Picnicking

Valid Parking Tags Required Starting March 1, 2023

Obtaining a picnic pavilion reservation does not exempt you from the parking tag requirement.

 

 

Picnic sites have a picnic table and a raised grill for cooking.

Picnic areas are located at Big Creek, Chimneys, Cades Cove, Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek, Greenbrier, Heintooga, Look Rock, Metcalf Bottoms, and Twin Creeks. Download a park map to view the location of picnic areas in the park.

The picnic areas at Cades Cove, Deep Creek, Greenbrier, and Metcalf Bottoms remain open year-round. The remaining picnic areas are closed during the winter. See schedule below.

Picnic pavilions are available at Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek,
Greenbrier, Metcalf Bottoms, and Twin Creeks, Pavilions can be reserved for groups one year in advance by calling [phone], or online at https://www.recreation.gov.

Please remember that feeding bears and other wildlife is illegal. The black bear symbolizes the invaluable wilderness qualities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But bears are dying unnecessarily due to improper disposal of garbage or illegal feeding by visitors. A bear's remarkable sense of smell may lead it to human foods, such as a picnicker's cooler, garbage left in the open, or food scraps thrown on the ground or left in the grill.

A bear that has discovered human food or garbage will eventually become day-active and leave the safety of the backcountry. It may panhandle along roadsides and be killed by a car or it may injure a visitor and have to be euthanized. Please do your part to help protect black bears and other wildlife in the Great Smokies. Clean your picnic area, including the grill and the ground around the table, thoroughly after your meal.

 

Picnic Area	2023 Open/Close Dates	Number of Sites	Pavilion	Notes
Big Creek	4/07 - 10/30	10	No
Cades Cove	Year-round	81	No	Closes at 8:00 PM April 28 - Sept 4; at sunset on other dates.
Chimneys	4/01 - 11/27	68	No	Closes at 8:00 PM April 28 - Sept 4; at sunset on other dates. Lower loop with vault toilet: April 1 - Nov 27; Lower and upper loops with flush toilets: April 14 to Oct 31, weather permitting.
Collins Creek	4/01- 10/31	182	Seats 70	Closes at 8:00 PM April 28 - Sept 4; at sunset on other dates. Pavilion can be reserved in advance. Flush toilets open April 1, weather permitting.
Cosby	4/07 - 10/30	35	Seats 55	Pavilion can be reserved in advance.
Deep Creek	Year-round	58	Seats 70	Pavilion can be reserved in advance from April 1 - October 31. Restrooms only open during the reservation period.
Greenbrier	Year-round	12	Seats 70	Pavilion can be reserved in advance from April 1 - October 31. Vault toilets available. Picnic pavilion opening is subject to road work completion.
Heintooga	5/12 - 10/09	41	No
Look Rock	4/28 - 10/30	51	No
Metcalf Bottoms	Year-round	122	Seats 70	Pavilion can be reserved in advance from April 7 - October 30. North half of picnic area closed during winter. Only "pack it out" picnicking from Oct 31, 2023 through March 29, 2024. All dumpsters are removed during the winter. 10-ton wgt. limit on Metcalf bridge. — no buses, motorhomes, trailers, etc.
Twin Creeks	4/01 - 10/31	Pavilion only	Seats 150	By reservation only

 

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