Parking fee proposed for all of Great Smoky Mountains. Here’s what it could cost you

In a move that is already facing criticism, the National Park Service is considering “a new parkwide parking fee” for Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.

If adopted, visitors using parking lots would be required to pay $5 for a daily tag or $15 for a seven-day tag. An annual tag would be available at $40, according to an April 6 news release.

A general target start date to start the fee is 2023.

The public is being asked to comment on the proposal, which also includes raising “existing fee rates at frontcountry and backcountry campsites, picnic pavilions, and day-use cabin rentals.”

The plan would not add an entrance fee for the park. And tags would not be required for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers out for “a scenic drive or using park roads as a commuter route,” NPS officials said.

“Great Smoky Mountains National Park is at a crossroads,” park Superintendent Cassius Cash said in the release.

“We’re proud to be the most visited National Park, but it does present challenges due to wear and tear on aging facilities and a strain on park resources and employees. Parking tag sales, at a modest fee, would provide critically needed support to protect and enhance the visitor experience.”

The proposed $5, $15 and $40 fees were settled on after officials reviewed parking fees elsewhere, including those charged by commercial lots in “gateway communities.” Data was also collected from national parks that already charge parking fees, which average $9 a day and $50 a year, NPS officials said.

Critics of the proposal note parking and higher camping fees burden financially struggling families, who have traditionally seen national parks as one of their few affordable vacation options.

“What happens to poor people that take their families,” one person asked on Facebook. “You keep raising prices, that will leave a lot of people out. Our parks should be free to anyone who wants to show their children this wonderful land.”

“Some families can’t afford any fees just to spend time with their children,” another posted.

“This unfortunately is just going to continue the trend of making the outdoors less accessible to those with less. Public lands are meant for public use and already paid for with taxpayer dollars. Adding another (cost) to land that already belongs to the public is simply not the answer,” one commenter said.

The park has seen a 57% increase in visitors over the past 10 years “to a record 14.1 million visits in 2021,” NPS records show.

Money raised by the fees “would remain in the Smokies to directly support operational costs for managing and improving services for visitors including trail maintenance, custodial services, trash removal, and supporting more law enforcement staffing across the park,” officials said.

Fee increases are also being considered for backcountry camp sites, primitive camp sites and frontcountry camp sites with electrical hookups.

A virtual public meeting to discuss the fee program will be held April 14, 5 to 6 p.m., park officials said. To participate, log in at https://tinyurl.com/mttkdyxs, or listen by calling 929-436-2866 and entering passcode 980 8025 4376#. People can also submit comments online until May 7.

This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Parking fee proposed for all of Great Smoky Mountains. Here’s what it could cost you."