The Best Smoky Mountain Hiking Games for Kids

The Smoky Mountain Jr. Explorer Guide

Children don't always love waking up at the crack of dawn to walk long distances and if you aren't careful your hike could become less of a peaceful bonding experience and more of a tug-of-war between going back or making it to the waterfall. The Smoky Mountain Jr. Explorer Guide was designed in order to create an all new way for your children to play while hiking in the national forest with interactive photo hunts, scavenger hunts, maps and games your kids never knew hiking could be this fun! With the best hiking games for kids you can relax and enjoy the view.

Smoky Mountains Wildlife Guide

The Smoky Mountains are the most biodiverse mountains in the US with 65 different mammal species, 240 different species of birds and 4,000 plant species! Don't just go on vacation teach your kids about the animals that call The Smoky Mountains their home. Learn fun facts about the mountains, mammals, birds, butterflies, wildflowers, poisonous plants and forest types all in a kid friendly format. Plus Smoky Mountain hiking basics like reading a compass, hiking safety, bear tracking and so much more!

Scavenger/ Photo Hunts and Games

The Smoky Mountain Jr. Explorer Guide is full of ways to keep kids minds busy exploring with all kinds of hiking games with photo hunts and scavenger hunts including; a Cades Cove, bird, creek and nature scavenger hunt, all made specifically for the items you will see in The Smoky Mountains.

You will also find kid friendly maps from some of The Smoky Mountains most popular trails. Your kids can chose to fill out the landmarks they see on an unmarked map or bring a map with landmarks already placed so they can lead the way!

Are you ready for a game? Get out your "Would You Rather?" game and get to know what excites your kids! With questions that make your kids think about what truely matters to them.

While your kids are busy exploring nature and marking off their scavenger hunt you can relax and take a breath of fresh air! Don't just walk learn, play and explore!

Fairy Investigation

Are you ready for a whole new way to explore The Smoky Mountains? Get your kids and your exploring hats and get ready to go on a "real" fairy investigation. The Twin Creek Trail has been suspected of fairy activety and it's up to your kids to check it out!

In The Smoky Mountain Jr. Explorer Guide you will find a top secret letter asking for help looking for any proof of fairies existence! Children should keep eyes peeled looking for anything that could lead to the proof of fairies including: flower beds, butterflies, anything resembling a house, trinkets or shiny objects.

The Smoky Mountain Explorer Guide includes an all about fairies page so you can learn what to look for and what fairies are like in the mountains, plus a map so your children can mark off anything they see that suggests fairies could be about! Shh.. Make sure not to spoil the surprise fairyhouse (an old spring house)! Watch as they discover almost "real" magic. The guide also comes with detailed instructions so you know exactly what you're doing and where you're going as a parent.

This structure can be found off the "Twin Creek Trail" you can choose to park in the Twin Creek public parking area which is the closest to the fairyhouse if you just want to squeeze in a short walk.

If you want to make an adventure out of it you can choose to park in Mynatt park or at the Ogle Place parking lot area. If you choose to park in the Ogle Place parking lot you will also have the opportunity to explore the "Bud" Ogle cabin and a tub mill on his property. The fairyhouse is located in the middle between the two parking areas leaving about a 2.2 mile walk from either side round trip, or a 4.5 mile walk if you want to walk the whole Twin Creek Trail.

You will find the moss covered house built into the side of a mountain by following the small path off the main trail. If you are coming from mynatt park it will be past the resource center and if you are coming from Ogles Place it will be before it. The path will lead you through the trees behind the resource center.

Troll Investigation

If fairies aren't really your style there is also a troll investigation to find an almost real troll bridge including a top secret letter, all about trolls page and a map to the troll infested trail! Troll investigators will have to travel down the "Little River Trail". If completed it's a 4.9 mile hike taking you along an exceptionally clean river that many aquatic species call home including hellbender salamanders and otters! Luckily for those of us not interested in a four hour hike the troll bridge is located a measley 100 feet into the trail by following the small path to the right side. I suggest passing it and coming bak to find it once you're ready.

Investigators will be expected to mark off anything that may lead to the assumption that trolls are real! But this trail has a magic twist watch where you step because large rocks can bite and the trees are of course watching!

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