Best time to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park: June and September. Daily highs run about 75–80°F, with about 85% of October's visitors.
Hardest months: December–February, mostly because of cold weather.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, then reduced by up to 30% for crowds, measured against the park's busiest month. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Great Smoky Mountains National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 11 locations. Crowds compare each month with the park's busiest month: Quiet is under 35% of it, Moderate under 60%, Busy under 85%, Peak above that.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Crowds | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor | 44° / 28°F | 3.9 in | 6.9 in | Quiet | – |
| February | Poor | 50° / 33°F | 5.6 in | 4.6 in | Quiet | – |
| March | Fair | 57° / 37°F | 5.3 in | 2.4 in | Moderate | – |
| April | Good | 64° / 44°F | 5.2 in | 0.7 in | Busy | – |
| May | Good | 72° / 54°F | 4.9 in | – | Busy | – |
| June | Best | 78° / 61°F | 4.1 in | – | Peak | – |
| July | Fair | 81° / 65°F | 5.1 in | – | Peak | – |
| August | Fair | 80° / 64°F | 5.3 in | – | Busy | – |
| September | Best | 76° / 59°F | 3.6 in | – | Busy | – |
| October | Good | 67° / 49°F | 4.3 in | – | Peak | – |
| November | Fair | 56° / 37°F | 3.7 in | 1.0 in | Busy | – |
| December | Poor | 50° / 34°F | 4.8 in | 2.9 in | Moderate | – |
Weather by location
Parks with a big range of elevation can differ a lot from one area to another. Open a location to see its own numbers.
Park-wide (center of the park)
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 25°F | 3.8 in | 9.8 in |
| February | 47°F | 30°F | 5.5 in | 6.0 in |
| March | 53°F | 34°F | 5.3 in | 3.6 in |
| April | 60°F | 41°F | 5.7 in | 1.6 in |
| May | 67°F | 50°F | 5.6 in | – |
| June | 73°F | 57°F | 4.7 in | – |
| July | 76°F | 61°F | 6.4 in | – |
| August | 75°F | 60°F | 6.7 in | – |
| September | 71°F | 56°F | 4.2 in | – |
| October | 63°F | 46°F | 4.6 in | – |
| November | 52°F | 35°F | 3.8 in | 1.5 in |
| December | 47°F | 32°F | 4.8 in | 4.6 in |
Cades Cove
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 30°F | 4.2 in | 5.2 in |
| February | 52°F | 35°F | 5.9 in | 3.7 in |
| March | 59°F | 40°F | 5.7 in | 1.8 in |
| April | 67°F | 47°F | 5.2 in | – |
| May | 75°F | 56°F | 4.5 in | – |
| June | 81°F | 64°F | 4.4 in | – |
| July | 84°F | 67°F | 5.5 in | – |
| August | 83°F | 66°F | 5.4 in | – |
| September | 79°F | 62°F | 3.6 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 51°F | 4.2 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 40°F | 3.8 in | 0.9 in |
| December | 52°F | 37°F | 5.0 in | 1.7 in |
Elkmont
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 29°F | 3.9 in | 6.3 in |
| February | 51°F | 34°F | 5.3 in | 4.3 in |
| March | 58°F | 39°F | 5.3 in | 2.3 in |
| April | 66°F | 46°F | 4.8 in | – |
| May | 73°F | 56°F | 4.5 in | – |
| June | 80°F | 63°F | 4.1 in | – |
| July | 83°F | 67°F | 5.1 in | – |
| August | 81°F | 65°F | 5.2 in | – |
| September | 78°F | 61°F | 3.6 in | – |
| October | 68°F | 50°F | 4.2 in | – |
| November | 57°F | 39°F | 3.7 in | 1.0 in |
| December | 51°F | 36°F | 4.7 in | 2.0 in |
Roaring Fork
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45°F | 29°F | 3.7 in | 7.7 in |
| February | 51°F | 34°F | 5.2 in | 5.1 in |
| March | 57°F | 38°F | 5.2 in | 2.9 in |
| April | 64°F | 46°F | 5.0 in | 0.7 in |
| May | 72°F | 55°F | 4.9 in | – |
| June | 79°F | 62°F | 4.2 in | – |
| July | 81°F | 66°F | 5.3 in | – |
| August | 80°F | 65°F | 5.5 in | – |
| September | 76°F | 60°F | 4.0 in | – |
| October | 67°F | 50°F | 4.4 in | – |
| November | 56°F | 39°F | 3.6 in | 1.3 in |
| December | 51°F | 36°F | 4.6 in | 3.0 in |
Greenbrier
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 31°F | 3.9 in | 7.9 in |
| February | 52°F | 36°F | 5.4 in | 5.2 in |
| March | 59°F | 40°F | 5.1 in | 3.0 in |
| April | 67°F | 47°F | 5.1 in | 1.0 in |
| May | 74°F | 57°F | 4.8 in | – |
| June | 81°F | 64°F | 3.9 in | – |
| July | 83°F | 68°F | 5.6 in | – |
| August | 82°F | 67°F | 5.7 in | – |
| September | 78°F | 62°F | 3.8 in | – |
| October | 69°F | 52°F | 4.4 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 40°F | 3.7 in | 1.4 in |
| December | 53°F | 37°F | 4.7 in | 3.9 in |
Tremont
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 32°F | 4.0 in | 6.5 in |
| February | 53°F | 37°F | 5.7 in | 4.4 in |
| March | 60°F | 41°F | 5.5 in | 2.4 in |
| April | 68°F | 49°F | 5.2 in | 0.7 in |
| May | 75°F | 58°F | 4.6 in | – |
| June | 82°F | 65°F | 4.3 in | – |
| July | 84°F | 69°F | 5.8 in | – |
| August | 83°F | 68°F | 5.5 in | – |
| September | 80°F | 63°F | 3.6 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 53°F | 4.4 in | – |
| November | 59°F | 42°F | 3.8 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 53°F | 38°F | 4.8 in | 2.8 in |
Sugarlands
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 31°F | 3.7 in | 6.9 in |
| February | 53°F | 36°F | 5.2 in | 4.5 in |
| March | 60°F | 40°F | 5.1 in | 2.6 in |
| April | 67°F | 48°F | 4.9 in | 0.7 in |
| May | 75°F | 58°F | 4.5 in | – |
| June | 81°F | 65°F | 4.0 in | – |
| July | 84°F | 68°F | 5.2 in | – |
| August | 83°F | 67°F | 5.2 in | – |
| September | 79°F | 63°F | 3.6 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 52°F | 4.3 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 41°F | 3.6 in | 1.0 in |
| December | 53°F | 38°F | 4.5 in | 3.0 in |
Cataloochee
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 27°F | 2.8 in | 5.5 in |
| February | 52°F | 31°F | 3.9 in | 3.8 in |
| March | 58°F | 36°F | 3.5 in | 1.7 in |
| April | 65°F | 42°F | 4.1 in | – |
| May | 72°F | 52°F | 4.1 in | – |
| June | 78°F | 58°F | 3.1 in | – |
| July | 82°F | 62°F | 3.1 in | – |
| August | 80°F | 61°F | 3.7 in | – |
| September | 76°F | 57°F | 3.4 in | – |
| October | 67°F | 46°F | 3.3 in | – |
| November | 57°F | 35°F | 2.8 in | 0.7 in |
| December | 52°F | 33°F | 3.8 in | 2.9 in |
Deep Creek
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47°F | 29°F | 4.3 in | 5.0 in |
| February | 53°F | 34°F | 6.3 in | 3.5 in |
| March | 60°F | 38°F | 5.7 in | 1.2 in |
| April | 67°F | 45°F | 5.4 in | – |
| May | 74°F | 55°F | 5.5 in | – |
| June | 81°F | 62°F | 3.7 in | – |
| July | 84°F | 66°F | 4.2 in | – |
| August | 82°F | 65°F | 4.8 in | – |
| September | 79°F | 60°F | 3.2 in | – |
| October | 70°F | 49°F | 4.4 in | – |
| November | 59°F | 38°F | 3.8 in | 0.6 in |
| December | 53°F | 35°F | 5.4 in | 1.8 in |
Oconaluftee
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 30°F | 4.5 in | 6.8 in |
| February | 52°F | 35°F | 6.6 in | 4.5 in |
| March | 59°F | 39°F | 5.7 in | 1.9 in |
| April | 66°F | 46°F | 5.6 in | 0.7 in |
| May | 73°F | 55°F | 5.1 in | – |
| June | 80°F | 63°F | 4.0 in | – |
| July | 83°F | 66°F | 4.5 in | – |
| August | 81°F | 65°F | 4.9 in | – |
| September | 78°F | 61°F | 3.3 in | – |
| October | 69°F | 50°F | 4.6 in | – |
| November | 58°F | 39°F | 4.1 in | 0.7 in |
| December | 52°F | 36°F | 5.4 in | 3.0 in |
Clingmans Dome
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31°F | 14°F | 4.5 in | 8.6 in |
| February | 37°F | 19°F | 6.4 in | 5.3 in |
| March | 43°F | 23°F | 5.8 in | 2.6 in |
| April | 50°F | 30°F | 5.7 in | 1.0 in |
| May | 57°F | 40°F | 5.3 in | – |
| June | 63°F | 47°F | 4.5 in | – |
| July | 66°F | 51°F | 5.8 in | – |
| August | 65°F | 50°F | 6.0 in | – |
| September | 62°F | 46°F | 3.7 in | – |
| October | 53°F | 35°F | 4.6 in | – |
| November | 42°F | 24°F | 4.1 in | 1.0 in |
| December | 37°F | 21°F | 5.6 in | 3.6 in |
Great Smoky Mountains National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a mixed time to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 57–72°F and lows 37–54°F. Expect about 5.1 in of rain a month and 1.0 in of snow, with up to 0 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 55–79% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a good time to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 78–81°F and lows 61–65°F. Expect about 4.9 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 79–97% of the busiest month, which is peak by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a good time to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 56–76°F and lows 37–59°F. Expect about 3.9 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 63–100% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a difficult time to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Daily highs average 44–50°F and lows 28–34°F. Expect about 4.8 in of rain a month and 4.8 in of snow, with up to 1 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 28–47% of the busiest month, which is moderate by this park's standards.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours, trails, camping and things to do, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
Elevations in the park range from approximately 875 feet (267 meters) to 6,643 feet (2,025 meters) and the topography can drastically affect local weather. Temperatures can vary by 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit from mountain base to top, and clear skies lower down do not guarantee equally pleasant weather at higher elevations.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 11 locations. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: monthly recreation visits for 2021-2024, National Park Service.
