Great Smoky Mountains National Park

[Marti Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Marti]

Entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free.

The park is one of the only major national parks
that does not charge an entrance fee.

Why No Entrance Fee?

The reasons for free entry to the national park date back at least to the 1930s.
The land that is today Great Smoky Mountains National Park was once privately owned.

The states of Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as local communities, paid to construct Newfound Gap Road (US-441). When the state of Tennessee transferred ownership of
Newfound Gap Road to the federal government in 1936, it stipulated that
“no toll or license fee shall ever be imposed…” to travel the road.

At that time, Newfound Gap Road was one of the major routes crossing the southern
Appalachian Mountains. It’s likely the state was concerned with maintaining free,
easy interstate transportation for its citizens.

North Carolina transferred its roads through abandonment, so no restrictions were imposed.

Action by the Tennessee legislature would be required to lift this deed restriction
if Great Smoky Mountains National Park ever wished to charge an entrance fee.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

They do, however, request donations (many donation boxes throughout the park), sell items to benefit the park and have memberships that range from $25/year to lifetime memberships for $500. A worthwhile investment if you ask me.

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

I was just in RMNP last week, and thought the $20 entrance fee for a week was an incredible bargain, considering the excellent state of the facilities and trails there.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Here's a link to some of our pictures from GSMNP taken last June.

[Marti Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Marti]

dougp26364 - Nice Photos

When I am not signed in - I can see a little bear in the post above
Doug - How did you get the bear thumb IMG to show up in your post

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

When I am not signed in - I can see a little bear in the post above
Doug - How did you get the bear thumb IMG to show up in your post

It's a Webshots thing. If you click on the bear it's a link that will take you to my GSMNP webshots page. I have a Webshots premium membership and off to the side of my albums is HTML already written out. All I have to do is copy and paste it into my forum messages and the pic appears as the link to my Webshots page.

[Marti Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Marti]

LeConte Lodge® in the Great Smoky Mountains NP


LeConte Lodge®


At 6,593 feet elevation, Mount LeConte is one of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park's highest peaks

Located in the middle of the half-million acre Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, LeConte Lodge® is the only place where a visitor can
sleep overnight on a mountaintop in a snug, permanent structure with
hot and hearty meals on tap. (no electricity, no showers, no TV)

The only way to reach the facility is by taking hiking trails up and back

LeConte Lodge Video

LeConte Lodge - Video