The Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers a wide variety of environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient activities, less than an hour from the University of Tennessee campus for students who want to get away. Outdoor activities from hiking to rafting, and even rock climbing allow you to embrace nature’s resources while taking advantage of breathtaking views of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Blue Smith, outdoor enthusiast and University of Tennessee alumnus, gathers with friends on Saturday for a spur of the moment trip to hike Alum Cave trail, leading to the breathtaking views of Mount LeConte.

Smith graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics. “I wish I would have taken better advantage of the national park when I was a student. I hike more now than in college,” Smith said.

There are 800 miles of hiking trails to fit any level of experience. Laurel Falls trail is an easier hike that ends at a 75-foot cascading waterfall that you can swim in. A more strenuous hike is the Ramsey Cascade Trail, which opens to crystal clear cascades falling 90 feet into a pool where hikers can cool off. The Sugarlands Visitor Center has information on these and other hiking trails.

Jeff Childers, park employee, views summertime as an opportunity for visitors to best enjoy what the national park offers.

“People can get the rustic and traditional feel from camping or horseback riding through Cades Cove,” Childers said.

The Pigeon River, which runs through the Great Smoky Mountains, provides visitors a low cost way to have fun with guided or self-guided rafting tours, kayak and tubing day rentals. “I see more tubes than rocks in the summer floating down the river,” Childers said. Townsend, at the foot of the Smoky Mountains, offers visitors many places to rent equipment for any outdoor activity.

If you’re into rock climbing, Look Rock in Townsend, is a popular spot among local advanced rock climbers. Justin Caldwell, avid rock climber, said he goes to Look Rock all the time with friends throughout the year.

“It’s a good place to go without having to drive out of town. The summer heat makes it difficult to climb, but it’s well worth it,” Caldwell said.

These outdoor activities are just a few unique ways students can spice up their summer vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains, while conserving money and fuel.