Firefly Show in Great Smoky Mountains National Park


Nestled within the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies Elkmont, a historic Appalachian community that plays host to one of nature's most enchanting spectacles: the synchronous firefly display. Every summer, for a brief period typically lasting a couple of weeks around late May or early June, fireflies of the species Photinus carolinus gather in the woods of Elkmont to perform a mesmerizing ballet of light.

What sets these fireflies apart is their unique ability to synchronize their flashing. Male fireflies emit a rhythmic pulse of light, and en masse, they coordinate these flashes to create a wave of luminescence that sweeps across the forest. This synchronized display is a mating ritual, with the males attempting to attract the attention of the flightless female fireflies waiting patiently on the ground.

Synchronous fireflies in Elkmont; image by Radim-Schreiber

Witnessing the synchronous fireflies in Elkmont is an awe-inspiring experience. As darkness descends, the forest floor transforms into a living constellation, with thousands of tiny lights blinking in unison. The effect is both magical and surreal, leaving visitors with a deep sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world. Due to the popularity of this natural phenomenon, access to Elkmont during the firefly viewing season is often limited via a lottery system to protect the fireflies and their habitat, ensuring that future generations can also marvel at this extraordinary display.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides transportation to nightly firefly activity in Elkmont each night during the annual firefly show held in June. The show is usually held from the end of the first week in June until mid-June (8 days).

Gatlinburg Trolley service to Elkmont

The City of Gatlinburg trolley service operates transportation between the Sugarlands Visitor Center and the Little River Trailhead at Elkmont.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials close the Elkmont entrance road to motor vehicles and pedestrian use every night from at 5:00 p.m. until midnight, except to registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground. The closure is to accommodate transportation service for visitors planning to spend the evening viewing the natural-occurring, synchronous firefly beetles at Elkmont.

The City of Gatlinburg, in partnership with the Park, provides trolleys for this activity. The trolley service, coinciding with the expected peak flashing period, will be the sole transportation mode for visitor access during this period; no private vehicles will be allowed to enter Elkmont. For safety purposes, restrictions will be in place to prohibit motor vehicles from parking along roadsides, pullouts, or any other areas besides at the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area for the purposes of viewing fireflies at Elkmont. Only those visitors parking at the visitor center will be allowed to ride the trolleys. Because of safety concerns, visitors will not be allowed to walk the Elkmont Entrance Road.

The trolleys will begin picking up visitors from the Sugarlands Visitor Center RV/bus parking area at 7 p.m. The trolleys will run continually until the parking area is full or until 9 p.m., whichever comes first. The last trolley to return visitors from Elkmont to the Visitor Center is scheduled at 11 p.m. The cost will be $1 round trip per person as in previous years.

For those riding the trolleys, it is recommended that visitors bring flashlights with red cellophane covers to reduce white light. Visitors can bring lawn chairs, and carry food and water in backpacks which can fit on their laps in the trolleys; there are no services available at the site. Visitors are prohibited from bringing coolers, alcoholic beverages, or their pets.

The annual appearance of the synchronous firefly beetles in the Park has become so popular that Park officials began managing the number of visitors to the trailhead. The dates that the mating behavior begins can vary each year due to weather and other natural factors, but generally starts around the second week in June and lasts for about two weeks.

The Elkmont area is an old logging town with remnant structures of a pre-park resort community and there is a 220-site campground and several trails that lead into the backcountry. A popular viewing spot for the fireflies is located along the Little River Trail which is surrounded by forest and the Little River. "The public who visit this area for the purpose of watching fireflies in the dark should recognize this is a natural environment with no other restrooms or other facilities and that the fireflies flashing synchrony becomes more apparent later in the night," said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. "So for those catching the early trolleys, there will be several hours before the fireflies come out."