The third slowest month in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park might surprise you
As someone who has lived in East Tennessee for many years now, I was surprised to learn the third slowest month in the Smoky Mountains. The first was not surprising. But the third least visited month? I was mildly surprised, to say the least.
According to numbers provided by the National Park Service, the three winter months of December, January and February draw the smallest amount of visitors despite the boost of the holiday season. The NPS tracks visitors who cross the Spur, the road between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge which is part of the National Park, to collect their information.
1. January
It’s not surprising that this is the slowest month because January is also the coldest month. You’re coming off the highs of the holiday season, and parts of the national park are closed. Dollywood’s closed. For the most part, things are barren. However, it’s not like there isn’t fun stuff to do in the Smokies and Pigeon Forge in Gatlinburg in the winter. For example, the skiing at Ober Mountain can be great. Still, activities are limited a bit. According to the National Park Service, there were about 350,000 recreational visits to the park in January of 2024, or roughly a million less than visited the park in July of 2024.
2. February
While January is the cold, dark nadir, February brings a little hope. Towards the end of the month, things are starting to warm up a touch and – of course – we’ve got Valentine’s Day. Still, traffic in the area is relatively low as many things in the park remain closed. In February of 2024, there were about 472,000 unique recreational visits. So there are more crowds compared to January, but it’s not exactly bustling.
3. December
This one surprised me. I thought that perhaps with the holiday season, December might not be the third least visited time in the Smokies. But it wasn’t even that close. In December of 2023, there were 761,000 unique recreational visitors to the park. March – the next closest month had 872,000 visitors. November – with the end of leaf-peeping season, Thanksgiving, and the start of the Christmas holiday shopping season outpaces both December and March with nearly 1 million visitors in 2023.
Still, I can’t help but wonder if the National Park numbers may be skewed in comparing December to March. I assume that more visitors come to the region in December who might not cross the National Park Service’s radar. You don’t have to go into the National Park, after all, to do your Christmas shopping.
However, the Park Service tracks traffic on the Spur – the road between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge which is part of the National Park – and there were roughly 300,000 more visitors to the Spur in March than in December. The power of the call of spring – and I suppose spring break – makes a difference.
So, while there are still plenty of things to do in the Great Smoky Mountains in the winter, it is considered to be the slow time. The good news is that if you enjoy exploring the park without the big crowds, you can put on a coat and maybe pack a thermos and have massive swaths of the park to yourself. The wildlife and nature viewing won’t be quite as good, but there is beauty in the park, even in the winter.
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