• Approximately 1,500 black bears live in the national park.

    Great Smoky Mountains

    National Park NC,TN

Backcountry Camping - Backpacking

Reservations and permits are required for all overnight stays in the backcountry. To make reservations, please visit the backcountry reservation website.
 

Things You Need to Know About Backcountry Camping in the Smokies
As of February 2013, Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires a permit and advance reservations for all backcountry camping in the park. Before planning your backcountry trip, please read through this important information about reservations and permits, regulations, bear safety, trail closures, and more.

Please direct all questions concerning backpacking trip planning to the Backcountry Information Office at (865) 436-1297. The information office is open daily from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time). In addition to answering your backpacking questions, the experienced backpackers in the Backcountry Information Office can provide you with tips to make your trip safe and enjoyable.

The park has over 800 miles of trails offering hikers a wide range of scenery including spectacular mountain vistas, rushing streams and waterfalls, historic structures, and quiet groves of old-growth forest. You can download a park trail map to find the location of trails, backcountry shelters, and campsites in the park.

In addtion, the Great Smoky Mountains Associations sells a variety of hiking books, maps, and guides to help choose a hiking route and plan your backcountry trip. You can contact the Association by calling (865) 436-0120 or by visiting www.SmokiesInformation.org. The Great Smoky Mountains Association is a nonprofit organization that supports educational and scientific programs in the park.

 
Backpackers and hikers are subject to all Backcountry Rules and Regulations. Failure to abide by park regulations may subject you to a fine under Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations. Maximum fine for each violation is $5,000 and/or 6 months in jail.
 

Quarantine Notice: The possession of firewood originating from a location for which a federal or state firewood quarantine is in effect is prohibited in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Click for additional information about this quarantine, including states affected

 
  • Regulations Concerning Pets Regulations Concerning Pets

    Leashed pets are allowed in developed areas and along roads, but are not allowed on park trails. Read More

  • Download Park Maps Download Park Maps

    Maps of trails and campgrounds as well as general park maps are available. Read More

  • Hemlock Woolly Adelgids Hemlock Woolly Adelgids

    Eastern hemlock trees are under attack from a non-native insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid. Read More

  • Black Bears Black Bears

    An estimated 1,500 black bears live in the park. Read More

Did You Know?

Barn at the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

The barn at the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor Center is over 50 feet wide and 60 feet long. A modern 2,500 square foot home would fit in the upstairs loft of the barn and over 16,000 hand-split wooden shingles are required to roof it.