A parking reservation system will be tested at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a bid to reduce congestion at the popular Laurel Falls trailhead/NPS file

Another national park is turning to reservations in a move to better manage visitors. At Great Smoky Mountains National Park you'll need a reservation to park at the Laurel Falls trailhead beginning September 7.

The reservation program will be tested through October 3 as part of the park's efforts to reduce congestion at the popular trail. The project aims to improve visitor safety, relieve congestion, better protect park resources, and enhance the visitor experience on Laurel Falls Trail, park staff said in a release Tuesday.

The 1.3-mile trail is one of the most popular trails in the park, with more than 375,000 visits in 2020, an increase of more than 110,000 from 2019 visitation there. 

During the pilot project, trailhead parking will be provided by reservation only, and no parking will be permitted in undesignated areas along Little River Road. Parking reservations, for two-hour time blocks, can be made online at www.recreation.gov for a fee of $14 beginning on August 24.

The parking lot holds 14 spots, which park staff intend to turn over four times through a day. The fees will help pay for staff time required to provide for a safe visitor experience. Staff will be onsite managing the parking to ensure that vehicles with parking reservations are the only vehicles parking at the trailhead. They will also be helping to enforce the roadside parking restrictions.  

“I want to thank the public for providing great feedback throughout the process of developing this pilot project,” said Great Smoky Superintendent Cassius Cash in the release. “The concept was borne out of public workshops last fall and further refined after the latest public meeting as we strive to address safety and congestion challenges at this busy site.” 

The park collected public comments on the congestion management pilot project from July 20 through August 7. The park received 150 submissions from 18 states, with 70 percent coming from Tennessee residents. The most prevalent comment, representing 42 percent of submissions, included concerns about the parking reservation fee amount. The second most prevalent comment, representing 22 percent of submissions, expressed general support of the pilot project effort, while 6 percent of submissions expressed opposition.   

The high level of Laurel Falls Trail use has resulted in congestion along the trail, crowding at the falls, and unsafe conditions along Little River Road. Vehicles parked along the roadside obstruct the flow of traffic and create blind-spots for motorists, while visitors walking to or from their vehicles in the lanes of traffic are at risk of being struck by passing vehicles. Roadside parking also impacts adjacent habitats, damages road edges, and causes erosion. 

Managing parking through a reservation system is expected to spread use more evenly throughout the day, creating a less crowded and more enjoyable experience on the trail and at the falls. The two-hour timeframe for parking reservations is based on monitoring data collected this summer. On average, most hikers complete the hike in 90 minutes. Park staff will be on hand to actively manage parking and monitor conditions during the pilot. The information learned during this pilot will help the park make more informed decisions about how to manage the area in the future. 

During the pilot, hikers who plan to utilize the Laurel Falls Trail parking area to use Sugarland Mountain Trail must also obtain a parking reservation to park at the trailhead. If hikers plan to be on trail for longer than the allotted two-hour time block, they must use a different trailhead and are encouraged to contact the Backcountry Office for more information on other trail access points.

Additionally, Rocky Top Tours will provide shuttle access to the trailhead from nearby, Gatlinburg, Tennesse, for a fee of $5 per person.

For more information about congestion monitoring in the park, visit this page on the park website.