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Short answer: Great Smoky Mountains National Park has no entrance fee, but the National Park Service says a parking tag is required for any vehicle that parks longer than 15 minutes: $5 daily, $15 weekly or $40 annual. The park is open 24 hours a day, every day, though some roads and facilities close for the season.
- $0Park entrance fee, per NPS
- $5Daily parking tag
- 11 miCades Cove one-way loop road
- 6,643 ftHighest elevation, per NPS
How we checked: the National Park Service’s Great Smoky Mountains pages on fees (updated October 8, 2026), seasonal roads (April 20, 2026), temporary closures (November 3, 2026), black bears (May 8, 2026), Cades Cove (January 21, 2026), visitor centers (January 3, 2026) and weather (October 23, 2024). Where this page says “NPS says,” the words are the park’s own, shortened. All read on November 3, 2026. Hours, prices, rules and closures change, so check the named agency or business before you rely on them. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. Road, bear and trail-closure facts change by the day; the park’s current conditions page is the only source that counts on the morning you go. General guidance on this page is labelled as general guidance. This is not safety, medical or legal advice; where a safety or legal rule appears, the quoted words are the official source’s own.
Fees and Parking, Per The NPS
- Entrance feeNone. The park “does not charge an entrance fee.”
- Parking tagRequired for any vehicle parking longer than 15 minutes, anywhere in the park. Daily $5, weekly $15, annual $40. Tags are not refundable or transferable, and a physical tag must be displayed; digital copies are not accepted.
- Where to buySugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove Visitor Center, the Gatlinburg Welcome Center and other listed shops, or tag machines at Sugarlands, Newfound Gap Overlook, the Kuwohi parking area and others. Online daily and weekly tags are sold through recreation.gov.
- Our answer pageDo you need a pass for Great Smoky Mountains?
Roads and Seasons, Per The NPS
- Year-round roads“Newfound Gap Road (US 441), Little River Road, and the Cades Cove Loop Road are open year-round, weather permitting.”
- Kuwohi RoadFormerly Clingmans Dome Road. 2026 season April 1 to November 29, and “subject to closures due to snow, ice, and other hazardous weather events.”
- Cades Cove LoopOpen sunrise to sunset; closed to vehicles on Wednesdays, “typically from May through September.” It is 11 miles, one way; the NPS says to allow at least two to four hours. Cades Cove guide.
- Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail2026 season April 17 to November 29; one-way, very steep, and no motorhomes, buses or vans over 25 feet.
- Cable MillOpen daily March 15 to November 29, 2026, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mingus Mill is closed until further notice for rehabilitation.
- WeatherElevations run from about 875 to 6,643 feet and temperatures “can vary 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit from mountain base to top.” Rainfall averages 55 inches a year in the lowlands and 85 at Kuwohi.
Bears: The NPS’s Own Words
- Distance“Willfully approaching within 50 yards (150 feet), or any distance that disturbs or displaces a bear, is illegal in the park.”
- EncountersOver the last 10 years the park has averaged 339 reported negative human-bear encounters a year, “many more go unreported.”
- Season“Bear activity is especially high during May-August.”
- If a bear approaches“Never run or turn your back.” Read the full steps on the NPS bear page before you hike.
- Dogs“Dogs are involved in most incidents between people and black bears” and are not allowed on most park trails.
Closures The NPS Listed on November 3, 2026
- Bear closuresCosby Knob Shelter and backcountry campsites #19, #91, #5 and #35 are closed because of bear activity or a down bear-cable system.
- Bear warningsTrillum Gap Trail, Porters Creek Trail and Lower Mount Cammerer Trail.
- Laurel Falls TrailClosed since January 6, 2025 for about 18 months of rehabilitation, per the park’s conditions page (that page was last updated August 17, 2026).
- Bullhead TrailClosed Monday through Thursday each week through November 19, per the same page.
- Hurricane Helene damageCaldwell Fork Trail is closed to all users; the NPS says hiking Boogerman Trail “is not advised” because of a deep water crossing. Several Cataloochee trails carry cautions.
How to Spend a Day
What We Could Not Confirm
- Today’s road and trail statusRead the NPS current conditions page the morning you go. Not confirmed
- Visitor center opening hoursThe NPS page loads them by script, so we did not read them. It says the centers are open year-round except Christmas Day. Not confirmed
- Whether Bullhead Trail is closed todayThe page we read was last updated August 17, 2026. Not confirmed
- Traffic on US 441 and the Cades Cove Loop on a given day. Not confirmed
- Fall color timingSee our fall color answer. Not confirmed
Sources Read
- NPS, Great Smoky Mountains: Fees and Passes, read November 3, 2026 (page updated October 8, 2026)
- NPS, Seasonal Road Schedule, read November 3, 2026 (page updated April 20, 2026)
- NPS, Current Road, Facility, Trail and Backcountry Closures, read November 3, 2026 (page updated November 3, 2026)
- NPS, Current Conditions, read November 3, 2026 (page updated August 17, 2026)
- NPS, Black Bears, read November 3, 2026 (page updated May 8, 2026)
- NPS, Cades Cove, read November 3, 2026 (page updated January 21, 2026)
- NPS, Visitor Centers and gristmills, read November 3, 2026 (page updated January 3, 2026)
- NPS, Weather, read November 3, 2026 (page updated October 23, 2024)
Keep Planning
Cite this page: It's Tennessee, “Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Fees, Roads and Bears”, itstennessee.com/visit/tours-and-day-trips/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-visit/ (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.