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Information courtesy of National Park Service

Ridge upon ridge of endless forest straddle the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the largest protected areas in the Eastern United States. World renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, and the depth and integrity of its wilderness sanctuary, the park attracts over nine million visitors each year. Once a part of the Cherokee homeland, the Smokies today are a hiker’s paradise with over 800 miles of trails. Trail Map - Area Map - Park Map

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a wildlands sanctuary preserving the world’s finest examples of plant and animal diversity in a temperate deciduous forest. This wild landscape, rich with traces of its human past, calls visitors back again and again.

Much of the Smokies can be enjoyed from your vehicle and from accessible facilities and programs. Activities range from viewing scenery to exploring the intricacies of the forest floor to learning about the resourceful people who made a living from this wilderness.

The Smokies offer activities for visitors of various ages and interests. Recommended activities include camping, hiking the park’s more than 800 miles of trails, picnicking, sightseeing, fishing, auto touring, horseback riding, nature viewing, and photographic opportunities abound. Guided horseback rides are available in season at four horse stables in the park in Tennessee and North Carolina.

For updated road and weather information, call (865) 436-1200.

ENTRANCE FEES: Entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free. Due to deed restrictions imposed when the Park was established, there are no entrance fees. Enjoy your visit!

ACTIVITY FEES : Front Country Camping - Fees $12-20 - Day

Details: There are 10 Front Country (drive in) campgrounds in the Park. Click here for more information on locations and fees.