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Great Smoky Mountains National Park: reservations, fees, camping and weather
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina: what you need to book, what it costs, and when the weather is mildest. Checked November 2026.
Do you need a reservation to enter?
No entry reservation. Daily and weekly parking tags can be bought on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead; a tag doesn't guarantee a parking spot.
Fees and passes
No entrance fee. A parking tag is required to park for more than 15 minutes: $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year (not needed on free entrance days).
An America the Beautiful pass covers entrance at every national park. US citizens and residents get free entry on national park fee-free days.
Camping: how to book
Campgrounds and backcountry sites are reserved on Recreation.gov. Many Recreation.gov campgrounds open on a rolling window months ahead and sell out within minutes; if yours is full, set up a cancellation alert.
Campgrounds on Recreation.gov (22)
| Campground | Sites | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elkmont Campground | 217 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Cades Cove Campground | 164 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Cosby Campground | 157 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Smokemont Campground | 142 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Deep Creek Campground (NC) | 92 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Look Rock Campground | 69 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Balsam Mountain Campground | 43 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Cataloochee Campground | 27 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Abram's Creek Campground | 16 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Big Creek Campground | 12 | Campground | Book ↗ |
| Cataloochee Horse Camp | 7 | Horse | Book ↗ |
| Round Bottom Horse Camp | 5 | Horse | Book ↗ |
| Big Creek Horse Camp | 5 | Horse | Book ↗ |
| Cades Cove Group | 4 | Group | Book ↗ |
| Elkmont Group Camp | 4 | Group | Book ↗ |
| Smokemont Group Camp | 3 | Group | Book ↗ |
| Cosby Group Camp | 3 | Group | Book ↗ |
| Anthony Creek Horse Camp | 3 | Horse | Book ↗ |
| Tow String Horse Camp | 3 | Horse | Book ↗ |
| Deep Creek Group Camp | 3 | Group | Book ↗ |
| Cataloochee Group Camp | 3 | Group | Book ↗ |
| Big Creek Group Camp | 1 | Group | Book ↗ |
From Recreation.gov's official data (RIDB), November 2026. Campgrounds run by park concessioners and some first-come sites aren't on Recreation.gov, so check the park's camping page too. When can I book?
Official planning pages
The park's own pages for the things that change: conditions, closures, camping and permits.
Key dates
- Wed 11 Nov 2026 National parks fee-free day: Veterans Day Confirmed
- December 2026 · exact dates not announced 2027 national park fee-free days announced Expected
Weather by month
| Month | Camping weather | Avg high | Avg low | Precip. | Snow | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor · 24 | 47°F | 27°F | 4.8 in | 2.4 in | 9 h 57 m |
| February | Fair · 46 | 51°F | 29°F | 4.3 in | 2.4 in | 10 h 49 m |
| March | Good · 70 | 59°F | 35°F | 5.6 in | 1.3 in | 11 h 50 m |
| April | Great · 85 | 69°F | 42°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in | 13 h 01 m |
| May | Great · 80 | 75°F | 51°F | 5.5 in | 0.0 in | 13 h 60 m |
| June | Good · 76 | 80°F | 59°F | 6.0 in | 0.0 in | 14 h 31 m |
| July | Good · 70 | 83°F | 63°F | 6.3 in | 0.0 in | 14 h 18 m |
| August | Great · 89 | 82°F | 62°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in | 13 h 28 m |
| September | Great · 89 | 78°F | 56°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in | 12 h 19 m |
| October | Great · 98 | 68°F | 44°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in | 11 h 11 m |
| November | Good · 78 | 58°F | 34°F | 4.0 in | 0.2 in | 10 h 11 m |
| December | Poor · 37 | 50°F | 29°F | 4.9 in | 1.4 in | 9 h 43 m |
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at the Gatlinburg 2 SW, TN weather station (1,454 ft). Higher trails are colder; temperatures usually drop about 3–5°F per 1,000 ft. "Camping weather" is our simple score: best with highs of 62–82°F, nights above freezing and under 3 in of precipitation. It rates weather only, not road closures, snow on trails or crowds. Daylight is sunrise to sunset on the 15th. About NOAA normals ↗
Questions
Do I need a reservation to enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
No entry reservation. Daily and weekly parking tags can be bought on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead; a tag doesn't guarantee a parking spot.
How much does it cost to enter Great Smoky Mountains?
No entrance fee. A parking tag is required to park for more than 15 minutes: $5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year (not needed on free entrance days).
When is the weather mildest at Great Smoky Mountains?
Using NOAA averages at the park's weather station, average highs are between 60°F and 85°F in April to October. July is warmest (about 83°F) and January has the coldest nights (about 27°F).
Sources: Great Smoky Mountains fees and passes (nps.gov), NOAA station data. Rules change; always check the official park site before you go.
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