There are very few places more perfect for a bike ride than East Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. A new business, Bike The Smokies, opens this weekend to make it easy for people to get out of their cars and experience the wonders of the Smoky Mountains.
Bike The Smokies is the area’s first full-service bicycle rental company that rents bikes to individuals or groups for use in and around the park. The bikes – which are manufactured by Orbea – can be rented from the Gatlinburg company for two hours up to eight hours per day.
Although the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has no designated mountain biking trails, there are plenty of good trails in and around the Smokies where biking is allowed. Bike The Smokies has identified most of those areas and provides detailed maps with their rental bikes that show not only the location of the trails and paths, but the difficulty of the terrain and things you will encounter while riding (farms, waterfalls, cemeteries, etc.).
“People come from all over the world to visit the Great Smoky Mountains,” said Rick Laney, spokesman for Bike The Smokies. “Unfortunately, many of them never leave their car. Bike The Smokies makes it easy for people to get outside and appreciate the Smokies in an up-close and personal way that will leave a lasting impression.
“People will be amazed at what happens when they slow down and truly experience the wonders of the Great Smoky Mountains in a whole new way ̶ by bike.”
Bike The Smokies will open for business this Friday, July 15 at 9 a.m. The business will operate every day from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Although walk-ins are always welcome, Bike The Smokies recommends using the company’s online reservation system to ensure bicycle availability at a specific departure time.
“Sometimes we all need to look at things from a different perspective,” Laney said. “Things we see every day can take on an entirely new meaning when viewed from a new perspective – and biking provides an entirely new way to take in all the Great Smoky Mountains have to offer. People shouldn’t settle for just seeing the Smokies, they should get out and experience them completely.”
Bike The Smokies is located at 3726 East Parkway in Gatlinburg. Reservations and detailed information are available at www.BikeTheSmokies.com.
