Park Statistics

Acreage
Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers 522,427 acres (800 miles²), divided almost evenly between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee.

Visitation
More than 12 million recreational visits in 2024. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is consistently the most visited national park in the country. You can access multiple reports about park visitation on the NPS Stats website.

Economic Impact
The park provides an economic hub generating over $2.2 billion in 2023 and supports 33,748 jobs in surrounding communities. You can explore park economic data at the NPS Visitor Spending Effects site.

Annual Budget
$21.56 million base budget in Fiscal Year 2024.
$9 million recreation fee revenue in Fiscal Year 2024.

Deferred Maintenance and Repair
$254 million in Fiscal Year 2023.

Annual Routine Maintenance
$19.5 million in Fiscal Year 2023.

Developed Campgrounds
10 campgrounds with a total of 1000 sites, recording more than 420,000 camper nights in Calendar Year 2024.

Picnic Areas
11 picnic areas, totaling 1050 sites.

Backcountry Campsites
More than 100 sites, including shelters. More than 71,000 overnight visits in Calendar Year 2024.

Trails
848 miles of trail (150 trails), including 74 miles of the Appalachian Trail run through the park.
1,500 trail signs
155 foot logs
60 trail bridges

Roads
384 miles total —238 are paved and 146 are unpaved.
6 tunnels
146 scenic bridges
70 scenic overlooks
4,800 regulatory and wayfinding signs

Buildings
342 structures are maintained in the park, including 123 historic structures.

Water Systems
26 water systems

Archival Records
900,000 archival records

Cemeteries
146 family cemeteries with 4,847 gravestones

Mountains
Elevations in the park range from approximately 875 feet at the mouth of Abrams Creek to 6,643 feet at Clingmans Dome. Sixteen mountains peaks exceed 6,000 feet in elevation.

Vegetation

79 vegetation communities

8 major forest types cover 96% of the park’s area: Spruce-fir, Northern hardwood, Cove hardwood, Hemlock, Oak-hickory, Pine-oak, Montane alluvial, and Successional

Species

>22,000 species of life documented in the park
Including 1,000 new to science
2,462 plants
70 mammals
77 fish
254 birds
45 amphibians
40 reptiles
3,510 fungal species
12,394 invertebrates

Streams
2,900 miles of streams

Park Designations
International Biosphere Reserve (designated October 26, 1976) and World Heritage Site (designated December 6, 1983).

Personnel
Approximately 275 permanent employees and 140 seasonal employees.

Volunteers
1,524 volunteers donated more than 113,000 hours in Fiscal Year 2024.