Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a national park of the United States in the southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee.
A national park, 4 mi southwest of Gatlinburg
October is the busiest month
October averages about 1,600,549 visitors, 4.1 times January. When to go ↓
One of the most looked-up attractions in the U.S.
About 149K people a year read its Wikipedia article, more than for 98% of the 7,799 attractions we track.
You can sleep inside the park
37 places to stay are inside the park: Walker Sisters Spring House and LeConte Lodge. The nearest town with more is Gatlinburg. Where to stay ↓
Pittman Center is inside the park
Pittman Center sits inside the park’s boundary. Where to stay ↓
Best month: Apr
April is mild and quieter than average, with a high of 71°. When to go ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
Crowds and weather, month by month
Bars: average monthly visitors, 2022–2025. Line: the typical afternoon high. Green months are mild and quieter than average.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a national park of the United States in the southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and part of the Appalachian temperate rainforest, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The park contains some of the highest mountains in eastern North America, including Kuwohi, Mount Guyot, and Mount Le Conte. The border between the two states runs northeast to southwest through the center of the park. The Appalachian Trail passes through the center of the park on its route from Georgia to Maine. With over 11 million visitors in 2025, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States.
- Type
- National Park
- Established
- 1934
- Area
- 816 square miles
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Listed
- World Heritage Site (1983)
- Wikipedia readers
- 149K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/grsm
Before you go
Where to stay near Great Smoky Mountains National Park
You can sleep inside the park (37 places). The closest towns with hotels, motels or campgrounds are Gatlinburg (352) and Pigeon Forge (358).
Stay in the park
- Walker Sisters Spring House lodge or cabins
- LeConte Lodge lodge or cabins
- Sweet Escape Smoky Mountain lodge or cabins
- The Swag lodge or cabins
- Ephraim Bales Cabin lodge or cabins
- Noah Bud Ogle Cabin lodge or cabins
Gatlinburg
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
3,715 people · 34% vacation homes
4 mi northeast of Sugarlands Visitor Center · at the park edge
Pittman Center
462 people · 20% vacation homes
10 mi northeast of Sugarlands Visitor Center
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gatlinburg 34% vacation homes | 4 mi northeast | 5 min | 352 105 hotels · 11 motels · 14 inns & B&Bs · 216 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 4 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 3,715 | $332K | D |
| Pigeon Forge | 8 mi north | 10 min | 358 140 hotels · 8 motels · 10 inns & B&Bs · 171 lodges & cabins · 20 campgrounds · 9 RV parks | 6,598 | $292K | D− |
| Pittman Center 20% vacation homes | inside the park | 15 min | 67 11 hotels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 52 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 462 | $432K | — |
| Sevierville | 14 mi north | 20 min | 95 49 hotels · 4 motels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 28 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds · 6 RV parks | 19,010 | $290K | D |
| Townsend 29% vacation homes | 12 mi west | 20 min | 58 13 hotels · 2 motels · 6 inns & B&Bs · 22 lodges & cabins · 14 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 640 | $371K | — |
| Bryson City | 19 mi south | 30 min | 61 12 hotels · 3 motels · 5 inns & B&Bs · 29 lodges & cabins · 11 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 1,525 | $243K | C− |
| Cherokee | 19 mi southeast | 30 min | 59 17 hotels · 13 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 12 lodges & cabins · 15 campgrounds | 2,059 | $190K | — |
| Cosby | 18 mi northeast | 25 min | 33 4 hotels · 1 motel · 17 lodges & cabins · 11 campgrounds | 779 | — | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
Also near Great Smoky Mountains
Other well-known places within 66 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
Big draw114 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big draw25 mi MountainKuwohi
Big draw337 mi Stadium & arenaNeyland Stadium
43 mi MountainMount Le Conte
Big draw66 mi MountainMount Mitchell519 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the Sky
616 mi MuseumAlcatraz East
755 mi MountainBrasstown BaldPhoto credits
Dollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Neyland Stadium: Neomrbungle, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Le Conte: No machine-readable author provided. Blinutne assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Alcatraz East: EricaLewHouse, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Brasstown Bald: Unknown, Public domain
11,527,939 visitors in 2025
Every full year the Park Service has counted. 2020 (gold) was the pandemic year. Green is the record (2021).
Visiting Great Smoky Mountains
What town is Great Smoky Mountains National Park near?
Gatlinburg, TN, about 4 miles northeast.
When is the best time to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
April, with a high of 71°. October is the busiest month (about 1,600,549 visitors).
How many people visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park each year?
11,527,939 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 14,161,548, set in 2021.
What is the closest airport to Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
McGhee Tyson (TYS), about 27 miles away.
Where should I stay near Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
Inside the park: Walker Sisters Spring House, LeConte Lodge and Sweet Escape Smoky Mountain. Nearby: Gatlinburg (4 mi, 352 places to stay), Pigeon Forge (8 mi, 358 places to stay) and Pittman Center (10 mi, 67 places to stay).
Tips from people in Gatlinburg
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in Gatlinburg’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.