Exploring Tennessee: Best Sunset Hikes in Knoxville, TN

Hiking, in general, is fantastic. But hiking while the sun sets? Simply amazing. Why limit your after-work adventures to a bar or sit-down restaurant? (not that there’s anything WRONG with that!) If you love nature, do yourself a favor and go on one of these great sunset hikes in Knoxville, TN. Test your stamina while taking in the beauty of nature.

Check out our top picks!

5 Best Sunset Hikes in Knoxville, TN

1. Cades Cove – 10 mi. SW of Townsend in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Start your adventure in one of the best places in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to see a long-standing Cherokee hunting site. Cades Cove contains 11 miles of one-way loop roads circumnavigating the entire cove. Bicycles are also allowed on the route. At trailheads along Cades Cove Circle are the trailheads for hikes to Abrams Falls, Rocky Top, and both summits of Thunderhead Mountain.

2. High Ground Park – 1000 Cherokee Trail, Knoxville

High Ground Park, created in 1863 as part of Fort Higley, now features hardwood trees, blooming shrubs, and a stone wall. Take a walk in River Bluff Wildlife Area after parking at Cherokee Road and watching the sunset. Make your way to the park’s iconic swing and viewpoint by taking a right at the first fork or the left at the second. 

3. Clingman’s Dome – Sevier County, Tennessee

Clingman’s Dome is 6,643 feet high, so you know it’s an excellent place to watch sunsets in Tennessee and North Carolina. The 360-degree vistas stretch up to 100 kilometers during clear days, and the sunsets are amazing. 

While a steep paved trail can reach Clingman’s Dome, the Appalachian Trail also runs through this area. 

4. Sharp’s Ridge Memorial Park – 329 Sharp’s Ridge Memorial Drive, Knoxville

Sharp’s Ridge provides views of the Knoxville cityscape and the Great Smoky Mountains’ postcard-worthy gradient. The Ridge is a 111-acre park where you can see the most beautiful sunsets in Tennessee, so make sure to add this trail to your list.

You can view the mountains and the spectacular sunset from the three-mile multi-use trail below when the leaves have fallen in the fall.

The Bottom Line

The beauty of sunsets demonstrates that endings do not always have to be sad. With the best views you will ever see, it’s an excellent idea to seize this opportunity while it lasts!

Are you looking for your ideal home in Knoxville, TN? You can find just what you’re looking for with our expertise in the West Knoxville area. You can use our contact page to get in touch with us, and we’ll get back to you quickly. 

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