Blog for Zipline Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
It's Firefly Season!
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on April 23, 2024
Something important is happening this week in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They're holding a lottery. But before you get too excited about the prospect of winning millions of dollars, note that this is a different kind of lottery. The winners of this drawing will receive vehicle passes to see the synchronous fireflies in the Elkmont section of the park.
The lottery opens at 10 a.m. on April 26 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on April 29 (Visit recreation.gov to register). Only one application per household is allowed. On May 7, all lottery applicants will be notified if they were successful or unsuccessful. It costs $1 to register, and those who are successful will automatically be charged $24 for their vehicle pass. The viewing period for the fireflies this year is June 3 through 10.
A total of 1,120 vehicle passes will be awarded (140 per night), with each pass allowing one vehicle to park near viewing area at Elkmont. This year, there won't be a remote parking location with shuttle service to the viewing area, as there has been in recent years.
Vehicles will be allowed to park at the Jakes Creek Trailhead parking lot, the Appalachian Clubhouse parking lot and along the exit roadway. Each vehicle can hold as many as seven passengers inside, and passes are only valid on the assigned date. You must arrive before 8:15 to attend the viewing, but the preferred arrival time is between 6 and 8 p.m. If you leave the area after arriving, you will not be allowed back in.
The winner of each parking pass must be within the vehicle and present photo identification before the vehicle will be admitted to the parking area. Parking attendants will direct vehicles into their parking spots. When walking to the viewing area, you won't be allowed to use flashlights, headlights or cell phone lights; the white light disturbs the fireflies' synchronous patterns. Visitors are encouraged to bring a low-powered light with a red filter, and they must stay on designated trails and paved surfaces.
Those who have viewed synchronous fireflies before know what an amazing sight it is. There are at least 19 different species of fireflies in the national park, and the synchronous fireflies are just one of them. But they impress every year with their annual show, which always takes place in early June. The Smokies are just one of two places on the planet where fireflies exhibit the behavior of flashing their lights on and off as a population for regular intervals of time and then stopping in unison for a brief period before resuming the pattern.
Even scientists aren't exactly sure why these fireflies do this. One theory is that the males are competing for females and are trying to be the first to flash. Another theory holds that if the males all flash at once, they'll have a better chance of being noticed by females, who can them make comparisons between their suitors. Just like in the human world!
If you don't win the lottery, there are still a couple of strategies for viewing the synchronous fireflies. One would be to try to get an available campsite at the Elkmont Campground for the viewing dates, although that may be an outside shot at this point. But if you can get a reservation, you can simply walk to the viewing area by foot from the campground.
Another option is to visit the viewing area on your own OUTSIDE the June 3-10 window. Remember that those dates are simply park officials' best estimate at when the peak viewing time will be. Fireflies don't know anything about our calendar dates. They may very well be in action on Jun 1, 2, 11 or 12. So you can always try one of those dates without having to worry about having a vehicle pass for the parking area.
Also keep in mind that vehicle pass winners will be exempt from the national park's requirement for a parking pass/tag.
Viewing the fireflies this year would be a great companion activity for riding our zip lines in Tennessee. If you do happen to get a parking pass for this year's firefly event, give us a call to see if we can accommodate you and your group for a canopy tour earlier that day.
