Every overnight stay in the Great Smoky Mountains backcountry needs a permit. Since April 30, 2026, permits are booked on recreation.gov and cost $8 per person per night plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee, with no maximum total. The Appalachian Trail thru-hiker permit is $44.50. Camping is allowed only at designated sites and shelters.
How much does a Smokies backcountry permit cost in 2026?
The Park Service's backcountry camping page lists the current fees:
- Nightly fee: $8 per person, per night, unchanged from before the switch to recreation.gov.
- Reservation fee: $6, non-refundable, added to each permit reservation.
- Cap: the old $40 maximum is gone, so a long itinerary for a big group now costs the full per-night total.
- Thru-hiker permit: $44.50 for the Appalachian Trail passage through the park, up from $40.
- Parking: your permit does not cover your car. A parking tag is still required for any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes ($5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annual). Federal passes are not accepted.
A weekend example: two people camping two nights pay 2 x 2 x $8 = $32 in nightly fees plus the $6 reservation fee, so $38, plus a parking tag.
How do you book a backcountry permit?
Reservations are made online at recreation.gov and are required in advance. Permits issued before April 30 are honored. A single permit covers your whole itinerary: entry point, each night's site and exit point. Rangers check permits in the field, and unpermitted overnight camping is a citable offense.
Check the Park Service's backcountry page for the current booking window and any changes, because the system moved to a new platform in 2026. The system will not let you book a combination of sites that cannot physically be hiked in a day.
Stay limits to know:
- You may not stay at any one backcountry campsite for more than three consecutive nights.
- You may not stay consecutive nights at campsite 113 or at any shelter.
How many backcountry sites are there?
The park has roughly 100 designated campsites and shelters, and overnight camping is allowed only at those. Off-trail and dispersed camping are prohibited everywhere in the park.
- Campsites are cleared tent pads, usually with a bear cable system and sometimes a fire ring where fires are permitted.
- Shelters, almost all on the Appalachian Trail, are three-sided structures with sleeping platforms, a nearby water source and bear cables.
Which Appalachian Trail shelters are in the park?
The AT crosses roughly 71 miles of the park, and 12 shelters span the route from Davenport Gap in the east to Birch Spring Gap in the west: Davenport Gap, Cosby Knob, Tricorner Knob, Icewater Spring, Mt. Collins, Double Spring Gap, Silers Bald, Derrick Knob, Spence Field, Russell Field, Mollies Ridge and Birch Spring Gap.
As of the Park Service's October 15, 2026 closures list, Cosby Knob Shelter and backcountry campsites #19, #70, #91 and #5 are closed, and the Scott Mountain Trail is closed from campsite #6 to Schoolhouse Gap. Several North Carolina trails damaged by Hurricane Helene are still closed or limited, so check the closures page before you finalize an itinerary.
Treat or filter every water source. Springs are seasonal, so carry enough to reach the next dependable source.
When are backcountry permits hardest to get?
Popular shelters and ridge sites fill first, and the heaviest demand falls in three windows:
- Late March through April: northbound AT thru-hikers moving through the park.
- Mid-June to mid-July: the summer backpacking peak.
- Mid-September through late October: fall color, especially at ridge sites with views.
Midweek trips book much more easily than weekends. Shifting an itinerary by a day often opens up otherwise-full sites.
What are the bear-storage rules?
The Smokies have one of the densest black bear populations of any national park, and food storage is mandatory. All food, trash and scented items, including toothpaste, lip balm and sunscreen, must be hung on the bear cable system at each campsite or shelter, and secured any time you are away from camp. Never leave food unattended, even for a short hike from camp. Bears that learn to associate people with food often become problem bears, and problem bears are often killed.
What is Leave No Trace in the backcountry?
Pack it in, pack it out. Food scraps, orange peels, toilet paper and hygiene products all leave the park with you. Human waste goes in a six-to-eight-inch cathole at least 200 feet from water, trails and campsites, or in a shelter privy. Soap, even biodegradable soap, stays out of streams.
Can you camp with horses?
Yes. The park operates designated horse camps, including Big Creek, Cataloochee and Anthony Creek, with hitching posts, water and camp pads. Horse camps are $30 a night (Big Creek is $36) and book through recreation.gov. Horse-specific rules apply, and not every backcountry trail is open to stock.
How does the thru-hiker permit work?
The AT through the Smokies is one of the harder stretches of the 2,200-mile trail, with big climbs, changeable weather and a shelter bottleneck. Northbound hikers reach the park in late March or April, which creates the main bubble. Southbound hikers pass through in late summer or fall. Thru-hikers use the $44.50 permit, with entry and exit points and intended shelter nights, and flexibility is part of the plan when shelters are crowded.
Where do you check conditions before you go?
Severe weather, bear activity, trail damage and wildfires close sites and trails at short notice. Check nps.gov/grsm close to departure, not only when you book. If a reserved site or its trail closes, recreation.gov and the park can help you rebook or refund. Kuwohi, the park's 6,643-foot high point, was renamed from Clingmans Dome in 2024, so expect the new name on signs and maps.