While Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the few national parks in the country that has no entry fee, the park instituted a “Park it Forward” program in 2023 that requires parking tags for vehicles staying longer than 15 minutes. The revenue generated from this program is used to improve the park's visitor experience, including maintaining trails, roads, and facilities. While the parking tag is just a nominal fee ($5 daily, $15 weekly, and $40 annually), here are 4 easy ways to avoid the Smoky Mountain National Park parking pass fee:
1. Take a Scenic Driving Tour of the Park
Remember that the Smoky Mountain National Park parking pass only applies to stopping at any location for more than 15 minutes, so you could spend an entire afternoon taking a scenic driving tour of the park! There are several excellent roads in the park that are perfect for auto-touring, including the Cades Cove Loop Road and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Just remember to watch your time in case you stop at any of the beautiful overlooks or historic destinations within the park, and save any extensive hiking for another day!
Read More: “8 of the Best Scenic Drives in the Smoky Mountains”
2. Visit During National Park Free Entrance Days
Another one of the easy ways to avoid the Smoky Mountain National Park parking pass fee is to visit on free entrance days! There are several days throughout the year when the National Park Service offers free admission to all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee. For example, in 2025, these dates include:
- Saturday, April 19th for the First Day of National Park Week
- Thursday, June 19th for Juneteenth National Independence Day
- Monday, August 4th for the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
- Saturday, September 27th for National Public Lands Day
- Tuesday, November 11th for Veterans Day
Great Smoky Mountains National Park honors these Free Entrance Days by not requiring a parking pass on those dates.
3. Use Your Disabled Parking Placard or License Plate
Note that vehicles with valid, state-issued disabled placards or license plates (including disabled veterans license plates) are exempt from the parking tag requirement. If you have a placard, just make sure that it is easily visible from the outside of your vehicle during your time in the park. If you plan to visit any of the visitor center facilities, keep in mind that there are designated accessible parking spaces and accessible restrooms at each facility.
4. Walk Into the Park as a Guest of Our Hotel
When you stay at our hotel in downtown Gatlinburg, you can simply walk into the park from our hotel! We are just a short stroll from the trailhead for the Gatlinburg Trail, which travels for 1.9 miles in one direction from the outskirts of Gatlinburg to the Sugarlands Visitor Center! The trail is relatively flat and runs through the forest along the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. It offers beautiful views of the river, and you can see the foundations and chimneys of several old homesites along the trail.
Check out all of the rooms at our hotel in Gatlinburg TN today to enjoy our convenient location where you can simply walk into the park and avoid the fee for the Smoky Mountain National Park parking pass! We look forward to welcoming you to the Smokies!
