And some of that is associated with how much we put into infrastructure. It's the best thing to protect the safety of the visitors getting out of their car, and accessing that trailhead, walking along a really busy roadway. The Great Smoky Mountains are one of America's national treasures. Park visitors can purchase daily tags for $5, weekly tags for $15 and annual tags for $40. The $40 annual parking tags will be available for purchase online through Great Smoky Mountains Association or at any of the park's visitor centers. Now, 100% of the new fees will go entirely into preserving the Smokies and providing visitors with the best possible experience. Parking tags will not be location specific. The same requirements and the same price structure applies to CUA holders. Yes. The money raised will go into a fund named Park It Forward to secure the future of the park. The good news is you can purchase a parking pass for your trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a number of different ways! My team and I, we read them all. But when it comes to these particular dollars, I want to focus on those. You can specify the date(s) you plan to visit if you purchase your daily or weekly parking tag online through. Entry Fees - Qubec National Parks - Spaq These sacrifices gave us a place where people from around the world now come and create their own memories and traditions. Address:Cades Cove Loop Rd, Townsend, TN 37882. Great Smoky Mountains National Park leadership announced the decision to adopt the Park it Forward parking tag program and to increase camping fees beginning next year. It gives millions of people relaxation, restoration, and inspiration. Beginning March 1,dailyandweeklyparking tags will be available for purchase by credit card from automated fee machines available year round, 24 hours a day. But so that's where we are. A windshield decal will be shipped to your mailing address; allow 2 weeks for delivery. Parking tags will be available for purchase both online and onsite. We've heard lots of questions about the new Park it Forward fees in the Great Smoky National Park and we've got answers. There will be an increased focus on the maintenance of the historic structures in the park so everyone can enjoy them for years to come. And I have served in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 32 years. Their funds are being used for seasonals, for custodial services, and to pay for utilities in the park. So now were finalizing the implementation plan. That authority is given under the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act, or FLREA. One of the most exciting drives in the country, the Tail of the Dragon is an e CSGM Theme by carodactyll | Digital Marketing by YlliB, Inc. By continuing to use our website, you are accepting the use of cookies. And they do have the authority to issue citations. You know, being a park that's within an eight-hour drive of half the United States population, it was imperative that we had an annual pass so that the folks that visit the park many times on a yearly-basis will continue to have that access. These prices apply to all vehicles driven into the park, from motorcycles to motorhomes, regardless of how many passengers are on board. Here are 6 places to buy a Great Smoky Mountains National Park parking pass: 1. But with this extreme demand for visitor services in our park and the use, we simply can't meet the needs without drastically cutting services or access to the park. Located on the southbound side of US 441 (The Spur) between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN, Gatlinburg Welcome Center is operated as a partnership between the City of Gatlinburg, the National Park Service, and Great Smoky Mountains Association. Dollywood Giving Away Free Dollywood Pre-K Imagination Season Passes for 2023! See winners from every year of the contest. Yes, the Smokies will participate in theNPS fee-free days. No. Parking fees are required in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Your parking pass must include a license place number matching the vehicle in which it is displayed. A daily pass is just $5. Parking had always been free at the park. And also, as Dana has said, we always give our officers discretion. Those are our largest two divisions within the park. Again, one of the things that we're trying to do here is take advantage of the opportunities that FLREA provides us in that fees section that Dana talked about, and to bump up our opportunities to better serve visitors. And we feel that talking with you and having the discussions and really laying the proposals out to you ensures that we do that. So, our intent is not to have these parking passes serve as a barrier to them enjoying the National Park. The official Great Smoky Mountains National Park annual parking tag has arrived! Now its time to call on the country - the millions of visitors who enjoy this space - to help shoulder the responsibility for its care into the future. Annual passes come in sticker form. And we need your help. Now there's 14.1 million people coming to the park. 14.1 million people, that's a 57 percent increase in visitation over the last 10 years. You can purchase an annual parking pass for $40. Having a CUA does not exempt you from the parking tag requirement. That's to reduce background noise so that all participants can hear the entirety of the presentation. One day pass. Parking tags are required for back-country campers, picnic pavilion reservation holders and concession customers. No, parking tags will not a guarantee a specific parking spot in a specific location or for a specific time frame. The annual parking tag is a cling and can be adhered to the motorcycle windshield or other highly-visible surface. 57:25 END OF PRESENTATION TEXT ON SCREEN: Public Comment Period will run through May 7th. Congress passed this law, particularly because they understood that the appropriated dollars that we get on an annual basis could not cover all of our associated costs with providing services to the millions of visitors that we get on an annual basis. Parking in the Great Smoky Mountains - WATE 6 On Your Side The official Great Smoky Mountains National Park annual parking tag has arrived! I asked for your feedback. How much revenue does the park estimate would be collected through the proposed parking tag program? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. And we've experienced a 39 percent increase in backcountry overnight use since the program was implemented. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". So, I am very invested in this park. Annual parking tags are available for purchase online through Great Smoky Mountains Association at smokiesinformation.org. Folks, were at a crossroads now in how we look to the future. We've shifted our donation dollars to support operational needs. This change will take time. Get ready for adventure: 450 000 km 2 of memories await! And when both of those organizations were formed, their intent was to provide a margin of excellence and to support signature projects. If you've been to the Smokies, you know how really special it is. And there are some complexities to that, as you can imagine, that we'll have to work through because we, certainly with our 3,000 volunteers in the park, we want to make sure we are appropriately applying an exemption. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. A parking tag will be required to park in any designated parking spot anywhere within the boundaries of the Smokies. Vehicles with valid, state-issued disabled placards or license plates are exempt from the parking tag requirement. One option is to tape the tag to the inside of the motorcycle windshield or instrument display. Okay, Im getting a thumbs up that it's up there. Annual tags must be displayed in the front, lower passenger windshield. Address: 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TN 37882. We haven't raised our campground rates in six years. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. But again, we welcome your input. The most authoritative source for restaurants, attractions, & cabin rentals in the Smoky Mountains. Discounts non-applicable on parking tags. Deer cross the road in Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Photo: Getty Images Skip the entrance fee for this national park - it's free to enter. They are non-transferrable. No. Bryson City - Swain CountyChamber of Commerce P.O. These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. It is the most-visited national park in the country and sees an increasing number of guests each year, up 57% over the past decade. Located on U.S. 321 in Townsend, TN, 2 miles from the west entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And then the last source is donation dollars. Won't this potentially reduce the amount of parking that's available to visitors? 45:31 Dana Soehn Well, if you've been to the park over the last couple of years, you've seen out of bounds parking. Supervised beach. So, with the user fees, we provide seven-day coverage in our office to be able to provide really critical trip planning advice. And again, all the fees, stay in the Smokies just like the proposed Park It Forward fees will stay in the Smokies to be able to support this great park. The Great Smoky Mountains parking pass fee is as follows: $5 for a daily fee, $15 for a tag for up to 7 days, and $40 for an annual tag. Yes. Save time at the gate. As you can imagine, that can be tough, as our sites are pretty primitive. Motorcyclists should plan ahead and come prepared to adequately display their parking tag. You can purchase daily and weekly passes online at Recreation.gov starting February 21, 2023 and an annual tag from the GSMA website. Maximize your enjoyment of your Smoky Mountains vacation with deep discounts on attractions, dining and more. We also want to welcome each and every one of you to provide your feedback about the proposal during the public comment period, which will run through May 7. Those services are primarily outside the park to provide that economic benefit that Superintendent Cash spoke about. It's our job to make sure that we're preserving those roadside corridors and we're providing safe access. If they park elsewhere in the park, a parking tag will be required. Backcountry campers will not be exempt from the parking tag requirement. We want to make sure that this is not an economic barrier, first of all, for people to continue to enjoy the park. Daily and weekly parking tags must be placed face-up on the front, lower passenger side dashboard. It works slightly different from AWSELB. Browse cabins with pet friendly policies. Address: 1011 Banner Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. 37:09 Kendra Straub Thank you, we've had a number of folks just kind of wondering whether there's a concern or consideration for the parking tag program reducing the ability of low-income visitors to access park facilities? Box 509Bryson City, NC 28713, Order a free Visitor Guide featuring Bryson City and the North Carolina Smokies. And parks can also charge for parking under this authority, either in addition to entrance fees, or as a standalone user fee. Smokies to require parking passes beginning next March | AP News Address:Cades Cove Loop Rd, Townsend, TN 37882. Address: 2 Everett Street, Bryson City, NC28713. Interagency passes . Parking tags will be available for purchase both online and onsite. With our high visitation and reduced staffing that we've been experiencing, this poor parking poor stewardship behavior has really developed over the last several years. In order to balance the Smokies budget, managers have had to decrease staffing and reduce visitor services. Those two passes in particular, we know that we are able to apply to discounts in our in our camping program under FLREA. Entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is still free, and always will be. Whether you are visiting for a day, the weekend, or pretty much consider the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as your second home, there is a parking tag for you. Address: 1194 Newfound Gap Highway, Cherokee, NC 28719. And, in fact, many of you are already doing so. Visitors with a handicap license plate or placard do not need a parking tag. But we were able to base it on like-campgrounds outside the park. Can I buy a daily or weekly tag in advance for a specific date? This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users. Great Smoky Mountains National Park begins charging for parking - USA TODAY Annual passes are $40, weekly passes are $15 and daily passes cost $5. And while we're not the only park that's experiencing high visitation, I can tell you it's just on a different scale here in the Smokies. But as the proposal stands now, that's not a feature of that type of discount being incorporated into the proposal. In addition to parking fees, camping fees are being adjusted as part of the Park It Forward campaign. We're protecting water quality, so we can support those high-quality fisheries. And most of these parks also have a robust concession program and that provides revenue from lodging and restaurants. Answer: All parking lots within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are subject to availability and a parking pass does not guarantee a spot. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors. And another way that I look at it too, you know, some people will say, Well, what happens if I don't, you know, have a parking tag? or whatever. What Does It Cost to Enter the Smoky Mountains National Park? Once set, would the price of the parking tags remain the same going forward? For more details, visit NPS.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fees. Annual Parking Windshield Decal $40. One hundred percent of the revenue generated through the Park It Forward Program will stay in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To me, that equates to memories. Address: 1420 Fighting Creek Gap Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Submit your feedback online: https://go.nps.gov/ParkItForward or Via Mail: 107 Park Headquarters Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738 57:45 END OF VIDEO. And then secondly, as I mentioned, that this would not be a socio-economic barrier for folks that want to continue to enjoy the national park. Our staff is feeling the strain. So, with that being said, I'm going to turn it over to you Dana. Fees from the Park It Forward Program won't take a huge bite out of your budget. Image of an annual and a daily parking tag displayed in a vehicle's windshield - NPS Image. Hopefully through the presentations and through the questions and answers, youll hear three things that serve as my motivation, and I will go as far to say as my inspiration. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Parking Tag Breakdown: Any parking over 15 minutes inside GRSM will require a parking pass starting March 1, 2023. It's been 10 years since we increased the backcountry fees and six years since we increase the frontcountry fees. Respondents were overwhelmingly in favor of the annual tag option. Visitation to the park has seen considerable growth over the past decade, which has increased the wear and tear on aging facilities and undue strain on limited park staff. Address: 7078 Clingmans Dome Road, Cherokee, NC 28719. People clearly understood the business case for the needed revenue. You don't need a parking pass if you're just driving through the park or parking for less than 15 minutes. And we are not proposing in the Smokies to charge a reservation fee. Want Again, in the Smokies, we have a very small concessions program by design. Located within the Orientation Shelter at the entrance of Cades Cove Loop Road. One, are the employees at this park. When to buy a Great Smoky Mountains National Park parking pass - and One of them is, you know, Is the parking tag, or would the parking tag be per person or per vehicle? This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. Enjoy the convenience of purchasing your parking tag before you arrive and have it shipped straight to your door. These are hard stories. Front country campers parked at their designated campsite will not be required to have a parking tag. For a one day pass, it expires at the end of the effective day. NEW IN 2023 Parking Fees Required in the National Park Parking fees are required in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Just recognizing that growing awareness will take months, maybe years, as we grow this program. And we haven't increased these fees in alignment with inflation. Having a picnic pavilion reservation does not exempt you from the parking tag requirement. Now this deed restriction does not prohibit the park from charging user fees. We experimented a little bit with that at Laurel Falls. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. You can add questions at any time during the presentation. So, when we start to break those down based on the survey data available to us, it's roughly we believe about 50 percent of our visitors would likely want the annual tag. Three tag durations will be available for purchase for all vehicle sizes and types: Visit the National Park Service website for a complete list of fee rates that will go into effect on March 1, 2023, as well as FAQs on the parks new Park It Forward program. Starting March 1, 2023, fees will be $5 for a daily tag, $15 for a weekly tag, or $40 for an annual pass. However, starting March 1, 2023, drivers who park inside the national park will need to pay $5 for a parking tag, $15 for a 7-day tag or $40 for an annual tag. Located 1.5 miles north of Cherokee, NC, on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441), this visitor center and museum were opened in 2011. We look at how many visitors we think truly only come once a year, and they come one time, and would probably want that $5 tag, or maybe it's just a few times a year they come. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Beginning March 1,dailyandweeklyparking tags will be available for purchase by credit card from automated fee machines available year round, 24 hours a day. And same thing would be with parking. Because again, we feel that our visitors deserve just as much of a service as a visitor at Yosemite or Yellowstone or Glacier, and the list goes on. A pass is only required if you plan on parking for more than 15 minutes. Those moments weighed heavily on me. You can purchase daily and weekly passes online at Recreation.gov starting February 21, 2023 and an annual tag from the GSMA website. And like most descendants, the descendant family that I married into 31 years ago from the Sugarlands and Elkmont areas of the park, we've long heard the story about the promise of free access that was given because of the descendants selling their lands for the creation of this great park.
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