Archived Outdoors

Coveted viewing slots for Smokies firefly show to go live

The time is drawing near for synchronous fireflies to once more light up the night in the Smokies, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has announced this year’s dates for up-close firefly viewing at the park’s Elkmont Campground. 

The park has a limited number of passes to see the fireflies from Tuesday, June 2, through Tuesday, June 9. The passes, which cost $1.50 each, can be reserved starting at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 30, at www.recreation.gov. Typically, they sell out within minutes of going on sale, though the park holds back 85 passes for each day to go on sale at 10 a.m. the day before the event. 

During each evening, shuttles ferry viewers to and from the campground for an additional $1 per person. The prices are designed to regulate the number of people flooding the site at any one time rather than as a way for the park to make money. 

Synchronous fireflies are a particular species of firefly that lives only in certain habitats at certain elevations. For a short window each year, they give a showy mating ritual in which all the males in the forest blink simultaneously, making the forest appear to be lit by blinking Christmas lights. The annual event at Elkmont attracts viewers from across the region. 

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.