Park Phone Numbers Backcountry Information: (865) 436-1297 Backcountry Reservations: (865) 436-1231 Park Literature: (865) 436-0120 LeConte Lodge: (865) 429-5704 Operating Times The Great Smoky Mountains Park is open year-round. Visitor centers at Sugarlands and Oconaluftee are open all year, except Christmas Day. The Cades Cove Visitor Center has limited hours during the winter. Directions All roads lead to the Smokies! See the map and major interstates in our directions page. Public Transportation The nearest major airport in Tennessee (McGhee-Tyson, TYS) is in Alcoa, 45 miles west of Gatlinburg, between Maryville and Gatlinburg. In North Carolina, the Asheville Airport is 60 miles east of the park. No commercial traffic such as buses and trains are allowed in the Park. There is a limited trolley service in and from Gatlinburg. Fees No entrance fee is charged to enter the Park – the original charter for the Park stipulated that there would never be an entry fee. Operations are supported by modest fees charged at campgrounds and for special programs developed by Park Rangers and volunteers. Lodging and Camping Facilities LeConte Lodge, accessible only by foot or horseback, provides the only actual lodging in the Park. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (865) 429-5704. The lodge is open mid-March to mid-November. A variety of lodging facilities are available in adjacent towns. Food There are no food concessions in the Park. Such services are supplied by businesses in towns adjacent to the Park. Smoky Mountains Reader’s List Appalachian Trail Guide to Tennessee-North Carolina. Edgar, Kevin. Appalachian Trail Conference, 1992. Day & Overnight Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park....
Wears Valley, also known as Wear Cove, is a beautiful, peaceful, long and relatively narrow valley that sits between the towns of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Townsend TN. Its length runs next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and also has a little-known entrance to the Park near Metcalf Bottoms, which consists of a picnic area that sits between the Little River and Little River Road. Little River Road runs parallel to the river on its way to Cades Cove loop road, the most visited part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wears Valley has grown commercially over the past few years and now includes a fine selection of restaurants (including one gourmet restaurant), antiques, souvenier and gift shops. Lodging accommodations consist almost exclusively of smoky mountain cabin rentals (though there is one luxury bed and breakfast inn called Gracehill at the Townsend end of the valley) that range from the rustic to the ultimate luxury mountain cabins at The Preserve Resort – Tennessee Cabins. There are no stop lights in Wears Valley. From the last light in Pigeon Forge to the first light on the parkway in Townsend, you get a nice smooth ride, though traffic might slow a bit during the beautiful fall season when Wears Valley comes alive with brilliant color. One of the favorite appeals of Wears Valley is the fact that it lags a little in development behind its sister towns of Pigeon Forge and Townsend. The pace of life and commercial development is more reminiscent of Pigeon Forge TN way back in the 60s and early 70s. So, for those looking...
Kodak, TN is located at the I-40 Great Smoky Mountains National Park exit at highway 66. Kodak is not simply the first town along the corridor that leads to Gatlinburg and the park. It provides travelers with lodging, restaurants, information centers and gift and outlet stores. There is also a huge flea market in Kodak that draws thousands of visitors each week. Additionally, Kodak is near Douglas Lake, one of the several large recreation lakes surrounding parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The views of the mountains from this lake are extraordinary. Cabins are available on the...
“Friends of the Smokies” is a non-profit organization which supports the National Park Service’s mission of preserving the Great Smoky Mountains by raising funds and recruiting volunteers. The organization’s mission statement, taken from their newsletter, states: “Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park assists the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by raising funds and public awareness and providing volunteers for needed projects.” A clause in the original legislation which chartered the Great Smoky Mountains National Park stipulated that the Park would never charge an admission fee. While this is great for visitors to the Park, it also eliminated a source of revenue which could be used to properly maintain the Park. Recent legislation has allowed the Park to retain more of the other fees collected by the Park, but the cost of wear and tear caused by nearly 10 million visitors annually exceeds the funds generated. “Friends” are always soliciting contributions to help fund repair work on trails, wildlife research and protection, environmental educational services provided by Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, and historic structures repair. “Friends” needs your help. You can make contributions by putting cash or a check in the donation boxes located at park visitor centers and along some roads. Or you can write “Friends” at: PO Box 1660 Kodak, TN 37764-7660...
Fontana Village is a complete vacation destination located close to the North Carolina side of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Set amid scenic mountains, the impressive Fontana Dam and a plethora of attractions are designed to keep its resort goers busy. Attractions include vintage cabins, antiques, hiking and biking trails, canoes, pontoon boats, mini golf, a recreation hall, dancing and a mountain-sized water slide. The facilities include all you need to fish, ride horses, swim, camp, hike through the backcountry. Fontana is approximately one mile from the Appalachian Trail. It includes lodging facilities and...
