The Tremont Experience in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
… feeling great in TREMONT!
The Tremont ranger district is found in the northwest section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This former logging community is now home to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont which has a small visitor center and bookstore.
A self-guided Auto Tour, describing the amazing logging history of Tremont, is available. The tour is on a gravel road (closed in winter) for three miles beyond the Institute. A tour booklet is available from a box on the roadside.
Getting There
From Townsend – 2 miles via Laurel Creek Road.
From Cades Cove – 7 miles via Laurel Creek Road.
From Sugarlands Visitor Center – 17.5 miles via Little River Road to Laurel Creek Road at the Townsend “Y”.
Fishing in Tremont
Middle Prong Creek and all its tributaries feature an abundant wild trout population. A Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license is required within park boundaries and may be acquired at nearby communities or online from North Carolina at ncwildlife.org or in Tennessee at tn.wildlifelicense.com.
Hiking in Tremont
Lumber Ridge Trail – Climbs out of the drainage at Tremont Institute heading east 4 miles to its junction with Meigs Creek trail.
Lynn Camp Prong Trail – Begins where Tremont road dead ends three miles south of Tremont Institute. Lynn Camp Prong is a lovely walk any time of year with many fine views of waterfalls and cascades. From the trailhead walk south 1.3 miles to Middle Prong Trail or continue on to Lynn Camps terminus at Miry Ridge 3.7 miles from the parking area.
West Prong Trail – Beginning on the west side of the Middle Prong from Tremont Institute, West Prong strikes a path west 2.7 miles to its junction with Bote Mountain Trail.
Horses in Tremont
Lynn Camp Prong trail has ample parking for horse trailers three miles upstream from Tremont Institute. This trail is a former logging railroad bed wide enough for two horses to walk abreast. Lynn Camp Prong is a lovely ride any time of year with many fine views of waterfalls and cascades. From the trailhead ride south 1.3 miles to Middle Prong trail or continue on to Lynn Camp Prongs terminus at Miry Ridge 3.7 miles from the parking area.
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
This non-profit organization is the only residential education center in the National Park. Their partnership with the park allows them to work with park rangers and scientists to develop and deliver educational experiences like no other. The Smokies provide an awe-inspiring classroom through all four seasons for everyone ages 5 to 95. With a variety of excellent programs for schools, colleges and universities, the Institute also hosts adult and family workshops, teacher workshops, summer youth camps, and citizen science programs. The Institute at Tremont programs are a life changing experience for anyone, most especially a young person. For more information on programs and to register, visit gsmit.org. Financial aid is available.
Tremont History
The Tremont area was once a thriving community for generations of mountain pioneers. In 1901 the Little River Logging Company began buying land and a clear cutting frenzy began. For the next three decades they sawed, skidded, and hauled away one of the greatest old-growth, deciduous forests on Earth. Tremont was the last area of the National Park to be logged and almost two thirds of the trees were removed before the advent of the Park.
