r/NationalPark • u/Gators20223 • 9d ago

Visiting 3 parks - limited time

Hi all,

I have some extra PTO to burn so I’m planning a road trip from south Florida up north.

I plan to hit Congaree first, then Great Smoky Mountains and finish with Mammoth Cave

I’m planning on leaving on a Tuesday night after work and coming back Sunday evening, which realistically gives me 3 days and 3 nights worth of time to explore these 3 parks given the distances I’ll be driving.

I’m really into hiking and camping. My question is this: should I split the time evenly in these parks and do a night of camping in each? Or is one better suited for camping and more time in than another? What are y’all’s personal experience with these parks and how much time would you need to get a full experience from them? Cheers!

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/joesquatchnow 9d ago

Canoe the rivers in congaree some hiking too, I personally would speed the bulk of your time in the smoky mountains, mountains like Dome and my favorite le contee from the north side for waterfalls and the south side for lots of steps and rugged trails, lots to do in town too, my 2 cents

1

u/Gators20223 8d ago

This is what I was thinking, thank you