How Do You Enjoy Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in September 1940. More than 500,000 acres in Tennessee and North Carolina are included within the park’s boundaries, and it has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. The unique atmosphere of the Smokies attracts nearly 10 million visitors each year. Decide when to go. Most visitor centers are open all year, but peak camping season is early spring through early November, when the temperatures range in the 80s. Choose a way to get there. You can fly into McGhee-Tyson Airport in Alcoa, Tennessee, or Asheville Airport in North Carolina. From either airport, you’ll have a 45- to 60-mile drive to the park. Go camping. Fees range from $12 to $20 a night for front country camping, and you can reserve sites at Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont campgrounds up to five months ahead. Stay indoors. LeConte Lodge, accessible only by foot or horseback and open from mid-March to mid-Novem
