Did you know that when visiting the Smoky Mountains region, you can leave your car in a free parking lot, hop on a Gatlinburg trolley, see the town, connect with a Pigeon Forge trolley, explore the area, and, if you choose to, travel to Sevierville on yet another trolley bus?
Trolley buses connect the cities of Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville, and are extremely convenient and affordable to cruise around in an air conditioned vehicle, take in the views and be served by the quaint, blast-from-the-past-yet-ultra-modern trolley service.
image courtesy of Gatlinburg Trolley
The trolley system is an immensely popular service with locals and visitors alike. Snap pictures from the trolley bus, have fun with your loved ones and relax as someone else takes charge of the wheel, allowing you to “hop on, hop off” at any of the many stops throughout the area.
The trolley is a super cheap option that allows you to skip the hassle of finding parking for your car, and spares your wallet in the process. Taking exact change only, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg trolley fees range from absolutely free, to 50 cents, and up to $2.50 for an all-day pass.
UPDATE 2023 – Gatlinburg trolleys are now FREE anywhere in the Gatlinburg route. They still connect with the Pigeon Forge system, which charges a fare for each ride (or get a day pass), but still very low.
Not only affordable, it’s convenient for young and old alike. The standard Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge trolley accepts baby strollers, wheelchairs and bicycles, and offers a smooth ride.
Online reviews call the trolley drivers informative, chatty and, above all, friendly. They’re happy to help you pick out the highlights of the Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg trolley routes, which include a wealth of attractions. Traveling by trolley you can visit shopping centers, fun family attractions, the shops along the Arts and Crafts Community scenic loop – and amazingly you can even take a mini-tour of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by trolley! You can also go to Dollywood and Splash Country, and take a ride out to Wears Valley.
With the purchase of an all-day pass, you can ride all day, hopping on and off a Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge trolley as frequently as you want. When visiting the area, just locate a trolley shelter or sign – and grab a trolley map that you can pick up mostly everywhere and certainly on the trolley and at the trolley terminals – and get on and off at any of the more than a hundred stops located along combined routes that total over 50 miles of roadway!
All trolleys on the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville systems are specially painted – red and tan for Gatlinburg, green and tan for Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. All the route signs are color coded too, which makes it a snap to see out where you are on the map, and how to get somewhere else. The trolleys run frequently but if you’re the impatient type, you can check your smart phone and locate the GPS position of any individual Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg trolley through the trolley locator.
In Gatlinburg, you can park for free at the Welcome Center and City Hall and travel anywhere in the system. In Pigeon Forge, you can acquire an all-day pass for $3 at the Pigeon Forge trolley main office and terminal located at 186 Old Mill Avenue, beside Patriot Park, near the town’s historic “Old Mill”. From here you can run to Dollywood or The Island, and also connect with the Governors Crossing shopping center in Sevierville.
Information about the Gatlinburg Trolley or the Pigeon Forge Trolley systems
Gatlinburg Trolley web site or call (865) 436-3897
Pigeon Forge Trolley web site or call (865) 453-6444
The Gatlinburg trolley runs daily year-round. The Pigeon Forge trolley also runs daily but only for most of the year — it stops during the winter months of January and February.
See also:Trolley Tour of Lights (Christmas season)
