Your Winter Guide To Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Posted by Phil Rodgers in Smoky Mountains

Now that the holidays are over, the Great Smoky Mountains area finds itself in what it traditionally refers to as the “off season.” But there's nothing “off” about the Smokies. Most of what you can do during peak season is still available, and there are many other compelling reasons to visit in the middle of winter, including lighter traffic, smaller crowds and lower rates on lodgings. (By the way, Goats on the Roof is open all year long, so we hope you include us in your winter travel itinerary.)

Although Great Smoky Mountains National Park sees its highest visitation in summer, this natural preserve is still an interesting place to seek out in the cold-weather months as well. You just have to do things a little differently and take a few other factors into consideration. If you're intrigued and would like to no more about how to see the park this winter, continue reading.

When planning your trip to the national park, you'll first want to consider how you'll access it and learn how to navigate within its boundaries. For example, U.S. Hwy. 441/Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, North Carolina, is one of the major ways that folks like to access the park. But during winter, it's prone to closures because of its high elevation and the snow and ice that can make driving conditions treacherous. The same goes for sections of Foothills Parkway.

Another popular route within the park, Clingmans Dome Road, is closed altogether until April. Others are open, but specific types of vehicles such as motorhomes and trailers are prohibited in winter months. These include Balsam Mountain Road, Little Greenbrier Road, Parson Branch Road, Rich Mountain Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a popular auto tour originating in downtown Gatlinburg.

To check on the latest road openings, closures and conditions, call 865-436-1200 or follow Smokies Road Info (@SmokiesRoadsNPS) on X (formerly Twitter).

Your best bet for accessing the park is through the northern entrance, which is on the south end of the Gatlinburg Parkway, or via the Townsend entrance. In most cases, if you stick to main routes like Laurel Creek Road, Little River Gorge Road/Fighting Creek Gap Road and U.S. 441 (Newfound Gap Road) when it's open, you can access most of the park's most popular destinations on the Tennessee side.

Speaking of park access, don't forget that you'll need a parking permit if you plan on parking a vehicle at any destination for longer than 15 minutes. There's no entrance fee to the park per se, but parking fees range from $5 for a daily pass to $40 for an annual pass. You can purchase and print them online at recreation.gov or buy them in person at several sites inside or near the national park, including the Gatlinburg Welcome Center, Sugarlands Visitor Center (Tennessee) and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center (North Carolina).

The park is stunning in its own way this time of year. You can really appreciate that beauty in locations like Cades Cove, where the one-way, 10-mile auto loop takes you past historic cabins and churches and some charming, rolling valley scenery, all of which is framed by mountains. By the way, you can even camp at the Cades Cove campground (as well as the campgrounds at Elkmont and Smokemont) all year long.

These are just a few of the factors you'll want to keep in mind when planning a winter visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But we're just getting started. Keep your eyes peeled for our next blog entry in a couple of weeks, at which point, we'll offer you more winter-travel tips for the national park.

This content posted by Goats on the Roof of the Smoky Mountains. Visit our home page, goatsontheroofofthesmokies.com for more information on the goats and their coaster.

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