Due to high fire danger throughout the park, a fire ban has been put into place. As a result, the lighting of campfires and charcoal grills is not allowed at this time. More
Rehabilitation began on December 9 for the 2.3-mile-long Cosby Entrance Road from TN State Route 32 to the gate of Cosby Campground. While crews are working, the entrance road is closed to the public. The work is projected to be completed in spring 2025. More
Kuwohi Rd (formerly Clingmans Dome Rd), Parson Branch Rd, Rich Mountain Rd, Little Greenbrier Rd to the schoolhouse, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail are closed for the season. More
Wherever you go in the Smokies, you can see the results of the Friend's efforts, but there is still much more work to do.
Friends of the Smokies Graphic
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park assists the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park by raising funds and public awareness, and by providing volunteers for needed projects.
Your gift to Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park can help:
Preserve, restore, and enhance the park's natural and cultural resources.
Provide improved services and facilities for its visitors.
Increase public awareness and support of the park.
Enhance educational and interpretive activities.
Improve trails and facilities.
Repair backcountry shelters and campsites.
Preserve historic structures.
Wherever you go in the national park, you can see the results of the Friend's efforts. The Friends have provided funds for many vital projects, including:
Reconstruction of the Mount Cammerer Fire Tower, preservation and restoration of historic log cabins, and rebuilding the mill wheel on Cable Mill in Cades Cove.
Reconstruction of the popular Alum Cave and Boulevard Trails.
Support for conservation work for elk, black bears, and brook trout.
Purchase of a search and rescue vehicle to aid park visitors during emergencies.
Raising more than $300,000 for emergency efforts to save the park’s hemlock trees from the hemlock woolly adelgid, a deadly non-native insect.
But there is still much more work to do! Please help the Friends help the Smokies. Become a Friend Today!
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible as allowable by law.
