Visitation · National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitation by month and year

October is the busiest month at Great Smoky Mountains, when the average temperature nearby is 50 degrees. January is the quietest, and the average temperature then is 31 degrees. October runs about 3.9 times the visits of January. The warmest month is July, a little off the peak. Annual visits fell 8.1 percent, from 12,547,743 in 2019 to 11,527,939 in 2025.

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Visits by month, with temperature and precipitation

Visits by month with average temperature, precipitation, Great Smoky Mountains0500k1M1.5M2MJanuary: 415,899 visits on average, 30.6°FJanFebruary: 485,531 visits on average, 33.3°FFebMarch: 881,563 visits on average, 39.4°FMarApril: 1,029,746 visits on average, 48.0°FAprMay: 1,240,272 visits on average, 56.4°FMayJune: 1,457,247 visits on average, 62.4°FJunJuly: 1,544,523 visits on average, 65.5°FJulAugust: 1,220,408 visits on average, 64.4°FAugSeptember: 1,195,307 visits on average, 59.6°FSepOctober: 1,607,149 visits on average, 50.3°FOctNovember: 992,043 visits on average, 41.2°FNovDecember: 753,631 visits on average, 34.7°FDecJanuary: 30.6°F averageFebruary: 33.3°F averageMarch: 39.4°F averageApril: 48.0°F averageMay: 56.4°F averageJune: 62.4°F averageJuly: 65.5°F averageAugust: 64.4°F averageSeptember: 59.6°F averageOctober: 50.3°F averageNovember: 41.2°F averageDecember: 34.7°F average30°F40°F50°F60°F70°FVisitsRain, inches0.0 in4.0 in8.0 inJanuary: 6.81 in precipitationFebruary: 6.04 in precipitationMarch: 6.56 in precipitationApril: 6.00 in precipitationMay: 6.19 in precipitationJune: 6.12 in precipitationJuly: 7.33 in precipitationAugust: 5.07 in precipitationSeptember: 5.43 in precipitationOctober: 5.43 in precipitationNovember: 5.87 in precipitationDecember: 7.01 in precipitation
Bars are the average recreation visits in each month over 2021 to 2025. The line is the average temperature at Newfound Gap, 5 miles from the park's reference point at 5,040 feet, station USC00406500 in the NOAA 1991 to 2020 climate normals. The lower panel is monthly rain from the same station, which publishes no snowfall normal.

Annual visits, 1979 to 2025

Annual recreation visits, Great Smoky Mountains02M4M6M8M10M12M14M198019902000201020201979: 8,019,7881980: 8,440,9531981: 8,312,8841982: 8,177,8691983: 8,435,4751984: 8,508,3901985: 9,319,2901986: 9,836,3061987: 10,209,8411988: 8,770,7811989: 8,333,5531990: 8,151,7691991: 8,654,4591992: 8,931,6901993: 9,283,8481994: 8,628,1741995: 9,080,4201996: 9,265,6671997: 9,965,0751998: 9,989,3951999: 10,283,5982000: 10,175,8122001: 9,197,6972002: 9,316,4202003: 9,366,8452004: 9,167,0462005: 9,192,4772006: 9,289,2152007: 9,372,2532008: 9,044,0102009: 9,491,4372010: 9,463,5382011: 9,008,8302012: 9,685,8292013: 9,354,6952014: 10,099,2762015: 10,712,6742016: 11,312,7862017: 11,338,8932018: 11,421,2002019: 12,547,7432020: 12,095,7202021: 14,161,5482022: 12,937,6332023: 13,297,6472024: 12,191,8342025: 11,527,9392025: 11.5M
Recreation visits per calendar year. A year with a missing month is left blank rather than estimated.

The last ten years

YearRecreation visitsChange on prior year
202511,527,939-5.4%
202412,191,834-8.3%
202313,297,647+2.8%
202212,937,633-8.6%
202114,161,548+17.1%
202012,095,720-3.6%
201912,547,743+9.9%
201811,421,200+0.7%
201711,338,893+0.2%
201611,312,786+5.6%

Visitation at other parks

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Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics, monthly recreation visits, as compiled for Publicopia Labs. A year is shown only when all twelve months were reported. Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals are the 1991 to 2020 monthly averages published by NOAA NCEI for station USC00406500, 5,040 feet above sea level. Data refreshed October 14, 2026.