Two National Parks · 200 miles apart
Congaree or Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains drew 11,527,939 recreation visits in 2025, 40.1 times the 287,833 at Congaree, so crowds are the largest difference. Great Smoky Mountains has 13 campgrounds to 2 at Congaree. On the rest they match, since neither charges an entrance fee and neither uses timed entry. The two parks are 200 miles apart in a straight line.
| Congaree National Park | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | National Park | National Park |
| States | South Carolina | North Carolina, Tennessee |
| Recreation visits, 2025 | 287,833 | 11,527,939 |
| Entrance fee, private vehicle | None, free to enter | None, free to enter |
| Timed entry reservation | No | No |
| Campgrounds | 2 | 13 |
| International Dark Sky Park | No | No |
| Bird species, NPSpecies | 191 | 232 |
| Hours or season | Open all day, every day | Open all day, every day |
Congaree visits by yearGreat Smoky Mountains visits by year
Fees, hours, campgrounds and timed entry from the NPS API. Visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics system. Dark sky status from DarkSky International. Bird counts from the NPSpecies inventory. Data refreshed October 14, 2026. Other pairs.