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Park entrance is free but you'll need to pay to park at this national park.

Fall in love in the Smokies

Great Smoky is free every day. Also enjoy five days in 2023 when entrance is free to the other national parks.

Have a hot meal up on the mountain, thanks to llamas that make the hike up to the lodge kitchen three times per week.

Head to the open meadows in Cataloochee Valley.

The general rule is to stay 50 yards away from bears. Never feed wild animals because it may cause them to lose their fear of humans. Watch this video

Convenient airports include McGee-Tyson, Asheville Regional Greenville-Spartanburg International and Charlotte Douglas International.

Drive up to a classic diner experience right outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Townsend, Tenn. Locals say it’s the best burger in the county.

Here’s a guide to some of the park’s most beloved animals and where to see them.

Learn how to capture stunning night landscape pictures of the stars and Milky Way in this nine-part online photography course.

Gatlinburg and its sister town, Pigeon Forge, are packed full of family-friendly attractions, putt putt golf courses, arcades, and old-time photo shops.

24-hour Great Smoky Mountains Photo Story

Enjoy historic buildings, leaf-peeping views, trails and waterfalls.

Enter February 15 through August 31, 2023

The national park and parts of North Carolina are on one of the natural migration routes. Learn more about the annual monarch-tagging event.

See the colors in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

See vistas of multiple states from these vantage points.

Know where you're going.

This park, split in two by a state border, has major entrances from the north Tennessee side and the south North Carolina side.

Visit historic sites, the beach, and carefree towns before exploring America's most visited national park from its North Carolina entrance.

Natural Retreats offers a collection of Smoky Mountain cabins, many with impressive mountain views. Find yourself close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park with lodging in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Wears Valley.

Students in the 4th grade can get a free annual entry pass for their family to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks.

The scenery and attractions don't stop at the park border.

This map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park shows outlying gateways from Knoxville, Tenn. in the north to Waynesville, N.C. in the south.

This popular valley is known for its abundant wildlife, idyllic scenery, and preserved historic buildings dating back to the late 1800s. Take an auto-tour.

This member of the dog family is highly adaptable, surviving in many different habitats across the country. Here, coyotes are most active at night.

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Hot tubs fed by mineral springs and the Appalachian Trail take center stage in this town 45 minutes from the Catalooche area of the national park.

Park volunteers on skis are here to help in winter.

Snow just makes it more of an adventure.

Stay in a Gatlinburg timeshare for an unforgettable vacation in the Smokies. Here are the some of the best resorts offering timeshare accommodations.

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Find historic attractions at Great Smoky's southern entrance at Cherokee, North Carolina.

Stay cool in summer at these water hot spots including swimming holes under waterfalls, boating in a fingered lake, and floating down creeks.

Whether you are planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains or simply want to stay connected to the national park, our newsletters are a great source of information and are filled with inspiring stories.

Mountain weather can be harsh and unpredictable, so always be prepared with warm layers and waterproof gear when exploring in the park. Keep in mind that elevations in the Smokies vary by almost 6,000 feet, so the weather you’ll find up on the high peaks can be very different from what’s going on in the lower valleys.