Tours & timed entry · Tennessee
The Great Smoky Mountains Firefly Viewing Lottery — tickets & tours bookable on Recreation.gov, at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Official listing facts below, plus how its release and cancellation patterns work.
Synchronous fireflies ( Photinus carolinus ) are one of at least 19 species of fireflies that live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and one of only a few species in the world known to synchronize their flash patterns. This insects' reproductive display occurs for a couple of weeks every year throughout its range (southern Appalachians), and is typically in late May or early June in the Elkmont area of the park.
| Type | Tickets & tours — bookable on Recreation.gov |
|---|---|
| Area | Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
| Managed by | National Park Service |
| Location | Gatlinburg, Tennessee |
| Phone (official listing) | 865-436-1261 |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov — The Great Smoky Mountains Firefly Viewing Lottery |
Tickets and timed-entry inventory on Recreation.gov follows the same physics as campgrounds: a listing-defined release pattern, carts that hold for about fifteen minutes, and sold-out dates that return when plans change — because every ticket in this system can be cancelled, and cancelled inventory comes straight back to the calendar, first-come. The listing text above is the authority for this facility's exact window; our release- windows guide shows how to read any listing's pattern, and how cancellations work explains why "sold out" is a snapshot rather than a verdict.
Planning the wider trip? The park guide ties this listing to the area's campgrounds, guides, and season notes.
On Recreation.gov, via the official listing linked in the facts table. itOpened never takes bookings — we publish the data and watch the calendars.
Timed-entry and ticket inventory recycles: abandoned carts return after about fifteen minutes, and cancellations return dates first-come, all season. Re-check at release times and in the final days before your date.
The official listing classifies it as 'Ticket Facility' — the facts table carries the listing's own description of what's included.
Every figure in this article traces to one of the sources above. If a number isn't sourced, we don't print it.
Last updated 2026-10-30.