Accessibility:
You can get to the park by car, this is the only method of going to the park, because there are no bus services to the park.
The most popular entrance into the park is the entrance trough Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The other entrances are trough Cherokee, Maggie Valley and Bryson City who are all located in North Carolina.
There is no entrance fee charged when visiting this park, this is because of the restrictions imposed when the park was established. In the park you can get around by car or backpacking.
Accommodations:
There are hotels in every price range outside of the park, there are also camp sites for trailers and tents. You can find these hotels in the cities near the park.
Attractions
Visitor centers
The park has several visitor centers inside the park as well as some in the surrounding areas. These centers offer various ranger-led programs, facilities, services, and exhibits. Visitors can get information to help plan their visit to the park and get answers to their questions from park rangers. There are two main ones:
* Sugarlands Visitors Center Serves the Tennessee half of the park with a gift shop, small museum, and theater
* Oconaluftee Visitors Center Serves the North Carolina half
The Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trails a trail that stretches for 3,500 km trough Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Each year, thousands of people try to hike the whole trail in a single journey. This trail is straight trough the park.
Clingmans Dome
This is the highest point of the park and also in the state Tennessee, reaching up to 2025 meters. Because of the height you can have a great view overlooking a big part of the park.
Climate
The winters are mild and the summers are hot and steamy.
The Best time to visit the park
The Best time to visit the park is in the Fall, this is when the the park is at its best. You must remember that the parks elevation ranges and that can affect local weather. The weather can easily vary 10 to 20 degrees from mountain base to top.
Average weather conditions