Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced its spring opening schedule for Park
facilities and availability of services with a majority of campgrounds and secondary roads opening
on Friday, March 11. The Parks Opening Schedule includes:
Roads – The secondary roads that are set to open on March 11 include: Little Greenbrier, Rich
Mountain, Straight Fork/Round Bottom, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Clingmans Dome Road is
set to open on April 1 and the Heintooga Ridge and Balsam Mountain Roads will open on May 13. Forge
Creek and Parson Branch Roads will have a delayed opening due to unseasonable wet weather. The roads
are expected to open early spring.
Operating Hours for Visitor Centers – The three visitor centers are open daily and the
operating hours through March are as follows: Sugarlands Visitor Center, near Gatlinburg, TN, 8 a.m.-5
p.m., Cades Cove Visitor Center, near Townsend, TN, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and the Oconaluftee Visitor Center
near Cherokee, NC, hours will be 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Reservations may now be made ONLINE for many federally managed recreation areas, including National Park Service areas, all across the U.S. The Park now has five of its 10 developed campgrounds on the reservation system. Cataloochee campground was added this year in addition to Elkmont, Cades Cove, Smokemont, and some sites at Cosby. The system allows campers to reserve specific campsites and to make reservations 6 months in advance. Group campsites and picnic pavilions can be reserved up to 12 months in advance. Alternatively, book reservations by calling 877-444-6777.
Campgrounds open on a staggered basis starting March 11. (See the following schedule for
exact dates.) For the five campgrounds on Recreation.gov, reservations are required at Cades Cove,
Elkmont, and Smokemont for the period from May 15-October 31 (for other dates the three campgrounds
are first come, first serve); Cataloochee Campground--all sites must be reserved throughout its season;
and Cosby Campground, which has mostly first-come, first-served campsites, has a limited number of
reservable sites during its season. Camping fees range from $14 to $23 per site/night.
Campers have an opportunity to camp in
“generator free” campsites at three campgrounds: Cades
Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont campgrounds. Campers can reserve a site in the generator-free loop
sections of Cades Cove, Smokemont, and Elkmont campgrounds.
Group Camping will be available at seven campgrounds (see schedule for opening dates) and
reservations must be made through Recreation.gov. Group camping is available at Big Creek,
Cataloochee, Cosby, Deep Creek, Elkmont, Cades Cove, and Smokemont. The cost for group camping
ranges from $26 to $65 per site/night.
Horse Camps at Anthony Creek, Big Creek, Cataloochee, Round Bottom, and Towstring will
open April 1 and reservations are only available through Recreation.gov. The horse site fees are $20 at all
horse camps except for Big Creek where it is $25.
Horseback Riding - The opening dates for the three horseback concessions located on the Tennessee side of the Park are: Smoky Mountain Riding Stable on March 4; Sugarlands Riding Stable on March 11; and Cades Cove is scheduled on March 13. In addition to horseback rides which cost $25 per horse per rider, Cades Cove Riding Stable will offer their customary carriage rides and hay rides, and wheelchair accessible carriage and hay rides. The Smokemont Riding Stable in North Carolina will open March 26 and will provide visitors with a chance to experience a horse-drawn wagon ride along the route of the historic Oconaluftee Turnpike.
Picnic Areas – There are 10 first-come, first-serve picnic areas. Open all year are Big Creek,
Cades Cove, Chimney Tops, Cosby, Greenbrier, Deep Creek, and Metcalf Bottoms. Collins Creek Picnic
Area will open on March 11 and Heintooga and Look Rock are scheduled to open on May 13. The Park’s
largest picnic pavilion at Twin Creeks opens on April 1 and reservations are required through
Recreation.gov only. Twin Creeks fees range from $35-$75 depending on the number of people. In
addition, picnickers can reserve five other picnic pavilions on Recreation.gov. They are located at Collins
Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek, Metcalf Bottoms, and Greenbrier picnic areas. The cost is $20, except at
Greenbrier where it is $10.
LeConte Lodge, accessible only by trail, will open on March 21. Reservations are required and
can be made by calling 865/429-5704, fax 865/774-0045 or e:mail reservations@lecontelodge.com. One
night at the lodge costs $116 per adult and $85 for children 10 and under (tax not included). The price
includes two meals--dinner and breakfast. Day hikers and backpackers can purchase a prepared bag or
dining room lunch and snacks/beverages at the lodge. Reservations are required for the dining room
lunch.
Spring Opening 2011-three Campground Concessions – The Cades Cove Campground Store will open March 5. The store provides groceries, camping supplies, firewood, ice, vending, limited food service, souvenirs, and bike rentals. The Cades Cove Store has multi-speed comfort or mountain bikes available for rent, in addition to single speed cruisers. The Elkmont Campground concession will open March 11. The concession provides firewood, ice, limited camper convenience items, and vending of soft drinks, newspapers, and snacks.
Estimated losses in NC and TN resulting from the pointless
shut-down are 33 million dollars, based on a Western Carolina University study.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is believed to be the biggest looser
among the country's popular destination with more than $12 million in lost wages
for workers, $1.8 million in lost state taxes and $1 million in lost local
taxes. 
The Great Smoky Muntains National Park offers a Hike to Celebrate the re-opening . On Thursday, October 17th hiking expert, author of several outdoor publications, GSMA board member and Friend of the Smokies volunteer Danny Bernstein will lead this 7-mile out and back hike. The hike is moderate in difficulty with a total ascent of 1,200 ft.
and partially follows an old roadbed beside the creek. After the
downhill return, participants can get an early jump on their holiday
shopping at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. 
