Two National Parks · 183 miles apart
Great Smoky Mountains or Mammoth Cave
Great Smoky Mountains drew 11,527,939 recreation visits in 2025, 17.4 times the 660,734 at Mammoth Cave, so crowds are the largest difference. Great Smoky Mountains has 13 campgrounds to 3 at Mammoth Cave. Mammoth Cave holds an International Dark Sky designation and Great Smoky Mountains does not. On the rest they match, since neither charges an entrance fee and neither uses timed entry. The two parks are 183 miles apart in a straight line.
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Mammoth Cave National Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | National Park | National Park |
| States | North Carolina, Tennessee | Kentucky |
| Recreation visits, 2025 | 11,527,939 | 660,734 |
| Entrance fee, private vehicle | None, free to enter | None, free to enter |
| Timed entry reservation | No | No |
| Campgrounds | 13 | 3 |
| International Dark Sky Park | No | Yes |
| Bird species, NPSpecies | 232 | 168 |
| Hours or season | Open all day, every day | Open all day, every day |
Great Smoky Mountains visits by yearMammoth Cave 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.