You can fly your drone in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. To be clear, while drone flight in these areas is permitted under current FAA regulations, flying your drone in any National Parks is prohibited. Because both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are very close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are a few things you should be aware of before flying your drone here.
Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are Directly Outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
If you look at the picture above, you’ll notice the darker green sections of the map. The Darker green represents the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is also a small strip of land extending roughly east/west between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge as well as down highway 321 between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Everything in the darker green is off limits because it is part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Above is a picture of the map from Airmap, showing the National Park areas in red. To make it more clear, let’s take a zoomed in look at both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
The map above is zoom in over Gatlinburg and the Northern border or the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You will notice the same outline as the first picture, but here the line between the National Park (the green) and Gatlinburg (the grey) is a little more distinct. And there is still the strip along highway 321 that should be avoided. You shouldn’t be flying your drone over a highway anyway, even if its not considered part of a National Park.
This last picture shows Pigeon Forge at the top (outlined in pink) with the same strip along highway 321. While I’m not sure why the strip of green running East/West is part of the National Park, you should be aware that it is considered part of the National Park, so you should not fly here.
You Should Continue to Fly Your Drone in Line with All Rules
As always, you are still required to fly your drone in line with existing FAA, state and local regulations, just like you would anywhere else. And just like any other situation, some of these rules become more applicable, depending on where you are flying. With that understanding, keep in mind the following:
- State Rules – Tennessee has a state law prohibiting drone flights to capture images at open air event venue with more than 100 people there for a ticketed event unless you have permission of the venue owner or operator.
- Know your Airspace – This might seem obvious, but I can imagine if you have a cabin or campsite that is outside of the National Park, you could get yourself into trouble with the borders of the park because the forest in your area looks exactly like the National Park, especially with that small strip of land between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. It’s probably pretty easy to fly into the National Park on accident. So, it’s really important that you know your airspace. The DJI GO app does a pretty good job of painting up the map so that you know exactly where you can and can’t fly. It also shows a track of where you’ve already flown, so that you can get a better gauge of things throughout your flight. If you don’t have a DJI drone, just make sure you’re using something like Airmap or Kittyhawk to check your airspace prior to your flight. And honestly, I’d probably leave it open and accessible throughout my entire flight. If it’s me, I’m probably not flying at all unless the GPS on my drone is showing me exactly where the drone is flying in real time, at all times.
- Stay Away from Manned Aircraft – Again, another obvious one. In places like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, helicopter tours are a big thing. Obviously, these helicopters are going to be flying relatively low to the ground, and trust me when I say that they can come out of nowhere quickly. You will hear them long before you will see them. One way to avoid any issues is just to keep your drone pretty close to you on these flights. Don’t max out your distance or fly all the way up to 400 feet. You’ll need to be a able to react quickly if you hear and see a helicopter nearby and the closer your drone is to you, the better your depth perception will be. Another thing to be really careful about here is that there are a ton of small airports in rural areas in the United States. You really wouldn’t know they exist unless you go looking for them, but they exist. There is a small airport in Sevierville, which is just north of Pigeon Forge and they also have a small hospital with a helipad there as well. Fly carefully.
- Keep your Drone in Line of Sight – I kind of already talked about this in the last point, but its easy to lose a drone when you fly it out at a distance, especially when your background is a bunch of trees. Honestly,, it can be just as easy to lose a drone against the sky if you’re watching your screen and not the drone. Be safe and keep your drone well within your line of sight. It’s probably even a good idea to fly with a visual observer. While this isn’t required, it could make your flight more fun and keep you safe at the same time.
- Don’t Fly Over People – Okay, we’re talking about flying your drone at a huge tourist attraction. This could be a lot like flying in a bigger city. You’re going to have lots of places where people are gathering (restaurant patios, golf courses, go-cart tracks, amusement parks, ferris wheels, etc.), busy roads, buildings and other attractions like the Gatlinburg Skylift. Do not fly your drone over or near people.
- Operate Your Drone During the Day or Civil Twilight – You should only fly your drone during the day. Additionally, you can fly your drone in civil twilight if you have the proper lights on your drones (link to Amazon). Flying at night requires a special waiver and it is notoriously difficult to get. Stick to flying during the day. You aren’t going to get any good footage at night anyway.
- Safety is Key – You are required to fly your drone in a way that is not reckless. No matter where you are flying, safety is important. But places like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have some unique attractions that really require you to think before you fly. Be smart. If it’s questionable, skip the flight.
While this list is not comprehensive, it is a good starting point. Don’t fly your drone if you aren’t sure whether it is illegal. And be sure to educate yourself on all of the rules required when flying your drone.
There are a Number of Tourist Spots that are Off Limits Because they are in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Just for clarity, there are a bunch of tourist spots inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where you ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FLY. I’m only including these because sometimes the question comes up about flying at a certain spot, instead of within a National Park generally, and I want to make sure it’s clear that there are a bunch of highlights that are most definitely inside the National Park. These are:
- Cades Cove
- Clingman’s Dome
- Mount Le Conte
- Newfound Gap
- Nature Trailhead Campground
This list isn’t comprehensive, but only meant to provide some carlity on what tourist attractions are actually within the National Park.
Finally, all of this is to say that while you can find some killer places to fly near the National Park, including Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, doing so requires some preparation, foresight and proper planning. Be smart and make sure you don’t ruin someone else’s time in these places by flying your drone in a way that isn’t safe or considerate of other people who are also likely on vacation, just like you.
