Great Smoky Mountains National Park

How much does it cost to enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Entry is free, but you need a parking tag for any vehicle parked in the park for more than 15 minutes. Tags cost $5 for a day, $15 for a week (seven days) or $40 for a year, the same for every vehicle size. The tag must be physically displayed in the vehicle, is tied to one license plate and cannot be transferred, replaced or refunded. A phone screen or printed receipt does not count, and America the Beautiful and other federal passes are not accepted in place of the tag. Enforcement runs from a warning to a citation or a tow at the owner's expense.

Buy a tag at a visitor center, at Greenbrier Grocery, at the Great Smokies Welcome Center in Townsend, at 24-hour credit-card machines in the larger lots, or on recreation.gov. The Park Service fees page lists exemptions (for example, disability placard holders) and the 2026 fee-free days, when no tag is needed. Our parking guide explains where each option works. A tag guarantees a legal permit, not a space, so arrive early at popular trailheads.

How big is the park, and where do you enter?

The park drew 11.5 million visits in 2025, making it the most-visited national park in the United States by a wide margin. October is the busiest month. Plan around that, because a park of this size can still feel crowded where roads converge.

Newfound Gap Road (US-441) is the only paved road that crosses the park, a 33-mile drive between the two main entrances: Sugarlands, near Gatlinburg, and Oconaluftee, near Cherokee. The third main gateway is Townsend, the quiet western entrance to Cades Cove and Little River Road. Other entrances include Greenbrier and Cosby in the north, Cataloochee in the east and Deep Creek near Bryson City. There are four visitor centers (Sugarlands, Oconaluftee, Cades Cove and Kuwohi), and the hours page has current schedules; visitor centers are open year-round except December 25.

What are the current road and trail conditions?

Check the Park Service conditions page and the temporary closures page before every visit. As of this fall:

• Laurel Falls Trail is closed and is not expected to reopen until sometime in 2027. It has been closed since January 6, 2025 for reconstruction, along with part of the Sugarland Mountain Trail. Good alternatives are Grotto Falls, Rainbow Falls and Abrams Falls.
• Bullhead Trail to Mount LeConte is closed Monday through Thursday through November 19, 2026 for rehabilitation, and open Friday through Sunday.
• Mingus Mill near Oconaluftee is closed until further notice for preservation work.
• Chimney Tops remains closed above the viewing platform because of the 2016 fire.
• Carlos Campbell Overlook on Newfound Gap Road is temporarily closed.
• Helene damage still affects several North Carolina trails, including Caldwell Fork, Gunter Fork and Swallow Fork, and Straight Fork Road has no reopening date.

Newfound Gap Road can also close with little notice for wind, ice and snow, as it did on October 9 for a high-wind warning.

What are the main areas of the park?

Cades Cove

The Cades Cove Loop is an 11-mile one-way road through a preserved valley of cabins, churches and a water-powered mill, and the park's best place to see deer and, often, bears. It opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. In 2026 the road was closed to cars all day on Wednesdays from May 6 to September 30 for walkers and cyclists, and the Park Service usually announces the next season's dates in April. Cable Mill is open daily from March 15 to November 29 in 2026. Expect slow traffic on summer and fall weekends and start at dawn if you can.

Newfound Gap and Kuwohi

Newfound Gap (5,046 feet) is the Tennessee-North Carolina crossing on the way to the Appalachian Trail trailhead for Charlies Bunion. From the gap, Kuwohi Road leads seven miles to the highest point in the park, Kuwohi, which stands at 6,643 feet and was formerly known as Clingmans Dome. Its Cherokee name was restored in 2024. A steep half-mile paved walk from the parking lot reaches the observation tower. In 2026 the road is open from April 1 to November 29, weather permitting, and no timed entry or reservation is required. The tower can be cold and cloudy even on bright days at the valley, so bring layers.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

This 5.5-mile one-way loop near Gatlinburg passes old-growth forest, mountain streams and preserved log homesteads, and it leads to the trailhead for Grotto Falls. See the Roaring Fork guide. It runs from mid-April to November 29 in 2026, closes for winter, is steep and narrow, and is not open to vehicles longer than 25 feet or towing a trailer.

Elkmont

Elkmont is a historic summer-home district and campground on Little River Road, and the site of the park's synchronous firefly viewing. Access is by lottery: in 2026 the lottery ran April 24 to 27 on recreation.gov, entry cost $1 to apply and $29 if selected, and each reservation covered one vehicle with up to seven people for one night during the viewing period of May 20 to 27. The Park Service expects the 2027 lottery during the week of April 27. See the fireflies guide and the Elkmont campground page.

Oconaluftee

Oconaluftee is the park's southern gateway, just north of Cherokee. The visitor center, the Mountain Farm Museum and the elk fields beside them make it an easy, free half day, and the Oconaluftee River Trail is a flat path that allows leashed dogs. The best elk viewing is at dawn and dusk; see the elk-watching guide.

Cataloochee

Cataloochee Valley is a remote eastern valley with preserved homesteads and one of the park's reintroduced elk herds. Cataloochee Road is narrow, winding and partly gravel, open year-round weather permitting. There are no timed-entry tickets or reservations for the valley, but there are also no stores, restaurants or gas. Several trails here were damaged by Hurricane Helene, so check closures first.

Greenbrier and Cosby

Greenbrier, a short drive east of Gatlinburg off US-321, has a river-side picnic area open year-round and the trailheads for Ramsey Cascades and Porters Creek, one of the park's best wildflower walks. Cosby, in the northeast corner, is quieter; Hen Wallow Falls is the reward for a moderate hike there. Both areas help you escape the crowds in October.

Deep Creek

Near Bryson City, Deep Creek has three waterfalls on short trails, a campground and a creek where summer visitors tube. See Bryson City for the loop and the nearby train.

Which park roads close for the season in 2026-27?

The Park Service posts a seasonal roads schedule, and the 2026 dates are:

• Kuwohi Road: April 1 to November 29, closing earlier for snow or ice.
• Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail: mid-April to November 29.
• Little Greenbrier Road: April 3 to November 29.
• Rich Mountain Road: April 10 to November 9.
• Parson Branch Road: May 1 to November 9.
• Heintooga Ridge Road: May 15 to October 31.
• Forge Creek Road: March 6 to December 31.
• Newfound Gap Road, Little River Road, Cades Cove Loop and Cataloochee Road: open year-round, weather permitting.

Most campgrounds also close for winter, though Cades Cove and Smokemont stay open year-round. All frontcountry campgrounds require advance reservations through recreation.gov. Expect 2027 road dates to follow a similar pattern, announced in spring.

What are the park rules?

• Stay 50 yards from bears and elk. Approaching within 50 yards, or any distance that disturbs a bear, is illegal. Never feed wildlife. Read our bear safety guide.
• Pets are allowed in campgrounds, picnic areas and along roads, but only two trails allow leashed dogs: the Gatlinburg Trail and the Oconaluftee River Trail. See the pets guide.
• Drones are prohibited, and so is entering caves and mines.
• Backcountry camping requires a permit through recreation.gov at $8 per person per night, with a small reservation fee. See our backcountry permit guide.
• Parking tags are required for any stop longer than 15 minutes, with no federal pass exemption.

How do you stay safe in the Smokies?

Weather changes fast. Kuwohi is more than 5,000 feet above the valleys and can be 15 to 20 degrees colder, with rain, wind or fog even in summer. Carry a rain layer and a warm layer, tell someone your route and do not count on cell service. Rocks at waterfalls are slippery and falls on wet rocks cause serious injuries every year, so stay on trails and off the falls. Cross streams carefully after rain. In winter, carry traction devices on trails above 4,000 feet. Check weather before you leave, and use the Park Service's current conditions rather than a town forecast.

When is the best time to visit?

Spring brings wildflowers and mild days, with the Wildflower Pilgrimage in April. Summer is warm and busy, best in the early morning, and water-based days at Deep Creek or Little River are a favorite. Fall is the peak season: above 4,000 feet color can start in mid-September, high-elevation trees mostly turn in early to mid-October, and lower elevations peak from mid-October to early November. See the fall foliage guide. Winter is quiet and beautiful, with some roads closed; see the winter guide.

The holiday season brings lights and events to the surrounding towns. Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas runs November 6 to January 3, Pigeon Forge Winterfest runs November 6 to January 31 and Gatlinburg's Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade is December 4. See the events calendar.

How do you get to the park?

The closest major airport is McGhee Tyson (TYS) in Knoxville, roughly an hour from Gatlinburg. Asheville Regional (AVL) is about an hour and a quarter from Cherokee. If you drive from Asheville, Charlotte or Raleigh to the Tennessee side, I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge is still one lane each way after Hurricane Helene, with a reduced speed limit; NCDOT targets full completion in late 2029, so allow extra time. See the getting there guide.

Where should you stay near the park?

Most visitors stay in a gateway town. Gatlinburg is closest to the Tennessee entrance and walkable. Townsend is the quiet base for Cades Cove. Pigeon Forge and Sevierville have the most hotels and attractions. Wears Valley specializes in cabins. On the North Carolina side, Cherokee, Bryson City, Maggie Valley and Waynesville are good bases for the east and south.

Inside the park, camping is the main option, and LeConte Lodge is reachable only by hiking. Browse cabin rentals and campgrounds, then use the price map at the bottom of this page to compare live rates for your dates. Book October and December weekends several months ahead.