Picnic areas are located at Big Creek, Chimneys, Cades Cove, Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek, Greenbrier, Heintooga, Look Rock, and Metcalf Bottoms. The picnic areas at Cades Cove, Deep Creek, Greenbrier, and Metcalf Bottoms are open year-round. The remaining picnic areas are closed during the winter. See schedule below.

Picnic pavilions are available at Collins Creek, Cosby, Deep Creek,

Greenbrier, Metcalf Bottoms, and Twin Creeks. Pavilions can be reserved for groups one year in advance online or by calling 877-444-6777. Impromptu use of pavilions is allowed only when the pavilion has not been reserved.

Please remember that feeding bears and other wildlife is illegal. The black bear symbolizes the invaluable wilderness qualities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but bears are dying unnecessarily from improper disposal of garbage or illegal feeding by visitors. A bear's remarkable sense of smell may lead it to human foods, such as a picnicker's cooler, garbage left in the open, or food scraps thrown on the ground or left in the grill.

A bear that has discovered human food or garbage will eventually become day-active and leave the safety of the backcountry. It may panhandle along roadsides and be killed by a car or it may injure a visitor. Please do your part to help protect black bears and other wildlife in the Great Smokies. Clean your picnic area, including the grill and the ground around the table, thoroughly after your meal.