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. Molloy, Johnny. Menasha Ridge Press, 1995.
Great Smoky Mountains. Houk, Rose. Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Hiking South Carolina Trails. de Hart, Allen. The Globe Pequot Press, 1994.
Hiking Trails of Joyce Kilmer and Citico Creek Wilderness Areas. Homan, Tim. Peachtree Publishers, Ltd., 1990.
The Hiking Trails of North Georgia. Homan, Tim. Peachtree Publishers, Ltd., 1987.
Hiking Trails of the Smokies. Kemp, Steve, editor. Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, 1994.
Natural Wonders of Tennessee. Lawrence, Ardi & H. Lea. Country Roads Press, 1994.
North Carolina Hiking Trails. de Hart, Allen. Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 1988.
Our Southern Highlanders. Kephart, Horace. University of Tennessee Press, 1984.
Smoky Mountain Hiking & Camping. Barnes, Lee. Menasha Ridge Press, 1994.
Strangers in High Places. Frome, Michael. University of Tennessee Press, 1994.
Trees of the Smokies. Kemp, Steve. Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, 1993.
Trial By Trail: Backpacking in the Smoky Mountains. Molloy, Johnny. University of Tennessee Press, 1996.
The Unofficial Guide to the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains. Sehlinger, Bob & Surkiewicz, Joe. Macmillan, 1997.
Wilderness Trails of Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest. Skelton, Will, editor – University of Tennessee Press, 1992.