Parking Passes
‘Park it Forward’ Program Ensures Longevity of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Smoky Mountain Parking Pass required beginning March 1, 2023
Smoky Mountain Parking Pass Basics
- Three tag durations will be available for purchase for all vehicle sizes and types:
- Daily – $5
- Weekly – $15
- Annual – $40
- Parking tags will not be replaceable, refundable, transferable, or upgradable.
- Each tag will be valid for a single vehicle and must include a license plate number matching the vehicle in which it is displayed.
- Parking tags will be available for purchase both online and onsite.
- Display of physical parking tags in each vehicle will be required. Digital representations will not be accepted.
- Parking tags will not be location-specific. A parking tag will be required to park anywhere within the boundaries of the Smokies.
- Parking tags will not be required for motorists who pass through the area or who park for less than 15 minutes.
- Interagency passes (senior, access, etc.) will not be accepted in lieu of a parking tag.
Annual and daily parking tags.
Images from the NPS.
Parking Pass Purchase Options
Enjoy the convenience of purchasing your parking tag before you arrive.
Beginning February 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EST, visitors will be able to purchase daily or weekly parking tags online through recreation.gov. Visitors MUST print and display their parking tag. Park staff will not print the tag for you.
Annual parking tags are now for sale at the following locations. Daily and weekly parking tags will be available for sale in late February. Hours vary seasonally.
- Gatlinburg Welcome Center
- Located on the southbound side of US 441 (The Spur) between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN, Gatlinburg Welcome Center is operated as a partnership between the City of Gatlinburg, the National Park Service, and Great Smoky Mountains Association. This center also functions as a park and ride (free parking) for riding trolleys into Gatlinburg.
- Address: 1011 Banner Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
- Phone: 865.436.7318 EXT 323
- Sugarlands Visitor Center
- Located 2 miles south of Gatlinburg, TN, this visitor center offers a renowned natural history museum, changeable park exhibits, and a staffed information desk.
- Address: 1420 Fighting Creek Gap Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
- Phone: 865.436.7318 EXT 347
- Townsend Visitor Center
- Located on U.S. 321 in Townsend, TN, 2 miles from the west entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- Address: 7606 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Townsend, TN 37882
- Phone: 865.436.7318 EXT 320
- Cades Cove Visitor Center
- Located halfway around the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road at the Cavle Mill historic area.
- Address: 686 Cades Cove Loop Road, Townsend, TN 37882
- Phone: 865.436.7318 EXT 321
- Cades Cove Orientation Shelter
- Located within the Orientation Shelter at the entrance of Cades Cove Loop Road.
- Address: Cades Cove Loop Rd, Townsend, TN 37882
- Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont Store
- Located 2 miles from the Townsend Wye on Tremont Road, this visitor center is affiliated with the acclaimed outdoor education institute.
- Address: 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN 37882
- Phone: 865.448.6709
- Clingmans Dome Visitor Center
- Located at the end of Clingmans Dome Road, 7 miles from Newfound Gap, this visitor center sits at an elevation of 6,300 feet.
- Address: 7078 Clingmans Dome Road, Cherokee, NC 28719
- Phone: 865.436.7318 EXT 326
- Oconaluftee Visitor Center
- Located 1.5 miles north of Cherokee, NC, on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441), this visitor center and museum were opened in 2011.
- Address: 1194 Newfound Gap Highway, Cherokee, NC 28719
- Phone: 865.436.7318 EXT 327
- Swain County Visitor Center
- Located on the ground floor of the historic Swain County Courthouse, the Swain County Visitor Center is a partnership between Swain County, N.C., the National Park Service and Great Smoky Mountains Association.
- Address: 2 Everett Street, Bryson City, NC 28713
- Phone: 828.488.7857
Beginning March 1, daily and weekly parking tags will be available for purchase by credit card from automated fee machines available year round, 24 hours a day. Locations of the automated fee machines will be shared when installation is complete.
FAQs
- No. Each parking tag is valid for a single vehicle and must include the license plate for the vehicle in which is it displayed.
- Annual parking tags must be displayed in the front, lower passenger side windshield. Daily and weekly parking tags must be placed face-up on the front, lower passenger side dashboard.
- No, parking tags will not a guarantee a specific parking spot in a specific location or for a specific time frame.
- Parking at the busiest areas will require visitors to plan ahead to choose off-peak hours, days, and seasons to better the chances of parking availability.
- Failure to comply with the parking tag requirements may result in a warning, a citation, or your vehicle being towed at your expense.
- A variety of staff positions will assist in raising awareness of the program through presence across the park.
- Daily and weekly parking tags expire at 11:59pm ET on the date printed on the tag.
- Annual parking tags expire at 11:59pm ET on the last day of expiration month.
- No. The same parking tag options and prices apply to all motor vehicles, including motorcycles, UTVs, RVs, etc., regardless of size.
- Please keep in mind that parking is extremely limited for oversized vehicles.
- Yes. You can specify the date(s) you plan to visit if you purchase your daily or weekly parking tag online through recreation.gov. However, if you purchase your daily or weekly parking tag in-person, it will be validated on the date of purchase.
Interagency passes (aka America the Beautiful passes) will NOT be accepted in lieu of the parking tag and will NOT provide a discount for the purchase of the parking tag.
The park continues to apply a 50% discount on camping fees for two America the Beautiful pass types, Access and Senior.
You can learn more about the America the Beautiful pass types at the NPS Entrance Passes webpage.
Yes, the National Park Service will provide parking tags at no cost to Tribal leaders who will then distribute the tags to Tribal citizens who are coming to the park for traditional activities.
The National Park Service expressly allows citizens of American Indian Tribes to enter parks for traditional activities without paying fees.
The NPS acknowledges that the phrase “’traditional’ activities” is neither a static concept nor is it a set of neatly listed activities that can be defined by the NPS but should be defined by the member of the respective communities themselves.
The annual tag option is specifically provided to meet the needs of local residents for year-round, repeated access.
Yes, the Smokies will participate in the NPS fee-free days. Visitors will not need to display a valid parking tag on fee free days.
- The park uses the Special Use Permit system to issue permits at no cost for Decoration Days, family reunions for descendants across the park, and cemetery visits.
- Decoration Day permit holders will be exempt from the parking tag requirement for the duration of their permit.
- Each cemetery visit is unique and park staff work directly with descendants to coordinate special access including annual boat shuttles, vehicle shuttles, and use of administrative roads.
- No. Parking lots associated with commercial services will not exempt from the parking tag requirement
Yes. Vehicles with valid, state-issued disabled placards or license plates are exempt from the parking tag requirement.
Three special use permit types are exempt from the parking tag requirement: burials, cemetery visits including Decoration Days and first amendment activities. No other special use permit types, including weddings, are exempt from the parking tag requirement.
No. Having a picnic pavilion reservation does not exempt you from the parking tag requirement.
No. Backcountry campers will not be exempt from the parking tag requirement.
Frontcountry campers parked at their designated campsite will not be required to have a parking tag. If they park elsewhere in the park, a parking tag will be required. Please note that parking tags will be required for vehicles in excess of what is allowable for each campsite. Information about how many vehicles are allowed at each facility is available on recreation.gov.
No. Having a CUA does not exempt you from the parking tag requirement. The same requirements and the same price structure applies to CUA holders.
- The annual parking tag is a cling and can be adhered to the motorcycle windshield or other highly-visible surface.
The daily and weekly tags are paper but will also need to be prominently displayed. Making sure the tag does not blow away or fall off is the responsibility of the visitor. One option is to tape the tag to the inside of the motorcycle windshield or instrument display. Motorcyclists should plan ahead and come prepared to adequately display their parking tag.
All revenue generated through these user fees will remain in the Smokies to directly support operational costs for managing and improving services for visitors including trail maintenance, custodial services, trash removal, and supporting more staffing to increase the presence of personnel across the park.
Parking tag sales will not be limited or capped, therefore, the program is not anticipated to relieve congestion or solve parking issues in the park.
Parking tag revenue will be used to better serve the visitor with one of the goals being the reduction of congestion.
For more information visit https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fees.htm