The Shutdown goes on but the Great Smoky Mountain National Park will be fully open
Friday afternoon, the Sevier County government announced that the park – thanks to efforts of multiple government agencies – will fully reopen on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 4.
The affected parts of the park – including the Sugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove, the Cades Cove Picnic area and the Chimneys Picnic area – had closed when the federal government closed on Oct. 1. The majority of the park had remained funded and open even after the shutdown.
“Great Smoky Mountains National Park will resume full operations beginning Saturday morning, Oct. 4, despite the federal government shutdown. This effort is made possible through a partnership among local and state governments, as well as the Friends of the Smokies and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,” the Sevier County Government.
Previously, officials had said that In anticipation of the federal government shutdown, Sevier County, the cities of Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Pittman Center, Blount County, Cocke County, the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, along with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, had begun working together on a plan to provide financial support to keep the Great Smoky Mountains National Park fully operational in the event of a federal government shutdown.
Once the shutdown commenced on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the local and state partners began discussions with the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Park Service.
What is the agreement? How will the agreement work?
On Saturday, Oct. 4, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be fully open and operational, per the agreement with the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior, and Sevier County, Tennessee.
Under the agreement, areas that were previously closed, such as Sugarlands Visitor Center, Chimneys Picnic Area, the Cades Cove Loop Road, the Visitor Center and picnic area, will be open and operational beginning Saturday morning thanks to funding provide by the listed groups.
The funding ensures that staff are on duty to service restrooms, respond to visitors in need and provide essential services to protect wildlife during this peak visitor season. Per the terms of the agreement, local and state partners will fund $61,703.18 each day to ensure full operations of the national park. Additionally, the national park itself will fund remaining daily operational costs through recreation fee revenue, which includes revenue from campgrounds and parking tags.
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- Read – Why Great Smoky Mountains National Park Attendance Dropped in 2024
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How long will the agreement stay in place?
In theory, as long as necessary. Government shutdowns don’t typically last that long as they tend to anger voters and that makes incumbent politicians on either side of the aisle itchy. However, it does seem this one is fairly deeply dug in. The longest on record is 35 days. If we matched that, the above governments would pay more than $2.1 million to keep it open.
Why are they willing to pay that much?
In this instance, the National Park is a loss leader for surrounding communities. The park – and the country’s national parks – are massive money makers for local economies.
“In 2024, visitor spending in Great Smoky Mountains National Park resulted in a $2.8 billion benefit to the local economy,” according to the National Park Service. “Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a higher cumulative benefit to the local economy than any other national park in the country.”
In all, the United States’ national parks drew 331.9 million visitors in 2024 and raised $29 billion for nearby gateway communities. In all, the parks contributed $56.3 billion to the national economy.
Are we good no matter how long the shutdown lasts?
Not necessarily. I’m no lawyer and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems to me an agreement with the National Park Service is certainly good. But the ultimate bargaining authority resides in the White House. If the powers-that-be decide that the recreation fee isn’t enough to keep the larger park open, they could still close it. Or, maybe worse, use the option of closing it to remove more money out of state and local governments.
In fact, while I am glad that the park will fully reopen there is a part of me that worries this is setting an awful precedent. The national parks are an important part of our national legacy and should be fully funded by the federal government. The federal government now knows it can lean on communities who need the park open to carry more of the burden.
I understand why they made the decision to pay to reopen the parks and I support it. But it worries me.
Could the federal government threaten to shutdown access to Kuowhi or other areas of the park in order to elicit more local dollars? It may not be likely, but it seems possible.
What do you think? Was the reopening on these terms a good idea? Let us know in the comments and on the socials.