Record visitation at Great Smoky Mountains National Park presents challenges; How to help

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    GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, NC (WLOS) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeing record visitation, many choosing it as a safe destination during the pandemic. The bigger numbers present challenges that will require adjusting.

These changes take funding and that’s where the Friends of the Smokies organization comes into play. You can help by donating to its virtual telethon.

The park has breath-taking scenery and amazing wildlife.

“We’re just blown away by the beauty of it,” says Hunter Williams, visiting with his family from Jackson, Tennessee.

It’s hard to beat Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“This is the most visited park in the system, and it doesn’t cost anything to enter,” says Allen Murray, visiting from Kelly, North Carolina.

It would be a popular spot in normal times, and even more so during the pandemic. After a brief shutdown in the spring, the park reopened.

“And wow,” exclaims Park Ranger Florie Takaki. Visitors started showing up in droves.

“They wanted a place that was safe from COVID-19,” say Takaki. “They wanted some place to restore themselves, to restore the concept that life would be normal again.”

The park is within a day’s drive to two-thirds of the U.S. population.

“June, August and September of 2020 were record breaking months, “Takaki says.

Rangers say those summertime record visitation numbers help add up to a 32% increase in visitation over the previous year.

Rangers say visitation topped 12.5 million last year and they expect it to continue.

“Each year, exponentially, it has gone up,” says Takaki.

This year the numbers influenced visitors away from primary entrances like Gatlinburg and Cherokee to secondary entrances like Big Creek, Deep Creek, Cataloochee and Balsam Mountain.

“They wanted to be respectful of regulations that said social distance, wear your mask,” says Takaki.

“Plan on spending some time on the Tennessee side of the Smokies as well,” says Murray.

The park’s popularity is bringing congestion to popular spots, and issues with parking, erosion, long waits at restrooms, even the swiping of plants and rocks.

“If you see someone engaged in graffiti, let a ranger know,” says Takaki. “If you see someone who’s throwing trash out, let a ranger know.”

The park is currently soliciting ideas from the public and deploying volunteers next year to record people in cars to perhaps update its counting formula.

“We want to make sure that whatever we do is a working possibility for the park,” Takaki says.

The goal is a quality experience, whether visiting in person, or kids exploring, entertaining, and escaping at the park online at smokieees.com.

It’s a goal the Friends of the Smokies helps realize.

“Our mission is to help raise money to support the many projects the park could not complete if it wasn’t for the donors and the Friends who give annually,” says the non-profit’s Tim Chandler.

“We are here for perpetuity. And that’s in our mission. And the visitor is intrinsic to that mission,” says Takaki.

It’s easy to contribute to that good cause. Just head to friendsofthesmokies.org.

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