![Star-spangled banner over the Great Smoky Mountains]()
GATLINBURG — In commemoration of Veterans Day, visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park will not be required to purchase or display a parking tag on Saturday, Nov. 11. This will be the last fee-free day of the year at the Smokies and across the National Park Service.
Visitors who wish to buy a weekly or annual tag on Saturday may continue to do so online, in the park or at various locations in park communities. Park rangers will continue their parking enforcement efforts on fee-free days, such as issuing warnings and citations for vehicles parked in marked no-parking areas. The Smokies participated in three other fee-free days this year: National Park Week in April, the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act in August, and National Public Lands Day in September.
On Sunday, Nov. 12, Cades Cove Loop Road will open at 11 a.m. Friends of the Smokies, the park’s philanthropic partner, is hosting the annual Cades Cove Loop Lope, a foot race that gives registered runners a chance to run a 3.1- or 10-mile loop course in Cades Cove.
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The Cades Cove Loop Lope is the only organized footrace held inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to benefit Friends of the Smokies. All funds raised benefit park projects and programs such as historic preservation, wildlife conservation, native plant and grassland restoration, and much more.
Registration for the 2023 Cades Cove Loop Lope is now closed. There are two course options, a 5K or a USATF Certified 10-Mile Loop. Participation is limited to 750 total runners. Registration for the 2024 race will open in June. Stay tuned for updates.
Carpooling is essential to maximizing participation in this race. A limited number of vehicle reservations for site access will be available for purchase for an additional fee. Registrants who do not purchase a vehicle pass must either carpool with a passholder they know or utilize the group transportation option from the Townsend Visitors Center. Handicapped accessible transportation will be available.
Event coordinators schedule the race for an early November morning to minimize visitor impacts for this once-a-year opportunity that raises support for the park. To accommodate parking for the event, access to the Cades Cove area will be restricted at the Townsend Wye until 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The park granted approval for Friends of the Smokies to host the event by issuing a Special Use Permit.
