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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Entrance

Shuttle Service to Great Smoky Mountains National Park Now Available

Are you worried about finding parking the next time you visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Don’t want to sit behind the wheel in traffic while traveling to the park? A new option is now available for folks who want to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Park officials have announced a new shuttle service that provides transportation to and from numerous stops in and around the national park. Here’s everything you need to know about this new shuttle service to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park:

About the Shuttle Service

tunnel on the Gatlinburg spur

The shuttle service will be provided by several local commercial businesses and not the national park itself. Park officials hope this new shuttle service will help to alleviate some of the traffic and parking congestion in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Shuttles pick up and drop off at several different locations, including some of the most popular national park attractions like Alum Cave Trail, Chimney Tops Trail, Clingmans Dome, Laurel Falls Trail, Newfound Gap, Rainbow Falls Trail and Trillium Gap Trail.

 

This new option provides a stress-free way to travel to and from the national park! Most of these shuttle services run from March through October.

Shuttle Service Providers

A handful of local businesses are providing the service as authorized shuttle providers. They are as follows:

Why Take the Shuttle?

Cars stuck in traffic.

Parking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is always on a first come, first serve basis. There’s a chance you could purchase a parking permit yet not find any parking available in the national park, especially during peak seasons. Skip the hassle of dealing with traffic and parking by taking the shuttle to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

More people visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park than Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Yosemite combined! The national park is only continuing to grow in popularity and parking is limited, which can cause you headaches you could otherwise avoid by taking advantage of this new shuttle service!

Parking in the National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park sign

As of March 1, 2023, parking tags are required for any vehicles parking inside the national park. Three different types of tags are available for purchase. The $40 annual pass allows you to park in the national park for 12 months from the date of purchase. Daily tags cost $5 and weekly tags can be purchased for $15. You can purchase these passes at any of the visitors centers in the Great Smoky Mountains National park or online.

The money collected from this Park It Forward initiative will go towards helping improve the visitor experience by providing sustainable, year-round support to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That support includes working to maintain hiking trails and roads, updating the historical structures already in the park and protecting the park’s natural resources.

If you want to skip any traffic or parking issues, this new shuttle service to and from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is ideal for you and the family! Before you visit, check out all the fun things you can do with family in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!