSnake Den Ridge Trail10.6 mi · 8 hr · 4 mi awayA steep 10.6-mile out-and-back to the Appalachian Trail.
Scenic pullout · 0.8 mi awayGreen Mountain OverlookA southeast-facing view worth timing for sunrise.
Scenic pullout · 1.9 mi awayAllen Grove OverlookA quick mountain-view break on Foothills Parkway East.
Scenic pullout · 2.8 mi awayGreasy Cove OverlookA quick northwest view before the parkway meets I-40.Sight · 3.3 mi awayHen Wallow FallsA 90-foot cascade makes the rooted climb worthwhile.
Picnic area · 3.8 mi awayCosby Picnic AreaA shady 35-site picnic stop beside Cosby Creek
Campground · 4 mi awayCosby CampgroundA shady, tent-heavy base with hiking routes nearby.
Sight · 4.9 mi awayTyson McCarter PlaceThe farmyard’s unusual layout rewards a long trail detour.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.
