How Crowded Is Great Smoky Mountains in December?
December is a quiet month at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, running about 0.7× the park's average month — roughly 6% of the year's visitors come in December. That puts it between the July peak and the January low. Overall our best-time score rates December as "Poor" for a visit. Typical December weather averages a high near 43°F and a low around 27°F, with about 7" of precipitation. You'll get about 9.6 hours of daylight to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
December is quiet at Great Smoky Mountains National Park (about 0.7× the average month). Our best-time score rates it "Poor". The single best month overall is August.
The busiest month is July and the quietest is January. December sits at about 0.7× the park's average, or 6% of annual visitation.
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1979–2025), NOAA NCEI Climate Normals 1991–2020. Updated 2026-06-20.