WYSH AM 1380 Anderson County's Classic Hit Country!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials announced on Tuesday that the public comment period on the proposed Smokies Parking Tag, camping fee, and day-use facility rate changes has been extended through May 11 due to an upcoming network outage that is scheduled to occur from April 29 through May 1. The online portal for comment submissions won’t be accessible during this four-day outage. Written comments can continue to be submitted throughout the comment period.
Comments may be submitted online through the following portal or via postal mail through May 11:
Online Submission Portal (preferred method):
Visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/GRSMfeeproposal2023
Select “Open for Comment” on the left menu bar, open the Proposed Smokies Fee Program Changes for 2023 folder, and click on the green “Comment Now” button to access the online commenting form.
Postal Mail
Send comments to:
Superintendent Cassius Cash
Attn: 2023 Smokies Fee Program Changes Proposal
107 Park Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Charging a “parking fee” is terrible idea. Thousands of people traveling through the park via Hwy 441, stop to use the bathroom or take a picture, or stop briefly to enjoy the view at one of the many pull offs along the road. Trying to obtain a parking pass for such a brief time period is frankly ridiculous. How would you enforce it? You will need to hire a “parking patrol”. Park visitors do not need to be harassed or inconvenienced with such a requirement while enjoying what we the taxpayers pay for. The federal government spends billions on foreign aid and many other utterly wasteful projects. Our government needs to pony up the necessary funds to properly maintain the park as promised when the park was founded. Hesseling the visitors with a parking fee will do nothing but create ill will and discourage visitation.