Blackberry Mountain Is The Luxe Fall Getaway You Didn’t Know You Needed

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park attracts more than 12 million visitors each year, making it the most-visited national park. Crowds are especially dense come fall when the black gums, sourwoods, dogwoods, and red maples burst into fiery foliage. This autumn, leave the camping gear in the garage and splurge on an escape to Blackberry Mountain (from $1,045 per night, blackberrymountain.com), where you can experience the serenity of the ancient Appalachian landscape away from the leaf-peeping masses.

The eastern Tennessee resort, which opened in 2019, sits just outside the park on 5,200 remote acres of protected Smoky Mountains wilderness and marries the luxury accommodations and hospitality of its famed sister property, Blackberry Farm, with an expert-driven lineup of immersive outdoor and wellness activities. But before you picture a weekend of green juices and grain bowls, think again.

“The culinary experience is absolutely as central to the Mountain as it is to the Farm,” says Andy Chabot, who oversees the property’s two restaurants, Firetower and Three Sisters, and a wine cave, with world-class bottles from small, family-run wineries; the house Pinot Noir is a collab with California’s Hirsch Vineyards.

Making good use of the Smokies’ natural bounty, Blackberry Mountain chefs are avid foragers of mushrooms, herbs, vegetables, berries, and other wild ingredients. Despite a health-conscious approach, indulgence is de rigueur. After all, you can hike it off later. Or burn it off in the spin lab, yoga studio, or climbing wall inside the Hub, the center of all resort activity.

Or not. Lounging by the spa’s infinity pool is just fine, too. Spa offerings range from standard hot stone massages and moisturizing facials to chakra balancing and suspended sound bathing. And if Mother Nature is making you miss the camping gear, the resort offers guided backpacking trips—with luxe cots, an open-air stone shelter that will ruin tents forever, and multicourse, chef-prepared al fresco dinners.