Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — Update (2/21)
The daily and weekly parking tags for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's new "Park It Forward" program are available online at recreation.gov.
The program launches on March 1 and requires visitors to buy and display a valid parking tag for any vehicle parking for more than 15 minutes.
The daily tags are $5 and the weekly tags are $15.
The tags and more information about the program are available here.
Original story
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced early sales of its "Park it Forward" annual parking tags ahead of the new program's launch on March 1.
The "Park it Forward" program requires visitors to buy and display a valid parking tag for any vehicle parking for more than 15 minutes.
The park said it will offer early sales of annual parking tags starting Jan. 17 to help with a smooth transition.
The $40 annual parking tags will be available online through Great Smoky Mountains Association or at any of the park's visitor centers.
You can purchase the parking tag here.
Annual tags purchased prior to March 1 will be valid through the end of March 2024, according to GSMNP. The $5 daily and $15 weekly parking tags will be available on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. EST at recreation.gov.
The park originally made 2,000 annual parking tags available for pre-order. As of Jan. 18, they were all sold out. You can still pre-order the annual parking tags as more will be in stock soon, according to park officials.
“Park it Forward is crucial to the future of the park and its resources,” Superintendent Cassius Cash said. “Parking tag sales will provide critically needed support to protect and enhance the visitor experience, not just for tomorrow, but for generations to come.”
The park said visitors will directly contribute to protecting the park when they buy a parking tag as all revenue generated through the Park it Forward program will remain in the park to support operational costs for managing and improving visitor services such as trail maintenance, custodial services and trash removal.
It will also support more resource education programs, emergency responders and law enforcement staff across the park, according to a release.
GSMNP said the parking tags cannot be transferred between vehicles and must include the license plate number matching the vehicle in which it is displayed.
A parking tag will not guarantee a parking spot at a specific location, and parking will continue to be available on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the park, according to officials.
The park said visitors should plan ahead when visiting busy locations like Laurel Falls Trail or Clingmans Dome by considering visiting during off-peak hours, mid-week, and during the cooler months.
With more than 800 miles of trails and nearly 400 miles of scenic roadways, there are many opportunities for adventures in the park.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park leadership adopted the Park it Forward parking tag program in August 2022 after getting feedback from more than 2,700 people from all 50 states.