Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Park Closure Seasonal road closures

Heintooga Ridge Road is closed for the season.

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Park Closure Park Headquarters Road is closed

Park Headquarters Road is closed due to rehabilitation work on the Sugarlands water and wastewater systems.

Park Closure Straight Fork and the one-way section of Balsam Mountain Road closed.

Straight Fork and the one-way section of Balsam Mountain Road (Heintooga Round-Bottom Road) are closed.

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Information Most visitors need a parking tag

All vehicles parking for longer than 15 minutes require a parking tag. Three tag durations are available for purchase for all vehicle sizes and types: Daily ($5), Weekly ($15), or Annual ($40).

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Overview

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!

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

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

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Primary roads are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round, weather permitting. This includes Newfound Gap Road (US-441), Little River Road, and Laurel Creek Road. Secondary roads are closed seasonally.

Getting there

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.

Visitor centers

Campgrounds

  • Smokemont Campground (142 sites) — reserve
  • Cades Cove Campground (161 sites) — reserve
  • Elkmont Campground (211 sites) — reserve
  • Cosby Campground (157 sites) — reserve
  • Abrams Creek Campground (16 sites) — reserve
  • Big Creek Campground (12 sites) — reserve
  • Cataloochee Campground (27 sites) — reserve
  • Deep Creek Campground (92 sites) — reserve
  • Balsam Mountain Campground (43 sites)
  • Elkmont Group Campground (4 sites) — reserve
  • Look Rock Campground (68 sites) — reserve
  • Cades Cove Group Campground (3 sites) — reserve
  • Smokemont Group Campground (3 sites) — reserve

Weather

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.

Phone: (865)436-1200

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

A hillside in the forest covered with white trillium flowers
The "Wildflower National Park" · Kristina Plaas
A clear sky with a vast snowy mountain scene.
Winter in the Smokies · NPS / Bob Carr
A thick layer of frost covers the fields, trees, and mountains in Cades Cove.
Frosty Morning in Cades Cove · Kristina Plaas
Rhododendron bushes line the banks of a stream filled with large boulders.
The Waters of Roaring Fork Below Grotto Falls · Danielle Austen, Artist-in-Residence 2015
Bright gold and red leaves shine through the fog in a forest.
Fall Colors Near Newfound Gap · NPS Photo
Tombstones stand in front of a white, wooden church on a foggy morning.
A Foggy Morning at Cades Cove Methodist Church · Kristina Plaas

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