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Tennessee events › Answers › Do You Need a Pass for Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
No entrance fee, but you need a parking tag. Great Smoky Mountains National Park does not charge an entrance fee; a parking tag is required for any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes: $5 daily, $15 weekly or $40 annual, as the National Park Service prints it.
- Entrance FeeNoneper NPS
- Daily Tag$5per vehicle
- Weekly Tag$15per vehicle
- Annual Tag$4012 months
Last reviewed October 30, 2026.
What The Park Service Says
| Topic | What It Says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance fee | Great Smoky Mountains National Park does not charge an entrance fee. Parking tags are required for all vehicles parking for longer than 15 minutes. | NPS |
| Parking tags | Parking tag, per vehicle: Daily $5, Weekly $15, Annual $40. 'While the parking tag is not an entrance fee,' the park honors the 2026 free entrance days, when parking tags are not required. Annual tags are valid 12 months from the month of purchase. | NPS |
| Free dates and exemptions | Free entrance dates listed for 2026: February 16, May 25, June 14, July 3-5, August 25, September 17, October 27, November 11. Disability placard or license plate holders do not need to purchase a parking tag. Fee waivers for school groups must be requested in advance. | NPS |
Fee page last updated October 8, 2026.
More
See Cades Cove for the loop road and the Smoky Mountains long weekend.
Smokies Trip Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a parking tag an entrance fee?
The NPS says it is not an entrance fee, and honors the free entrance days for parking too.
Do I need a tag to drive through?
The NPS says a tag is required when you park longer than 15 minutes, so a drive-through without stopping that long does not need one.
What We Could Not Confirm
- The date the parking tag began: not printed on the NPS fee pages we read.
- Whether a tag bought on a given day covers a second visit that day: not confirmed; read the NPS fee page.
Sources
Read on October 30, 2026. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Do You Need a Pass for Great Smoky Mountains National Park?”, itstennessee.com/answers/do-you-need-a-pass-for-great-smoky-mountains-national-park/ (updated ). By the It's Tennessee editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.