We also want to welcome each and every one of you to provide your feedback about the proposal during the public comment period, which will run through May 7. And this is not just a pandemic response. Smokies Backcountry Camping: Things You Need To Know - Great Smoky Permits can be obtained at any visitor center, ranger station, or campground within the park. And an annual tag really targeted for our local residents at $40, who we know are going to come multiple times a year and we want to make it more convenient. To make a change to a permit you have already reserved, call the Backcountry Office at 865-436-1297. If you do not have an email address, please contact the Backcountry Office at 865-436-1297. As introduced, Im Cassius Cash, superintendent here at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (See special uses below.). We will never have enough parking areas to provide the level of demand that we have for those trails. Valid Parking Tags Required Starting March 1, 2023 Obtaining a backcountry camping permit does not exempt you from the parking tag requirement. 41:09 Dana Soehn So, the parking tag will be required in any parking lot, any designated parking spot, across the park. And then also the senior passes. But we were able to base it on like-campgrounds outside the park. Those moments weighed heavily on me. Large-group use, events, and some commercial filming require permits. And we don't expect for that switch to flip overnight. Again, in the Smokies, we have a very small concessions program by design. We heard you. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Camping & Campgrounds We have partnered with Mountaineers Books for the warehousing and distribution of Appalachian Trail Conservancy Publications. To protect the Appalachian Trail and the A.T. experience, certain incompatible activities, such as advertising or use of motorized vehicles, are prohibited. They're just like employees coming to work that day to do business of the park. Ultimate Guide to Backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains Congress passed this law, particularly because they understood that the appropriated dollars that we get on an annual basis could not cover all of our associated costs with providing services to the millions of visitors that we get on an annual basis. You know, we don't catch everybody that speeds through the park, right? Those services are primarily outside the park to provide that economic benefit that Superintendent Cash spoke about. To me, that equates to memories. 71 White Mountain Drive Campton NH 03223 (603) 536-6100. Our CFC number: 12230. And we've had a number of questions regarding enforcement of the parking tag if the program were to be adopted. So that's the end of our proposal, including and understanding of the why the time is now to implement these fees, and the how and the what we'll be spending these fee revenues towards. This single deed restriction affects us today because of a federal statute in Title 16 that says if we can't charge tolls on our primary roads, then we can't charge tolls to use the roads elsewhere in the park or entrance fees. And with that, we'd like to try to answer any questions that you may have. . People clearly understood the business case for the needed revenue. 2023 Fees - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park So that's our very gross estimate. Won't this potentially reduce the amount of parking that's available to visitors? 45:31 Dana Soehn Well, if you've been to the park over the last couple of years, you've seen out of bounds parking. Both of these fees are also charged through the FLREA authority. Not only does this outdoor adventure introduce you to a whole new side of the national park, it also encourages you to push beyond your current boundaries and comfort levels. So, we believe it's vitally important for us to eliminate that unsafe parking, and parking that is destroying some of those roadside communities and the infrastructure associated with roads shoulders. Now its time to call on the country - the millions of visitors who enjoy this space - to help shoulder the responsibility for its care into the future. A few examples of how these funds can be used are: Improving visitor safety by increasing ranger presence, Repairing, enhancing and maintaining public facilities. I say this facetiously, but when I get fan mail about things that we can do better, theyre usually associated with those two divisions. And so, education is going to be the front, the first leg, of how we bring up to par people understanding what the needs are. Fees & Passes - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park What to Bring on a Backpacking Trip Through the Great Smoky Mountains Valid Parking Tags Required Starting March 1, 2023 These funds will allow us a chance to address the needs of today in a manner that provides that long term stewardship for the future. In fact, we had some of our highest years on record in this 10-year period. Shifting that to the shoulders of the millions of visitors that come to this park to of course maintaining in perpetuity. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee/North Carolina), Pennsylvania Game Commission (Pennsylvania), Green & White Mountain National Forests (Vermont & New Hampshire). I invite you to review the plan and share your input. Dial 711 for TRS. So, from our 14.1 million visits, we know that this equates to about 5 million vehicles. Their funds are being used for seasonals, for custodial services, and to pay for utilities in the park. Featured here are selected hikes ranging in difficulty from the easy to the challenging-for the young to the elderly. Once set, would the price of the parking tags remain the same going forward? And our facilities and our resources are strained. Thank you to everyone who has already submitted questions. Obtaining a backcountry camping permit does not exempt you from the parking tag requirement. And there are some complexities to that, as you can imagine, that we'll have to work through because we, certainly with our 3,000 volunteers in the park, we want to make sure we are appropriately applying an exemption. We've also had a lot of operational questions and how the parking tag will be implemented. And now to the frontcountry fee increases we're proposing. We've chased project dollars. Give me just a minute and I'm going to share my screen so we can share some of this information in a little more detail for you. A fee may be charged at the time a reservation is made to cover the cost of reservation services. That's our goal. White Mountain National Forest - Camping & Cabins:Dispersed Camping And that comes from the federal government, or our tax dollars. And I want to talk to you this evening. And that's not unlike many of you who are with us tonight. So, I want to thank you, and have a good evening. And then the third one, which really strikes at the core mission of the National Park Service, what this many visitors says to me is that the National Park Service, in particular the Smokies, is going to be relevant for the next generation. And so now we're going to jump in to the Smokies history of how and when these can be charged. Most are seasonal, opening between March and May and closing between October and November. So, with that being said, I'm going to turn it over to you Dana. But you can see that didn't happen. And we're very, very proud of that. Permits are required for specific trail visitors in three areas of the A.T.: See Site-Specific Regulations, Permits, and Fees below for more information. and not when individuals sold their lands with the creation of the park. That's our goal. That's what leads us to this next question. Beginning on March 1, 2023, Appalachian Trail thru-hikers will have to pay double to hike through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. So now were finalizing the implementation plan. 43:12 Kendra Straub Thank you. And again, we're basing that on the 3 million vehicles that we believe will likely need the tag. So, our intent is not to have these parking passes serve as a barrier to them enjoying the National Park. And we need your help. When camping in the backcountry - camping and fires are prohibited: Within 200 feet of certain trails and water bodies. So, thank you. Check the chart below for operation schedules. And staff funded through this program would not only be checking to that compliance, but also providing just traditional Ranger guidance out in the field. This decision comes in conjunction with GSMNP's new Park it Forward initiative, which will introduce paid parking permits within America's most visited national park. And could tickets be written and how would the park enforce it? 14.1 million people, that's a 57 percent increase in visitation over the last 10 years. The Bullhead Trail is an American hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In comparison, the average maximum permit for a seven-night permit per person is $54. Again, one of the things that we're trying to do here is take advantage of the opportunities that FLREA provides us in that fees section that Dana talked about, and to bump up our opportunities to better serve visitors. But as the proposal stands now, that's not a feature of that type of discount being incorporated into the proposal. Superintendent Cassius Cash announces the adoption of the Park It Forward program - effective March 1, 2023. We've also had a number of questions about discounts related to residents of counties that border the park. Obstacles arise every day that threaten the Appalachian Trail. We want to make them widely available, so people have the opportunity to participate easily. And Superintendent Cash introduced me, I'm Dana Soehn. And we've seen steady use since then. Smoky Mountains Backcountry Camping - PigeonForge.com And you can find a full breakdown by site on our website if you want to look at each one of those in detail. Out west, or any parks that have entrance fees and has been under long standing Park Service regulation to allow tribal members for traditional purposes to have access to National Park System lands. 45:12 Kendra Straub Thank you. So, I am very invested in this park. Camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) is the best way to explore America`s most popular national park. And the differences between the sites are based on the amenities that are available at each one of those sites. They're fielding 17,000 calls a year, providing guidance on where to camp, access, how to get there, trail routes to get there, and are giving them really good safety messages and preventative search and rescue to help them prepare for a Smokies experience. If you have questions, please call the Backcountry Information Office at (865) 436-1297. - 2 - Page - 2 - of 16 (Cassius Cash, continues 02:48) Now, I'm not naive to not believe that some of you oppose the proposals. I can tell you that as we've talked about it, we know there are some compliance challenges that come along with having one tag be transferable to more than one car, especially in a park without the digital connectivity for us to easily check for compliance. And when both of those organizations were formed, their intent was to provide a margin of excellence and to support signature projects. That authority is given under the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act, or FLREA. And, in fact, many of you are already doing so. So based on the number of times visitors come from our surveys, we estimate that about 3 million vehicles would be required to have a parking tag. First of all, let me just say thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to spend an hour with us to talk about the proposals that I'm sure many of you have seen or heard about or seen in the news by now. In the last 10 years, as superintendent Cash said, our visitation has increased 57 percent. And it's a hard answer to give. The tags will not be capped, they won't be limited to try to limit visitation. Those are the locations where we really have congestion issues. For instance, if you have a one-time volunteer group who comes just to do one service day where they're picking up litter, what type of a tag might make the most sense for them. But we can only do so much, and we feel education is more of an effective tool of using than citations. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Photos (4,019) Directions Print/PDF map Length 16.9 miElevation gain 4,281 ftRoute type Loop Explore this 16.9-mile loop trail near Maggie Valley, North Carolina. But I can tell you that that's something that we have a team that is also addressing and looking at sources to help us solve those really complex challenges across the park. There's been several questions asking about exemptions or some sort of discount for descendants of families who sold their lands to the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, for the park to be created. 32:04 Kendra Straub Thank you, Superintendent Cash. 54:49 Kendra Straub Thank you. Here's just a quick snapshot again of how we'll use those funds both to allow us to continue to provide that critical campsite maintenance in the - 8 - Page - 8 - of 16 (Dana Soehn, continues 26:58) backcountry, backcountry patrols with our law enforcement Rangers increasing those patrols, and adding some new trip planning tools to help people even more before they get out in the backcountry. And it all comes down to the state of Tennessee and a deed restriction that they put in place more than a decade after the parks establishment. And again, we welcome your input as we try to look at that a little bit closer. And at the end of this presentation, we will show this information on the screen for you to jot down. Overnight and Thru-Hiker Registration is available through the ATCs ATCamp registration system, which helps hikers avoid crowding, enables hikers to sign up for alerts, and contributes to the preservation of the Appalachian Trail. And if you remember the comparisons that Dana showed within her presentation, hopefully you can see that we were still below on a lot of passes that are comparable to what we're proposing. There's something for everyone on Recreation.gov, so get out there, experience the USA, and bring home a story! We've had to make some tough decisions. B eginning March 1, 2023, thru-hiker permits in North Carolina and Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) will double in cost from $20 to $40. Here are a few standouts: Everyone agrees that this park needs more resources, and that it's critically important that it's preserved so that that next generation of users, like all of us, can enjoy it the same way we do today. Camping permits: Great Smoky Mountains National Park has 10 established campgrounds. And we believe that the Smokies visitors deserve more, and that our staff deserve more resources to care for this really amazing place. That was followed by the sacrifice of the mountain settlers who gave up their communities, their homes, and basically their way of life. So, let's just take a closer look at the fee funding and you can see in the Smokies that our fee revenue is relatively small. Use or possession of mules, burros, domestic goats and sheep, llamas, alpacas and other members of the Camelidae or Bovidae family are also prohibited. And it's critically important for our staff to be able to have the resources to provide those kinds of resources. And again, we believe, especially based on as we grow compliance, that we're going to be able to meet the revenue goals. footpath. And now I want to spend just a few minutes on the other fee program changes we're introducing. You know, this park is 88 years old. And I'm very invested in this community. You can add questions at any time during the presentation. And again, I remain so grateful for those sacrifices that have given a lot of families from around the world the memories of being here in the park. This special 5th Edition of the coveted Hiking Trails of the Smokies guide, with more than 100 revised pages, covers all 150 official trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with in-depth narratives and invaluable profile charts that show mileage, elevation change, and major stream crossings at a glance. Groups of up to eight people can make reservations in advance for each . In the Smokies, all fees collected under this authority stay in the Smokies for the direct benefit of visitors thanks to Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who in 1998 introduced legislation in the Land Water Conservation Act to ensure that this fee money would stay right here in the Smokies. Hikers will follow Alum Cave Creek over the course of the first mile. And it's our mission as the employees to provide those experiences in a way that leaves this park preserved. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Near Townsend, Tennessee (1,452) No Service Reservation Rules Over 2 million visitors annually come to enjoy the scenic beauty of Cades Cove and its many historic structures. Im the Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It over the course of the early years, you can see that we can meet our revenue goals, which our goals now are to try to generate at least $10 to $15 million dollars in sustainable annual funds that can support our operational needs. (The permit card is typically obtained the night before or the morning of a long-distance hikers climb Katahdin, though permits are good for 7 days.). And they provided these other funding tools and authorities for parks to charge user fees, which they felt was more appropriate than providing more tax dollar revenue to support parks. Again, the intent is not to have an economic barrier because of this program. . Because again, we feel that our visitors deserve just as much of a service as a visitor at Yosemite or Yellowstone or Glacier, and the list goes on. You know, being a park that's within an eight-hour drive of half the United States population, it was imperative that we had an annual pass so that the folks that visit the park many times on a yearly-basis will continue to have that access. There just simply isn't enough space. And it's came at great benefit to our users. And we've experienced a 39 percent increase in backcountry overnight use since the program was implemented. Nearly 3,700 people, from all 50 states, sent their concerns, support, and ideas. Both in the 1800s when they were forcibly removed from their ancestral tribal lands, and then again, some of them at the time of the parks creation. And now I would like to turn it back over to Superintendent Cassius Cash. As visitation increases, those funds would appropriately increase. With our high visitation and reduced staffing that we've been experiencing, this poor parking poor stewardship behavior has really developed over the last several years. b) As an Overnight Hiker If spaces are still available, hikers may obtain a reservation at a shelter, tent site, or cabin (Katahdin Stream Campground is the most convenient option; Daicey Pond Campground, located two miles trail-south of Katahdin Stream Campground, or Abol Campground, located two miles by road from Katahdin Stream Campground, are other nearby options). Within 1/4 mile of backcountry facilities (shelters, huts, and trailheads). 50:37 Kendra Straub Thank you. To ensure your backcountry trip is safe and enjoyable, please take a few moments to read each of the sections below. Read about the park history of no entrance fee. As you can imagine, that can be tough, as our sites are pretty primitive. So, whether you're hiking in Abrams Creek or having a picnic at Balsam Mountain, or you know you're in Cataloochee touring the historic cabins, we feel like this appropriately applies the same tool for visitors to be able to help provide for the care of those resources, no matter where they are in the park. To make parking or camping reservations, click. Most areas of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, more commonly referred to as simply the Appalachian Trail or A.T., do not require fees or permits, but a few do. Great Smoky Mountains Appalachian Trail Backpacking Overnight And how many visitors do we think again, based on their visitor patterns over the last several years, would want that up to seven-day tag, and then the annual tag. And then we also proposed raising the Appalachian Trail through hiker permit to $40. Just before reaching Arch Rock, however, the . So, looking at how it's applied and the number of hours that volunteers who serve in the park would make the most sense for those types. As you know, each of those visits are very unique. Horses are not allowed on the A.T., except for a few remote segments of the A.T. in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (click here for more information) and the C&O Towpath in Maryland. Bicycles and e-bikes are not allowed on the A.T. except where the A.T. follows the C&O Towpath in Maryland. 107 Park Headquarters Road And we honor that privilege to be able to serve the millions of people that come to this park year in year out. And we believe the time is now to more fully use this authority to help take care of the Smokies. 43:23 Dana Soehn Well, if you start to take the best estimate we possibly can and which type of tag we think visitors, based on past use, might choose. And exemptions also for volunteers who are doing work under our volunteer agreement. Recreation.gov - Camping, Cabins, RVs, Permits, Passes & More And one of the things that's really good news about that, is that there's so much common ground. And I want to say, I'm going to embarrass her, but I want to say that she's expended a lot of tireless hours on these proposals and a lot of leadership. In total, these extra revenue sources provide about 20 percent of the Smokies budget. And we also know that based on survey data, that about 13 percent of our visitors spend very little time outside of their cars, and we can assume they're driving through and would not need a tag. However, more than 60% of the A.T. passes through lands owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service and many other federal, state, and local agencies. And I have served in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 32 years. And so, it could be that, you know, as we start to eliminate that roadside parking, we're also trying to provide more options for people.
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