It’s hard to miss the bright pink Jeeps around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, guests clearly loving the experience seeing all the Smoky Mountains have to offer. We sent Kidding Around contributor Kristina to the Smokies to check out the Smoky Mountain PINK® Jeep® tours and try the off-roading experience. Here’s why it should go on your itinerary the next time you’re in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge.
Media tickets were given for this review but the opinion is solely that of the author.
I looked across the back of the PINK® Jeep® to see both my kids with wide smiles on their faces, bumping around on the seat as we navigated a forty-degree drop in the off-roading obstacle course in Pigeon Forge. Some of our fellow guests may have whelped a bit, too. Having never been off-roading, this was quite the experience – and one we were thrilled to try out.
I had known about PINK® Jeeps® for years, ever since my family vacationed at the Grand Canyon and Sedona in Arizona. The brightly colored Jeeps are hard to miss and I distinctly remember how cool they looked. So when I had the opportunity to give the brand new Smoky Mountain PINK Jeep tour in Pigeon Forge a try, it was a no-brainer. I had waited 15 years for this! It didn’t disappoint.
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What is a PINK® Jeep®?
PINK® Jeep® has been around since 1960, founded in Arizona for the purpose of taking tourists and guests around the backroads and giving them a chance to truly enjoy the scenery without any of the stress of driving or navigating unfamiliar roads. They opened up shop in Pigeon Forge, just 15 minutes from Gatlinburg, in April 2019 and have been giving visitors an awesome experience in the mountains ever since.
The Smoky Mountain PINK® Jeeps® have both seven and nine-seater Jeeps and certainly can accommodate children. They have car seats available as well. Children must be at least 18 months old to ride.
The Roaring Fork Tour
There are plenty of tours to choose from for your adventure. We did the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, a 2.5 hour tour that wound through the back roads of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The motor trail is paved and winds through the forest. Our apt guide told us all about the park’s history and stopped along the trail to check out the deer and turkey we saw. Some cars ahead saw a bear but we couldn’t see it! Our guide did say there are often bear encounters along the way, which is super cool.
There are also a handful of cabins from the 1800s and the settlers that first lived there. We got out to explore the old buildings and take short trails to the creek. We passed a small waterfall and then went to the off-roading course. It was a lot of fun and I can totally understand why people love doing this. There are bumps and steep drops and hills. And the course overlooks Pigeon Forge, which is a beautiful view.
Each Jeep has about $100,000 poured into them which makes the vehicles perfect and safe for these adventures.
Having never been on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, I had no idea it was the location of a trail I’ve been eying for several months, Grotto Falls, a waterfall that you can walk behind. Not one to pass up an opportunity for waterfall chasing and knocking off a bucket list hike, I took my kids later that same afternoon to the trail for the hike. I wouldn’t have known where the trailhead was, or rather that it was so close to Gatlinburg and easily accessible if it weren’t for the PINK® Jeep® tour.
PINK Jeep Tours
Besides the Roaring Fork Tour, Smoky Mountain PINK® Jeep® Tours also offers the Gatlinburg Loop Smoky Mountain Tour, the Newfound Gap Smoky Mountain Tour, and the Foothills Parkway Smoky Mountains Tour. Ticket prices range from $72-$94 depending on the tour. Tours range from two to three hours in length.
It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing and layers are always a good idea. We did a morning tour in October, when temperatures were in the 80s during the day but cooler in the morning and my kids forget their light jackets in the car – so they borrowed mine and a gentleman on our tour offered his, which was so kind. So be prepared.
You don’t do much walking but if you want to explore, wear closed-toed shoes. Watch the weather and bring rain gear it looks like rain. The Jeeps are enclosed and heated or cooled but it’s way more fun to have everything open.
An important note about pregnant moms – they aren’t allowed on the 4×4 trail, only the paved ones. They can do the paved part and wait at a scenic overlook while the Jeep does the off-roading.
I found the Smoky Mountain PINK Jeep tour to be a fantastic way to make those memories with your family that will last for decades to come.
Have you been on a PINK® Jeep® Tour?
PINK® Jeep®
2611 Parkway Pigeon Forge, Pigeon Forge, TN
800.873.3662
Looking for more fun in Gatlinburg? We’ve got your Ultimate Guide to Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.