How can you get a ticket to view Great Smoky Mountains synchronous fireflies this June?

Karen Chávez, Asheville Citizen Times
·3 min read

The buzzing, flashing, zipping, light-up-the-night nature party is back this year in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The most popular national park in the country will host the annual synchronous firefly viewing June 3-10 at Elkmont.

The public may apply for the hot ticket to view nature's glow bugs by entering a lottery for a vehicle pass through recreation.gov. The lottery opens for vehicle pass applications at 10 a.m. April 29 through 10 a.m. May 3. All applications, regardless of the time or date of entry, are considered equally in the pool of lottery applicants, according to a news release from the park.

Every year in late May to early June, thousands of visitors gather near the popular Elkmont Campground to be amazed in silent awe at the naturally occurring phenomenon of Photinus carolinus, a firefly species that flashes synchronously.

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Synchronous fireflies light up the trees along a trail at the Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on June 3, 2019.
Synchronous fireflies light up the trees along a trail at the Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on June 3, 2019.

Since 2006, access to the Elkmont area has been limited during the eight days of predicted peak activity in order to reduce traffic congestion and provide a safe viewing experience for visitors that minimizes disturbance to these unique fireflies during the peak mating period.

A total of 800 vehicle passes, 100 passes per night, will be issued through the lottery process. Results of the lottery will be available by May 13. Each vehicle pass provides admission for parking directly at the Elkmont viewing location for one passenger vehicle with a maximum of seven occupants.

During the application process, lottery applicants may enter two possible dates to participate in the viewing opportunity over the eight-day period.

The number of passes issued each day is based on parking capacity and the ability to safely accommodate a large number of viewers on site, while minimizing resource impacts. The lottery system uses a randomized computer drawing to select applications, which cost $1 per applicant.

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Visitors watch the synchronous fireflies at the Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on June 3, 2019. Between 980 and 1100 come to the campground to watch the phenomenon each night of the 8-day mating period.
Visitors watch the synchronous fireflies at the Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on June 3, 2019. Between 980 and 1100 come to the campground to watch the phenomenon each night of the 8-day mating period.

Successful applicants will automatically be awarded parking passes and charged a $24 reservation fee, which covers the cost of awarding the passes, on-site portable restrooms, supplies, and nightly personnel costs for managing the viewing opportunity at Elkmont.

Hitting the lottery is not easy.

Last year, a total of 24,401 households applied for a vehicle pass, said park spokesperson Dana Soehn. Applicants were from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and three countries — Australia, Canada and Great Britain.

The top five states to apply were Tennessee (35%), North Carolina (19%), Georgia (7%), Florida (5%) and South Carolina (3%).

Awardees were selected from 41 states. Top five states were Tennessee (34%), N.C. (19%), Georgia (6%), Florida (5%), S.C. (5%).

Soehn said the park issued 800 passes in 2021, 100 passes each for eight nights.

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Parking passes are non-refundable, non-transferable, and good only for the date issued. There is a limit of one lottery application per household per season. All lottery applicants will be notified by e-mail by May 13 that they were “successful” and awarded a parking pass or “unsuccessful” and not able to secure a parking pass.

During the viewing period, access to Elkmont is restricted after 4 p.m. to passenger vehicles with a parking pass, registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground, or backcountry campers with a valid permit.

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Visitors are not allowed to walk or ride bicycles on the Elkmont entrance road or Jakes Creek Road after 4 p.m. due to safety concerns. Overnight parking at Little River Trailhead, Jakes Creek Trailhead, or the Appalachian Clubhouse is not allowed without a valid backcountry permit for backcountry campsites associated with these trailheads.

Visitors may visit recreation.gov and search for “Great Smoky Mountains Firefly Viewing Lottery” for more information and to enter the lottery.

Visitors may also call 877-444-6777 to enter the lottery, but park officials encourage online applications. For more information about the synchronous fireflies, visit the park website at nps.gov/grsm.

Karen Chávez is Content Coach/Investigations Editor for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Tips? Call 828-712-6316, email, KChavez@CitizenTimes.com or follow on Twitter @KarenChavezACT.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Great Smokies synchronous firefly viewing dates announced