Two National Parks · 342 miles apart
Shenandoah or Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains drew 11,527,939 recreation visits in 2025, 6.9 times the 1,682,152 at Shenandoah, so crowds are the largest difference. Great Smoky Mountains has 13 campgrounds to 4 at Shenandoah. Great Smoky Mountains charges no entrance fee while Shenandoah charges $30 per private vehicle. On the rest they match, since neither uses timed entry. The two parks are 342 miles apart in a straight line.
| Shenandoah National Park | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | National Park | National Park |
| States | Virginia | North Carolina, Tennessee |
| Recreation visits, 2025 | 1,682,152 | 11,527,939 |
| Entrance fee, private vehicle | $30 (Private Vehicle) | None, free to enter |
| Timed entry reservation | No | No |
| Campgrounds | 4 | 13 |
| International Dark Sky Park | No | No |
| Bird species, NPSpecies | 196 | 232 |
| Hours or season | Open all day, every day | Open all day, every day |
Shenandoah 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.