While there's no entrance fee for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, parking tags are required if you plan to leave your vehicle for more than 15 minutes. But did you know that you can still find free parking in the national park? The National Park Services hosts a handful of free entrance days throughout the year to all national parks. Since the park is already free to enter, these dates mean parking tags are not required. That makes it the perfect time to visit the national park with your closest friends and family! Here is everything you need to know about parking for free in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:
2026 Fee-Free Days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The National Park Service has a handful of different fee-free days planned for 2026. They are:
- February 16: Presidents Day (Washington's Birthday)
- May 25: Memorial Day
- June 14: Flag Day/President Trump's birthday
- July 3–5: Independence Day weekend
- August 25: 110th Birthday of the National Park Service
- September 17: Constitution Day
- October 27: Theodore Roosevelt's birthday
- November 11: Veterans Day
During these days, you’ll be allowed to park in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park without a parking pass. There is no regular admission fee to get into the park. Smoky Mountain park rangers will continue to enforce other parking regulations on these days, giving out warnings and citations for vehicles in no parking areas.
Fee-free days are a great way to visit an old favorite place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or go exploring for something you’ve never seen before!
About the Park it Forward Program
In 2023 parking tags became required for the country’s most-visited national park as part of the park’s new Park it Forward program. Visitors are required to purchase and properly display a valid parking tag for any vehicle parked for longer than 15 minutes inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Daily parking passes can be purchased for $5. Weekly passes are $15. Annual parking tags for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are $40. You can purchase your parking tag at a number of places, including visitors centers, kiosks in the park and online.
The money collected from parking tags goes toward providing sustainable, year-round support for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This financial support is provided in an effort to improve the visitor experience. Money goes toward maintaining hiking trails and roads, updating historical structures and protecting natural resources.
Things to Do in the Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park features a long list of fun things to do! Whether you’re visiting alone, with a friend or with the extended family, there’s something for everyone in the national park.
Pack up the SUV with the kids and head to the national park where you can enjoy a blood-pumping hike that offers up incredible views of the Smoky Mountain scenery! In fact, several hiking trails in the park take you to see waterfalls!
If you prefer a more laid back experience, enjoy one of several scenic drives in the Smoky Mountains! Or, grab your rod and reel and cast a line as part of a fishing expedition! Pack up a basket with food and have a family picnic in the national park at one of several great spots like Cades Cove Loop, Metcalf Bottoms or Greenbrier!
Make sure you take full advantage of parking for free in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on fee-free days! Before you arrive, learn all about the history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
