Park it Forward Partner Communications Toolkit

About the Toolkit

We need your help spreading the word about the Park it Forward parking tag program—and we've made it easy! See the drop-downs below for ready-to-use content to share with your organizations, employees, and individuals in your community. We invite you to join us in this historic initiative!

Background

Valid parking tags are required on any vehicles parking for longer than 15 minutes. Approved parking rates are $5 for a daily parking tag, $15 for a weekly parking tag, and $40 for an annual parking tag. All revenue stays in the park to provide sustainable, year-round support focusing on improving the visitor experience, protecting resources, and maintaining trails, roads, historic structures, and facilities. Visitors who simply drive through the park will not need a parking tag.

Key Messages

Park it Forward Messaging

• Valid parking tags are required for any vehicles parking in the park.
• Display of physical parking tags in each vehicle is required.
• Three tag durations are available for purchase for all vehicle sizes and types:
  • Daily - $5
  • Weekly - $15
  • Annual - $40
• Parking tags are not refundable, replaceable, transferable, or upgradable.
• Each tag is valid for a single vehicle.
• Parking tags are available for purchase both online and onsite.
• Parking tags are required for motorists who pass through the area or who park for less than 15 minutes.
• Parking tags are not location specific. A parking tag is required to park in any designated parking spot anywhere within park boundaries.
• The annual parking tag is in the form of a cling that will be adhered to the vehicle’s windshield in the front, lower, passenger side.
• The daily and weekly tags are paper and should also be displayed in the front, lower, passenger side of the dashboard. 

Graphics and Social Media Content

Visit our Flickr album for graphics and logos. These are all in the public domain. They are various sizes and styles for social media, webpages, or print.

News Releases

January 17, 2023: Great Smoky Mountains National Park announces early sales of 'Park it Forward' annual parking tags

August 15, 2022: Park announces 2023 fee program changes

April 6, 2022: Park invites public to comment on fee program changes for 2023

Text for emails, websites, or newsletters

• Daily ($5), weekly ($15), and annual ($40) parking tags are available for purchase at kiosks and visitor centers as well as online at recreation.gov or smokiesinformation.org. Each tag is valid for use in a single vehicle and must include a license plate number matching the vehicle in which it is displayed. Tags must be displayed physically in vehicles; digital representations will not be accepted. Parking tags do not guarantee a parking spot in a specific location or at a specific time.  
• By purchasing a parking tag, you’ll be helping to improve visitor services in the park and preserve the Smokies for generations to come. All revenue generated through the sales of parking tags stays in the Smokies to directly improve visitor experiences and help fund things like trail maintenance, custodial services, trash removal, historic cabin preservation, and staffing for increased ranger presence across the park.  
• Annual parking tags ($40) are available for purchase through Smokies Life in store (smokiesinformation.org/locations/) and online (smokiesinformation.org/shop/). Daily ($5) and weekly ($15) parking tags are available for sale via recreation.gov. Parking tags purchased on recreation.gov will be received via email and must be printed by the visitor and displayed in their vehicle. Annual parking tags purchased online via Great Smoky Mountains Association will be shipped right to your door! Please allow 2 weeks shipping time.  

Other helpful information

History of why the park does not charge an entrance fee.

Civic Engagement Results from April 2022.