GSMNP the most popular park

What time of year and day? Start early, go in the off-season. Yes, it can be a pain.

We go in late April of early May and the crowds are non-existant. Beautiful place to visit.

11 million people visited the GSMNP last year. I see license plates from all over the country really and am amazed how big a draw this park and area is. We live about 20 miles outside of Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg and enjoy playing tourist in our own hometown area. Yes, it can be CRAZY BUSY with traffic but if you can find your patience there is so much to see and do for all ages you would have to work at being bored. Don't let the traffic keep you from visiting.

I have lived next door to the GSMNP for most of my life and have visited it a great many times.
When I see the attendance figures, I have to ask, how do they count people. There are several entrances with no way to count cars. No counters of any kind that I can see, yet so Millions visit each year. I have even asked at the Visitors center and can get no answer.

Most Parks have an entrance station where you have to pay. At least there you can count vehicles and get some idea of attendance.

It is crowded though. We were in Cades Cove Easter week end and it was bumper to bumper. Saw several deer, turkeys and one bear.

I have always thought those figures were a bit misleading. Great Smoky has several roads that transit the park. There is a lot of traffic that is counted as visitations that are probably commuters or people who are transiting the park to get to the attractions and cities that are adjacent to the park (i.e Dollywood, Gatlinburg, Ashville). Combine that with the huge numbers of people who live within a few hours of the park, the visitation numbers at GSMNP is just different than the visitation number of parks like Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier. Regardless, GSMNP is a heck of a national treasure.

rv2go wrote:
I have lived next door to the GSMNP for most of my life and have visited it a great many times.
When I see the attendance figures, I have to ask, how do they count people. There are several entrances with no way to count cars. No counters of any kind that I can see, yet so Millions visit each year. I have even asked at the Visitors center and can get no answer.

Most Parks have an entrance station where you have to pay. At least there you can count vehicles and get some idea of attendance.

It is crowded though. We were in Cades Cove Easter week end and it was bumper to bumper. Saw several deer, turkeys and one bear.

x2 I find the data hard to believe as I too note that they do not have entrance stations like most parks

They don't have entrance stations because they can't. When Tennessee and N Carolina transferred ownership of 441 to the Feds they stipulated no toll or fee could be charged to travel that road.

I have seen counters on the roadway. All you have to do is experience the traffic to be convinced....although I do know many people who transit that road to go between Gatlinburg and Cherokee and never stop in the park.

Word of caution too, if you do not understand how to pull a trailer in the mountains do not attempt to pull a trailer over Newfound Gap. Every time I have taken 441 I have seen people on the side of the road with their brakes smoking. Its a tough pull even for the more seasoned.

We stayed in Townsend and went to Cades Cove 2 days in a row last Oct. The traffic at times was heavy but, not bad. We took a sack lunch and pulled over more than once, set up lawn chairs and enjoyed the views in the park. Made every stop at the points of interest and went to the mill. Great trip and very restful. We weren't in a hurry maybe that made it better. We will go back.

I am an ardent supporter of California and the entire Western States and I feel we have some of the most unbelievable sites in the world out here, however, the SNP, BRP and the GSMNP are as unbelievable as anything anywhere in the world as is evident by number of people that visit there.

To quote an old Ziggy cartoon as he watched a beautiful vista during a magnificent sunset, "YEAH GOD".

You folks back there are so lucky even with the traffic during high season to have that whole area in your backyard.