How much did Great Smoky Mountains National Park visits drop in 2025?

Attendance at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country’s most-visited national park, dropped for second year in a row. But the longest federal government shutdown in history is not all to blame for the 2025 decrease. In fact, leaders coming together to keeping the park funded made a crucial difference.

Visitors enjoy the view from the Kuwohi parking lot on the fourth day of the federal government shutdown in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Oct. 4, 2025. The National Park is now fully reopen and operational thanks to leadership and money from a group of state and local leaders.

For the first time since 2018, fewer than 12 million people visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2025, according to preliminary attendance data from the National Park Service. There were just over 11.5 million visits last year, a 5.4% drop from 2024, which had nearly 12.2 million visitors.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed only briefly during the 43-day government shutdown in October and early November. The park largely remained open due to outside funding from state and municipal leaders who chipped in so park staffers could keep working over the popular autumn weeks.

Amid the government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, the preliminary attendance data show a 3.4% visitation increase during October in the Smokies compared to October 2024. However, November visitation was down 14.6% compared to November 2024, even though the shutdown ended Nov. 12.

The 2025 attendance at the park is the lowest since 2018 and, at the same time, the seventh-highest in history. Official visitor data is typically released during the first quarter of the calendar year.

Which months saw the biggest shift in visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

January (-29%), November (-14.6%), August (-13.2%) and February (-13.1%) had the largest decreases compared to each respective month in 2024.

April (3.7%), July (3.6%) and October (3.4%) were the months that showed visitation gains compared to each respective month in 2024.

The overall decrease in 2024 was due to “substantial statistical changes” made to the way the National Park Service tracks visitations, former Great Smoky Mountains National Park spokesperson Dave Barak explained to Knox News last year.

The National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics Office updated statistical equations and input data to improve the accuracy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitation data.

“The outcomes of these accuracy improvements include accounting for vehicles that reenter the park and a more accurate representation of how many people occupy each vehicle across seasons and locations,” Barak said.

The National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics Office began looking into improving data accuracy after conducting parkwide visitor surveys in 2022 and 2023.

There were no changes to visitation count procedures or formulas in 2025, the park service confirmed to Knox News.

Keeping the Smokies open during the shutdown made a positive difference

A bright spot in 2025 Smokies visitation is that amid the government shutdown throughout October, visitation actually went up compared to the same month in 2024. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters headed up a group of local leaders that collectively paid approximately $1.9 million to keep the park funded during a vital tourist season.

“The increased visitation to Great Smoky Mountains National Park throughout October is a clear reminder of how important the park is to our region, our economy, and the millions of people who travel here to experience its beauty,” Waters said in a statement to Knox News.

The group that kept the park open and accessible for most of the shutdown included of the state of Tennessee, Blount, Cocke and Sevier counties, Gatlinburg, Pittman Center, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Friends of the Smokies.

“This effort highlights what we can achieve when we work together,” Waters said. “We are proud to support the national park, and we remain committed to doing everything we can to help it remain accessible, safe, and welcoming for everyone who comes to experience the Smokies.”

Top 10 years for visits to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Smokies have averaged nearly 12.2 million visits per year over the past decade, excluding the preliminary 2025 data. The record was set in 2021 when over 14 million visitors headed to the park in search of outdoor activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.