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Fireflies in Elkmont

Synchronous Fireflies at Elkmont GSMNP

May. 30, 2017 — Jun. 06, 2017
6:00 PM – 12:00 AM
There are plenty of incredible things to see in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but the synchronous firefly event really takes the cake.
As it turns out, the Great Smoky Mountains are home to a particular species of firefly that all begin to blink at the same time during the peak of their mating season. Nothing inspires one's sense of awe and wonder like seeing thousands of fireflies steadily and inexplicably blink on and off. This natural phenomenon is not completely understood by science and can only be witnessed in a few parts of the world.
As of now, the only recorded places where you can see this synchronized display are a few places in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a few river systems South East Asia.
In the last decade, popular demand to see this incredible light show has caused the national park to step in and manage the event to prevent Elkmont Campground from becoming hopelessly crowded. Elkmont is the best and most predictable place to see this light show, though similar light displays have been recorded on Abram's Creek in Cades Cove.
To preserve visitor's experiences and hopefully protect this natural wonder for future generations, the national park now restricts access to Elkmont Campground on the dates that it predicts the synchronous fireflies to be at their peak.
As a result, the only way to enter Elkmont during this period is to book an overnight campsite in the campground or to arrive at Elkmont via a trolley that brings visitors from the parking area at Sugarland's Visitor center.
To ride the trolley to Elkmont to see the fireflies, you'll have to purchase a parking pass for the synchronous firefly display. The cost of this is only $2.75 for a vehicle carrying 6 passengers.However, the park service distributes the parking passes via a lottery system due to overwhelming demand to view the fireflies.
Last year, this event was so popular that parking passes for this event sold out in a record 10 minutes. This year, visitors may enter the lottery for parking passes on April 28th at 12PM. The lottery closes on May 1st at 8:00PM. The typical display date begins in late May or early June depending upon weather conditions.For 2017, the park service announced that the firefly viewing will take place from May 30 to June 6.
On every day of the synchronous firefly display, the trolley will begin running from Sugarlands to Elkmont beginning at 6 pm until 9 pm. After the display, the trolley returns at 11 pm.

Location:

Elkmont Campground
Elkmont Rd.
Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Contact Information:

865-436-1291

Website:

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849 Glades Rd., Unit 1A1
Gatlinburg, TN  37738
(865) 436-5031

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