Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — A study ranked the Great Smoky Mountains as the fourth-deadliest national park destination across the U.S. The study said between 2013 and 2023, 104 deaths were recorded. Most happened in September, it said.
It also said 36 of those deaths were due to motor vehicle incidents.
"You can go from here to the Smoky Mountains and hit a road that has 313 curves on it. And if you've never been on a curve, you know, they're really fun — unless you don't know how to ride them," said Jack Lakin, the executive director of the Blue Knights TN III Motorcycle Club.
The Great Smoky Mountains were beaten by other popular destinations like the Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
"Coming to the Smokies, it's a lot different than driving in some other places," said Emily Davis, Public Affairs Specialist for the park.
GSMNP is the fourth on the list, but it also receives around three times the number of visitors per year compared to the parks ranked above it.
"It's such a beautiful place with so many different aspects —car cultural, the Mustang, the 'vettes, the motorcycle, special motorcycles, all kinds of stuff. You've got it here, you know. Yeah, there's a lot of accidents, because there's 14 million people right here," he said.
Rangers encourage people to take it slow when driving through the park, taking care on its several winding roads.
"We've got some mountain roads, we've got curvy roads, we've got wildlife that can jump out at a moment's notice, and lots of pedestrians too. So, we encourage everybody to really slow down and take it easy on the roads," said Davis.
The National Park Foundation also recommends visitors have an emergency plan in place while visiting any national park, and to take into account that cell service may not be guaranteed.