There are some big changes coming to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2023, but we have gathered everything you need to know in one place. Keep reading to get details on parking information, how to purchase parking tags, and where the proceeds from the parking tags go.
Who Needs a Parking Tag?
All visitors who will be parked longer than 15 minutes within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will need a parking tag. People renting picnic pavilions, concession customers, and backcountry campers are not exempt from the parking tag requirement. Registered campers do not need a tag to park at their designated campsite. Visitors with handicap license plates or placards do not need a parking tag. Other exemptions from the requirements are school groups, burial services, church services, and decoration days.
Pricing and How to Purchase
Early Sales
Early sales of annual parking tags for the national park begin on January 17, 2023. Visitors can purchase these tags in person at any visitors’ center, or online at https://smokiesinformation.org/shop/. The annual tags are $40, and they will be valid through the end of March 2024. Tags purchased online will be sent right to your door. Please allow two weeks for shipping.
General Sales
Daily parking tags will be $5, and weekly parking tags will be $15. These tags will be available for purchase in person and online beginning February 21, 2023 at 10:00am. Tags can be purchased in-person at the various visitor’s centers and the automated fee machines at various parking areas (Cades Cove, Deep Creek, Metcalf Bottoms, Newfound Gap). Visitors can purchase the tags online via recreation.gov. The tags will be received by email, and visitors will need to print them and display them in their vehicle before visiting the Great Smoky Mountain National Park; park staff will not print the tags for you. Digital representation of tags will not be accepted. Parking tags will be needed for all vehicles that are parked for more than 15 minutes in the park.
Important Disclaimer
Parking tags cannot be replaced, refunded, transferred to another vehicle, or upgraded to another kind of parking tag. The number on your parking tag must match the number on your vehicle’s license plate. Enforcement of the parking tag requirements will begin on March 1, 2023.
Where Do the Funds Go?
100% of the revenue from the parking tags will stay in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which will lead to more support for school programs, more staff presence, and more support for activities within the park like fishing and wildlife photography.
View the Great Smoky Mountains National Park “Know Before You Go” handout here.
