🏕️National Park Data
A thick layer of frost covers the fields, trees, and mountains in Cades Cove.
Wisps of fog hang over the forests in the mountains.
A clear sky with a vast snowy mountain scene.
A hillside in the forest covered with white trillium flowers
Bright gold and red leaves shine through the fog in a forest.
Gold and red fall colors fill the valleys while snow coats the mountain tops.
National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Carolina•Tennessee

💰
Entrance Fee
Free
🕐
Hours
All Day
📍
Location
Gatlinburg, TN
📞
Visitor Center
(865)436-1200
⭐

Expert Verdict & Insider Tips

⭐ **My Rating: 4.6/5** **The Vibe**: Rolling blue mountains, deep forests, and historic cabins. **Insider Advice for Parking Tags & Cades Cove**: * **Get a Parking Tag**: Although entrance is free, a parking tag is required for any vehicle parking for more than 15 minutes. Buy it online or at visitor centers and display it on your dashboard. * **Cades Cove Traffic Warning**: Cades Cove is a beautiful loop road for viewing wildlife and historic cabins. However, the 11-mile loop is a single lane and can take 2-4 hours to drive during busy weekends due to traffic. Go on Wednesdays during summer when the loop is closed to vehicles and open only to bikes and pedestrians. * **Clingmans Dome Weather**: Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the park. The temperature at the summit is often 10-20°F cooler than the towns of Gatlinburg or Cherokee. Pack a jacket even in mid-summer.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country. Spanning North Carolina and Tennessee, it is famous for its misty blue ridges, historic log cabins, and incredible biodiversity. The park is completely free to enter, though a parking tag is now required. It’s a great destination for scenic drives, waterfall hikes, and viewing historic Appalachian settlements.

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About Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a national park located in North Carolina and Tennessee. Elevations in the park range from approximately 875 feet (267 meters) to 6,643 feet (2,025 meters) and the topography can drastically affect local weather. Temperatures can vary by 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit from mountain base to top, and clear skies lower down do not guarantee equally pleasant weather at higher elevations.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the borders of the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. The three main entrances to the park are in Gatlinburg, TN; Townsend, TN; and Cherokee, NC.

💰 Entrance Fees & Passes

Entry to Great Smoky Mountains is completely free. There are no general entrance fees or vehicle passes required to access this park unit.

🥾 Things to Do

Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers visitors a diverse selection of outdoor experiences. You can participate in a wide array of activities, most notably Arts and Culture, Live Music, Auto and ATV, Scenic Driving, and 32 other recreational activities, depending on the season and weather conditions. Path options exist for both casual strollers and expert backcountry adventurers.

✅ Arts and Culture
✅ Live Music
✅ Auto and ATV
✅ Scenic Driving
✅ Astronomy Guide →✅ Stargazing Guide →
✅ Biking
✅ Road Biking
✅ Camping Guide →✅ Backcountry Camping Guide →✅ Car or Front Country Camping Guide →✅ Horse Camping (see also Horse/Stock Use) Guide →✅ Group Camping Guide →✅ RV Camping Guide →✅ Fishing Guide →✅ Freshwater Fishing Guide →✅ Fly Fishing Guide →
✅ Food
✅ Picnicking
✅ Guided Tours
✅ Self-Guided Tours - Auto
✅ Hands-On
✅ Citizen Science
✅ Hiking Guide →✅ Backcountry Hiking Guide →✅ Front-Country Hiking Guide →
✅ Horse Trekking
✅ Horse Camping (see also camping) Guide →
✅ Horseback Riding
✅ Junior Ranger Program
✅ Wildlife Watching Guide →✅ Birdwatching Guide →
✅ Park Film
✅ Museum Exhibits
✅ Shopping
✅ Bookstore and Park Store

📦 Recommended Gear & Packing Checklist

Custom items selected for activities at Great Smoky Mountains

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🎒 Trail Essentials

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🥾 Activity-Specific Gear

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🧥 Apparel & Layers

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💡 Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

📋 Visitor Planning Tips for Great Smoky Mountains

  • →Beat the Crowds: Arrive at the main gates or trailheads of Great Smoky Mountains before 8:00 AM. Parking spaces at popular locations fill up extremely fast, especially during warm peak season weekends.
  • →Monitor Active Alerts: There are currently 5 active alerts for Great Smoky Mountains. Keep an eye on the alert notifications at the top of this guide for crucial information regarding closures or safety issues.
  • →Secure Campsites Early: Lodging and developed campgrounds within and surrounding Great Smoky Mountains get booked out months in advance. Make reservations on recreation.gov as early as the window opens.
  • →Leave No Trace: Help protect the delicate ecosystems of Great Smoky Mountains. Stay on marked trails, pack out all of your waste, and keep a respectful distance from wildlife.
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Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America's most visited national park. Plan your visit today!

Seasonal Visitor Guides

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spring Guide
☀️
summer Guide
🍂
fall Guide
❄️
winter Guide

Frequently Asked Questions about Great Smoky Mountains

The entrance fee for Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Free per vehicle. The America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all 474+ NPS sites and pays for itself after just 2-3 park visits.

About the Author

🧗

James R. Mitchell

Founder & Lead Writer — National Park Data

James has visited all 63 designated US national parks and has been writing about outdoor travel for over 12 years. He spent 8 years as a wilderness guide in the Rocky Mountains before founding National Park Data to help visitors plan better, safer, and more enjoyable park trips.

🏔️ 63 Parks Visited✍️ 12 Years Writing🧭 Wilderness GuideFull Bio →
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