• Approximately 1,500 black bears live in the national park.

    Great Smoky Mountains

    National Park NC,TN

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Increased Bear Activity

    Bears are very active in the park at this time. For information about remaining safe in bear country, please click on the "more" link. More »

  • Severe Storm Damage

    Due to a severe storm, several trails are currently closed. For updated information, please click on the "more" link or call (865) 436-1200. More »

Be A Junior Ranger

Explore the park and earn your Junior Ranger badge!

Kids-if you're between the ages of 5-12, you can become a Junior Ranger! Pick up a Junior Ranger booklet for $2.50 at any park visitor center or at the Cades Cove or Elkmont campground. Complete the activities in the booklet then stop by a visitor center to talk to a ranger and receive your Junior Ranger badge.

You can become a Junior Ranger at any time of year, but during spring, summer, and fall, ranger-led Junior Ranger programs are offered especially for children. Read through the schedule of ranger-led programs to find these special Junior Ranger programs.

Want to get your Junior Ranger booklet before coming to the park? Booklets can be purchased online: Ages 5-6, Ages 7-8, Ages 9-10, Ages 11-12.

 
 
Junior Ranger programs offer children a chance to explore the park and learn about the past.

Don McGowan Photo

Junior Ranger: Blacksmithing
Want to see what Junior Ranger programs are all about? Watch a video of the Junior Ranger Blacksmith program at the Mountain Farm Museum.
 

Online Opportunities to explore your National Parks.

Can't visit the park in person? Explore the Great Smoky Mountains and other national parks through the following online games and activities:

 

Take an electronic field-trip to the park!
Search for life in the Great Smoky Mountains with downloadable acitivities, videos, and interactive games.

 

Become A WebRanger!
The National Park Service's online Junior Ranger program is for kids of all ages. With more than 50 online games, you can have fun learning about your national parks, monuments, and historic sites.

Become a World Heritage Junior Ranger!
What's a World Heritage Area? And what makes them so special? Discover the answers with fun, interactive games and activities.

  • Dispatches from the Field Dispatches from the Field

    Go behind the scenes with scientists in the Great Smoky Mountains. Read More

  • Waterfalls Waterfalls

    Waterfalls can be found on nearly every stream in the park. Read More

  • Salamander Capital of the World! Salamander Capital of the World!

    At least thirty species of salamanders live in the park. Read More

  • Elk Elk

    Elk were reintroduced to the park in 2001. Read More

Did You Know?

Flame azalea can be found growing on heath balds in the park.

The park’s high elevation heath balds are treeless expanses where dense thickets of shrubs such as mountain laurel, rhododendron, and sand myrtle grow. Known as “laurel slicks” and “hells” by early settlers, heath balds were most likely created by forest fires long ago.