The park is home to more than 100 miles of hiking trails, gorgeous scenic drives, waterfalls, wildlife viewing opportunities, and so much more. Some of the best hikes in the Smoky Mountains are Laurel Falls, Alum Cave Trail, and Abrams Falls. One of the top scenic drives in the park is Newfound Gap Road, which is 26 miles long and crosses the park to the southeast.
You can take the road all the way to the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains. Other popular scenic drives are the Cades Cove Loop Road, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, and Foothills Parkway. These are just a few of the many things you can do when you visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You can also have a picnic, go fishing, go horseback riding — the opportunities are endless!
Parking in the National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires parking tags for all vehicles parked for 15 minutes or longer within the boundaries of the Smokies. The park offers daily tags for $5, weekly tags for $15, and annual parking tags for $40. If you purchase an annual parking tag, it must be displayed in the front, lower passenger side windshield. Daily and weekly tags must be placed face-up on the front, lower passenger side of the dashboard. There are a few options for purchasing parking tags — in person, from an automated fee machine, and online. Daily, weekly, and annual parking tags are available to purchase in person at visitor centers, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont Store, and the Gatlinburg Welcome Center. Daily and weekly tags are available for purchase by credit card at the automated fee machines. Annual parking tags are available online for those choosing to purchase and ship, and daily and weekly parking tags are available to purchase online and print at home. To purchase your parking tag online, visit Recreation.gov!
For more information on the parking tag requirement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visit the National Park Service website.