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Own an RV? Beware of Smoky Mountain National Park
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Own an RV? Beware of Smoky Mountain National Park



Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the MOST VISITED National park in the country, but is it a mistake to RV in the park?
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Should you RV Smoky Mountain National Park?
02:30 – UGLY TRUTH # 1
06:33 – UGLY TRUTH # 2
08:02 – UGLY TRUTH # 3
08:41 – Nomad Near Me for Android!
10:10 – “Do Instead” # 1
12:50 – “Do Instead” # 2
13:55 – “Do Instead” # 3
14:36 – Our Favorite Things To Do in SMNP

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46 Comments

  6. K Whit

    You guys should try Branson, Missouri
    It's like Pigeon Forge but has lakes.
    Bass Pro in Springfield has a wildlife museum and aquarium

  8. Roger Hardy

    I have visited SMNP several times in the last several years. There is no way I would try to bring my 38' fiver into the park, let alone a campground. I park outside the park and commute into the park. We were fortunate to get the park pass for $20 lifetime since we are geezers. SMNP is beautiful but it's worth commuting to see it. Finally, your app is available for Android! I've been, not so patiently, awaiting the release.

  10. Matt Hayashi

    First I hope Nathan is feeling better and I am glad to hear JJ is good. What a scare! Second sounds like one should prepare for anything at SMNP. Great video!

  11. iucp101

    GSMNP is one of my fav places. Im glad to see the parking passes started. They are trying to control people that parked on the side of the road, many times blocking in others or sticking out in the road and blocking traffic so even first responders could not get to emergency situations. Be aware the park service IS enforcing and 100s of vehicles have been towed over the last several weeks because they were parked in areas with No Parking signs. The southern section around Cherokee is not nearly as busy and Smokemont campground has a designated loop for RVs only and can accommodate some large rigs. Deep Creek and Cosby are quiet as well. Our fav spot is Cataloochee but the road in is windy, very narrow and has steep drop offs so not good for rvs. Its a nice quiet area with lots of elk.

  12. Yim

    In addition to weekdays, I would also recommend early May or late September if you can do it. The weather is generally pretty good, the crowds are at their lowest, and chalets/hotels are at their cheapest.

  15. Todd Dunn

    Acadia National Park is going the same way. Two years ago they instituted a reservation system to go to the most scenic viewpoint. You can only get a reservation on line and it costs an extra $6 for the reservation. I see more of that coming for anything that is very popular. Similarly, although there is no reservation required yet, the wait to go to the Bass Harbor Lighthouse can be up to an hour.

  19. Paul deM

    We've always stayed on the NC side of the park. Quieter and usually cooler in the summer than the TN side. Lots of cool small towns on the NC side to see and not as 'Touristy' unless you like to visit a Casino in Cherokee. We've been to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg a couple times and honestly, that's all we needed. We come to the Great Smokies to disconnect and having a site along a river does just that. I have no issues spending a few $ to park (they need to get revenue somehow since they can't charge admission) and certified firewood on the NC side was only $8/bundle and more than 5 pieces. Also, camping for $30 per night (yes, dry camping) is still affordable unlike certain State Parks (talking about you SC) that are charging $80/night for Water/Electric. GSMNP is still an awesome value and we'll be coming back for years to come.

  21. Mark Sloan

    Great video. This area has been my family’s home away from home for fifty years. I’m 53 now and have been going there since I was 3. We’ve owned cabins and my brother actually owned a store on the strip for a few years and I lived there and helped him. It’s a special place.

    As for fees, as you guys know from your travels, many many national parks charge admission fees.

    Not many people know this but when the Smokey Mountain National Park was being acquired by the govt part of the acquisition process had stipulations that the govt could NEVER charge an admission fee.

    As a result of this, along with it being so visited and costs associated with park rangers, road maintenance, trail maintenance, garbage control etc, the Smokey’s lagged behind in creating much needed revenue to offset those costs.

    This is why the parking fee was created. You can buy a daily pass, or a weekly or an annual and the cost of the annual parking pass is pretty much in line with other national park annual admission passes.

    Now with that said, it’s a whole different discussion as to how I feel about fees in general in our parks as to whether the parks should be fully funded by taxes or not is a different discussion. And I will say that for you guys buying the annual “all parks” pass not including parking in the Smokey’s is an oversight on their part as I think it should be included for you.

    I tell the other story about how the fees came about just so folks who don’t know understand why and how the parking few structure came about and how it’s not a lot different than pulling up to the Grand Canyon and actually paying a larger fee to get inside the park.

  24. screddot

    If your vehicle has a "Disabled" tag, you are not required to get a parking pass. Please verify before you go, things chance quickly.

  28. kokeshi dolls

    We stayed at Douglas Headwater Campground…It was a wonderful campground right on the lake and a short drive to the national park.

  29. rodneylw10

    That is sad. I grew up going to SMNP too. Parking Permits are ridiculous when you already have a pass. The RV size issue is common in the National Parks and well documented. My take is to keep the RV at 28 feet or less to have the most spots available. The no power or hookups, water, etc. in the park is something I know about. I am currently camping and planned to go to Elkmont (there are spots) this week but I am having second thoughts as I am in the mountains already and at a higher elevation (cooler) and without crowds. I followed your advice years ago saying in Pigeon Forge in a Passport America place you stayed and recommended as a savings spot. It was but now it is like $200 a night to camp!

  30. David Burkart

    Yes, the traffic going into Dollywood requires prepared patience. Check your routes and look for the back routes depending in time of day versus yoir RV routing apps, depending on your rig size. SMNP is a tourist trap, from the freeway exit north of Knoxville all the way through PF/Dollywood, as well as ALL of the attractions near and un the SMNP. Knowing this, adjusting your expectations provides a much better and fulfilling experience.

  31. SRice

    Have you ever been to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum in Kentucky? Just curious if it is as cool and interesting as it looks?

  33. Johnny Lightning

    It's been about 30 years since I've been to Smoky Mountain National Park. I think I'm glad I went when I did because from what you are saying I don't think I'll be going back unless my wife insists on it. It''s kind of too bad so many folks are going because the parks are getting loved to death. Keep the good stuff coming guys.

  34. Travel Small Live Big

    Excellent info – we are very close to this park
    – just hadn’t thought much about going in much. Pigeon Forge though – ha ha – we drove through there years ago and just cannot (but we don’t have kids and we are old 🤣). I’ll embrace Dolly, but that’s all!

  35. Tom Spurlock

    Many of Eastern Government made campsites made before 1940, like SMNP and Blue Ridge Parkway were designed for smaller rigs, simply because large ones were not built yet. RV Trip Wizard will give you reviews and tell you if BIG RIGs are appropriate for the park, and most of the time they are not in the Eastern parks that are government made before 1940.

  37. Scott Lagaly

    So, weird thing… the video plays on my iPad fine, but on the appleTV, the audio sync is off by many seconds, I have tried restarting several times, same issue. Anyone else have this problem?

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