Photo courtesy Smokemont Riding Stables
Riding a horse for an hour or so is a lovely way to enjoy the mountains with the family. This baker’s dozen of guided horseback ride facilities in the region should be enough to satisfy any horse lover.
Four stables are located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Cades Cove, near Townsend, Tennessee offers a trip back in time with rides through the wilderness of Cades Cove.
Smokemont, near Cherokee, North Carolina, provides short hourly rides, longer excursions to waterfalls, or wagon rides through the landscape.
Smoky Mountain Stables, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, offers “a peaceful view of the Great Smoky Mountains on the back of a well-trained horse.”
Sugarlands, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has horseback rides with beautiful wooded scenery and mountain streams.
Outside the park you can find a variety of enjoyable stables.
Near Bryson City, North Carolina, Nantahala Village Riding Stables offers a fun family-friendly riding experience overlooking Fontana Lake.
Jayell Ranch, near Dollywood, offers Smoky Mountain views on hour-long, four-mile trails through more than 260 acres.
Smoky Mountain Deer Farm in Sevierville, Tennessee, has exotic animals and horseback rides through the deer farm’s shaded woodlands.
Cataloochee Guest Ranch near Maggie Valley offers seasonal rides including visits to The Swag for the chef's picnic lunch.
Five Oaks Riding Stables, in Sevierville, Tennessee, is 70 acres with 30 minute or one-hour ride through the mountain streams and mountain views.
Big Rock Dude Ranch in Pigeon Forge offers horse back riding in the Smoky Mountains year round (weather permitting).
Sandy Bottom Trail Rides in Marshall, North Carolina, offers one, two and three-hour rides, including a stop at Little Pine Gem Mine.