There are no Government-operated cabins nor lodging accommodations in
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Under the policy approved by
the Secretary of the Interior, tourist facilities within the boundaries
of this park are limited to automobile campgrounds and picnic areas.
Cabins and lodging accommodations may be obtained in any of the towns
surrounding the park, and such information may be obtained from the
Chambers of Commerce of such cities. The only accommodations inside the
park are LeConte Lodge on the summit of Mt. LeConte, accessible only by
foot or horseback, and Wonderland Club Hotel, Elkmont, Tennessee. These
are operated under permit from the National Park Service. Information
regarding these may be obtained by writing direct to LeConte Lodge,
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the Wonderland Club Hotel, Elkmont,
Tennessee.
There are at present two permanent public campgrounds in the park--the
Chimneys campground located about seven and a half miles from
Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the Smokemont campground located about four
miles from the Oconaluftee Ranger Station in North Carolina. These
campgrounds are furnished with water supply, fireplaces, tables and
benches, comfort stations, and tent and trailer spaces. Campers must
bring their own tent or trailer and other camping equipment.
There are also meagerly furnished temporary primitive campgrounds
located in Cosby, Greenbrier, Elkmont, Walkers Valley, Cades Cove, Happy
Valley, and Bunny Branch on the Tennessee side, and about the mouth of
Lost Cove on Eagle Creek, at the old ball grounds at Proctor and at the
confluence of Bone Valley and Hazel Creeks in Hazel Creek, at the head
of the bay on Forney Creek and four miles up Forney Creek at the warden
station, and on Noland Creek, and Deep Creek Straight Fork, Cataloochee,
and Big Creek on the North Carolina side.
The campgrounds are open the year round, but during freezing weather the
water is cut off and the comfort stations closed. Caretaker services are
provided in the Chimneys and Smokemont campgrounds from about the middle
of May until October. The campgrounds are operated on a
first-come-first-served basis and reservations are not taken for camping
space.
No special permit is required for camping at any of the designated
campgrounds in the park, but a camping permit is required for camping
elsewhere in the park. Such a permit may be obtained from any of the
rangers or wardens or upon application to the office of the
Superintendent, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg,
Tennessee.