Scenic pullout · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Layered ridgelines from a short roadside pull-off.
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 area
A Waterfall as a Refuge“Some waterfalls protect more than scenery. They can keep introduced trout from swimming upstream into a brook trout refuge.”
Plays on the road 0.5 mi from Swinging Bridges South Overlook in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
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“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
Swinging Bridges South is a small pull-off on US 441 (Newfound Gap Road), near mile marker 14. A railed sidewalk looks over a valley and successive mountain ridges, so the payoff is an easy panorama without a hike. Despite the name, this southern stop is an overlook, not a swinging bridge.
From the sidewalk, frame the valley with the layered ridgelines beyond it; the near slopes give the panorama depth. Fog can hide the distant layers, so clear visibility makes the short stop more rewarding.
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
EasySwinging Bridge Quiet Walkway1 mi · 36 min · 0.2 mi awayA quiet ridge walk with a steady climb back to US 441.
EasyBeech Flats Quiet Walkway1 mi · 45 min · 0.3 mi awayWalk a mossy old roadbed into the cool woods.
ChallengingDeep Creek Trail14.3 mi · 8 hr · 0.7 mi awayA long one-way descent from Newfound Gap Road to Deep Creek.
ChallengingThomas Divide Trail13.6 mi · 8 hr · 1 mi awayA soft upper ridge gives way to a steep, 14-mile traverse.
ModerateOld Deep Creek Quiet Walkway0.1 mi · 15 min · 1 mi awayA signed, steep forest path drops from Newfound Gap Road.
ChallengingMount Le Conte via Appalachian Trail and Boulevard Trail16.2 mi · 10 hr · 1.4 mi awayA demanding ridge traverse to Le Conte via the Appalachian Trail.
ModerateCharlies Bunion via Appalachian Trail8 mi · 5 hr · 1.4 mi awayAn 8-mile Appalachian Trail out-and-back to an exposed Smokies outcrop
ModerateThe Jump Off Trail6.5 mi · 4 hr · 1.4 mi awayClimb a rough AT approach to a cliffside Smokies panorama
Scenic pullout · 0.6 mi awayCharles A. Webb OverlookA quick pull-off for layered ridges and a glimpse of Kuwohi.
Scenic pullout · 0.6 mi awayDeep Creek Valley OverlookA roadside viewpoint over Deep Creek Valley
Sight · 1.4 mi awayNewfound Gap OverlookA 5,046-foot pass, a state line, and a historic terrace.
Scenic pullout · 1.6 mi awayLuftee OverlookA quick roadside pause for layered ridges and sunrise.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayBen Morton OverlookA west-facing Smokies overlook with a seasonal sunset alignment.
Sight · 3 mi awayThe JumpoffA rugged ridge walk ends at a cliff-edge panorama.
Sight · 3.3 mi awayArch RockTake the stone steps right through a natural arch.
Sight · 3.6 mi awayAlum Cave BluffsA 4.6-mile Smokies hike ends beneath a 75-foot rock overhang.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.
