Your Great Smoky Mountains National Park CME conference.

Your dates. Your specialty. We handle everything else.

Plan in Great Smoky Mountains National ParkFrom under $50 a day
A miniature Great Smoky Mountains meadow with a log cabin, split-rail fence and forested ridges, and a capybara on a bicycle on the gravel lane.

Check in once for the entire trip.

Seamless, start to finish.

A personalized live conference. One-click check-in from your email. Automatic checkout when the conference ends. Documents generated automatically.

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The check-in area

Check-in area around the designated center of Great Smoky Mountains National ParkA flat map drawn to scale, north at the top. A circle with a 20-mile radius is centered on the designated center. Designated center20-mile check-in areaAttractionsGetting hereN10 miDesignated center20-mile check-in areaN10 mi
Drawn to scale from the designated center. Not for navigation.

Check in within 20 miles of the designated center.

Unbeatable value. From under $50 a day.

One fee, $349, for a single conference of up to 7 days. Annual membership for multiple trips at the lowest cost per day.

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Make this trip yours.

$349 one time with Lite

One personalized conference in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Choose 1–7 study days for the same price.

Plus applicable tax.

Make room for more.

Membership: $999 a year

21 study days to use across your conferences throughout the year. Choose a new destination, new dates and a personalized program for each trip.

Renews annually; plus applicable tax.

Documentation, done for you.

Itinerary, certificate, reimbursement letter. In your inbox. Tax-ready.

Credit options
Sample confirmed itinerary: a conference agenda page with the Shift CME header, two study days of sessions from 9 AM, for a fictional participant in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Sample professional development reimbursement request letter for a $349 conference in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with an employer decision box.
Sample Shift CME certificate of participation for a fictional participant, with location, dates attended and recorded study time.
Sample receipt: Shift CME Lite, one conference, $349 paid.

Shift CMEToday

Your Great Smoky Mountains National Park conference documents

Built around your practice.

Personalized live conferences with relevant materials.

Your conference

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

PresentationFever in the returning traveler
Next · 10:45 AMMosquito-borne infections
Journal moduleVaccines before travel

Live today · 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Day 1 · Travel and tropical medicine

  1. Fever in the returning traveler
  2. Mosquito-borne infections
  3. Vaccines before travel

The details.

Planning Great Smoky Mountains National Park

How it works, step by step

Choose your dates and specialty.

Make Great Smoky Mountains National Park your setting. Start any day of the year and choose 1–7 consecutive study days.

Review your personal program.

We build it from presentations and journal modules for your specialty. Swap or remove sessions before you confirm.

Go, check in and learn.

Check in once from your phone within 20 miles of the designated center. Study at your destination, then make the afternoon your own. See the Great Smoky Mountains National Park check-in area.

Watch the full How Shift works video
Explore the full three-day primary-care sample

Your program draws on licensed educational content. Presentations pair audio with slides; journal modules link to source readings.

Sample 3-day conference in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

IllustrativeSAMPLE CONFERENCE

A practical update in primary care

Tue 12 – Thu 14 Jan 2027 · 3 study days · 9:00 AM–2:00 PM Eastern Time

Day 1 · Tue 12 JanTravel and tropical medicine

  1. 9:00–10:30 AM
    PresentationFever in the returning travelerAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  2. 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
    PresentationMosquito-borne infectionsAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  3. 12:00–2:00 PM
    Journal moduleVaccines before travelRead at its PubMed Central link

Day 2 · Wed 13 JanHeat, sun and active lives

  1. 9:00–10:30 AM
    PresentationHeat illness and hydrationAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  2. 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
    PresentationSun exposure and skin protectionAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  3. 12:00–2:00 PM
    PresentationSprains and overuse injuriesAudio and slides at its scheduled time

Day 3 · Thu 14 JanSleep and fatigue

  1. 9:00–10:30 AM
    PresentationInsomnia and sleep habitsAudio and slides at its scheduled time
  2. 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
    Journal moduleShift work and the body clockRead at its PubMed Central link
  3. 12:00–2:00 PM
    PresentationDaytime sleepinessAudio and slides at its scheduled time

Checked in 9:04 AM · location verified within 20 miles

This is a sample program. Review your available topics and formats before you confirm.

Credit options

Category 1 through a session’s accredited provider, where offered.

Category 2 self-claimed by eligible physicians for qualifying learning.

It depends on the session. A presentation or journal module offers AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ only where its accredited provider offers a CME activity and supplies instructions for claiming it; then you claim it as that provider directs. That credit comes from the provider, not from Shift CME, and not every session offers it. Physicians may also self-claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ for learning they judge meets the AMA's requirements, and your Shift CME records can support that claim. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants follow their own certifying bodies' rules: NCCPA lets PAs self-claim Category 2 CME, while AANPCB and ANCC require accredited contact hours, which Shift CME does not award.

Where to stay in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

From Cades Cove’s historic cabins and Roaring Fork’s waterfalls to the arts community outside Gatlinburg, choose the Smokies that suit your time outside study.

Downtown Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg’s tourism site lists condos and hotels steps from downtown restaurants, shops and attractions. It notes parking can be limited, though most downtown hotels have their own.
Mountainside near Gatlinburg
Choose this area for a secluded stay in cabins or chalets. The tourism site describes easy access to trails.
Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community
The community’s eight-mile loop in the Glades includes lodging along with studios and eateries. Choose it if craft shopping appeals more than the Parkway.
Afternoons, travel and weather in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Spring brings changeable weather and rain, summer is hot and humid at lower elevations, and fall is the park’s driest season with colors from September to mid-November. Conferences are available all year.

The Smokies after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing near your study setting: a walk along the Parkway in Gatlinburg, a short stop at Sugarlands Visitor Center, or the one-way Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Leave time for traffic and parking. The park says parking is limited, you may not find a legal space at your first choice, and you should have a backup destination.

Travel, accommodation and any park parking arrangements are made separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the mountains are the setting you choose for it.

Roaring Fork and short walks from Sugarlands

The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a 5.5-mile, narrow, winding, one-way loop with well-preserved log cabins, gristmills and other historic buildings. Place of a Thousand Drips is beside the road near the end. The trailheads for Grotto Falls and Rainbow Falls are close by, and the Rainbow Falls hike is a 5.4-mile round trip, which is a long outing for an afternoon.

Buses, trailers and motor homes are not allowed on the road. The park says parking tags cannot be bought there, so arrange one before you arrive, and check the park’s seasonal road status because the road closes for part of the year. For something shorter, the park’s Sugarlands itinerary lists the 0.7-mile Cataract Falls trail, which starts at the visitor center and ends at a 40-foot waterfall.

Cades Cove or the high road?

The park says Cades Cove has the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the park, including three churches, a working gristmill, barns and log houses. The loop road is 11 miles and one-way, and the park suggests allowing at least two to four hours. That is long for a 2:00 PM finish, and traffic is heavy in summer and fall and on weekends all year, so Cades Cove may suit a day outside your study schedule better. Wildlife needs distance: the park warns that even turkeys have been known to attack people.

Kuwohi, formerly Clingmans Dome, has a lookout tower with panoramic views. Parking demand there often exceeds capacity, so check the park’s alerts before you go. Weather can differ by 10 to 20°F between the mountain base and top, so carry a layer even if the lowlands feel mild.

Matching a trail to the hours you have

The park’s Sugarlands itinerary gives rough times that help with a 2:00 PM start. The Cove Hardwood Nature Trail at Chimney Picnic Area takes about 45 minutes, and the park calls it one of the recognized trails for viewing spring wildflowers. Grotto Falls is about two hours of hiking, and you can walk behind the 25-foot waterfall. Chimney Tops Trail is moderate to strenuous, takes about three hours, and the park says it is extremely hazardous in inclement weather.

The park notes that parking at trailheads can be limited during peak summer and weekend visitation. Daylight is short from late fall through winter, so plan your return before dark.

An afternoon at the Arts & Crafts Community

The Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community sits in the Glades along an eight-mile loop. Gatlinburg’s tourism site says it begins at East Parkway and Glades Road, near traffic light 3A, and lists more than 96 artists and craftspeople, with galleries, studios and shops covering pottery, woodwork, jewelry, glassblowing and candle making.

The tourism site says it is reached from downtown by car or by a dedicated trolley route. Artisans began working there in 1937, when John Cowden and others moved from downtown Gatlinburg. Check each studio’s hours against your 2:00 PM finish.

When to visit the Smokies

The park describes spring, from March to May, as changeable: sunny skies can give way to snow flurries within hours, and April rain usually comes as afternoon showers. Lowland highs reach the 70s and 80s by May. June through August means heat, haze and humidity, with afternoon thunderstorms common.

September through mid-November brings cooler weather and the fall color season. The park calls it the driest period, with early frosts often arriving in late September. Winter is generally moderate in the lowlands, with snow most likely on the mountains in January and February. Use the local forecast and the park’s alerts when you plan outdoor time.

Getting to the Smokies and your study setting

Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is the arrival point shown in this guide. The park describes it as just south of Knoxville in Alcoa, roughly 45 miles west of the Gatlinburg entrance, and Gatlinburg’s tourism site calls it the nearest commercial airport, about an hour’s drive away. The park’s directions page also lists Townsend, Tennessee, and Cherokee, North Carolina, as park entrances, and notes that GPS can give wrong directions in the mountains. There are no gas stations inside the park.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.

Destination
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina
Milder travel season
May–June · September–October
Arrival airport
Knoxville McGhee Tyson · TYS
Check-in area
Within 20 miles of the center

Weather guidance helps you choose a travel season. Shift conferences are available all year.

Sources & local details

Local guidance by Shift CME, with official sources and individual review dates below. Confirm opening hours, transport and admission directly before booking. The diorama is an illustration, not a venue or included attraction.

FAQ

How does a conference work?

Choose your destination, dates and specialty. Your program includes journal modules and scheduled presentations. Presentations start at their scheduled times, rather than on demand. Review the program before you confirm. See each step.

Why do I need to be at the destination?

Shift CME licenses educational content for live conferences at designated destinations. Those licenses restrict use to the conference location, so you need to be at your selected destination to participate. Presentations start at their scheduled times as part of your personalized program.

Where do I need to check in?

Select a destination from the destinations page. Check in once during your conference, within 20 miles of the destination’s designated center. Check-in is open from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM destination time on any study day. If you haven’t checked in by 10:00 PM on your last study day, no participation is recorded. Enable browser location access; if your phone can’t confirm your location, you can confirm it yourself when you check in.

How long is a study day?

Study days run from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM local time, with presentations starting at scheduled times. That leaves the rest of the day to enjoy your destination.

What does it cost?

Membership is $999 a year (introductory price), plus applicable tax, and renews at $999 a year until you cancel. It includes 21 conference days a year. Each conference uses 1 to 7 conference days. Members can add days for $40 each. Without a membership, one conference of up to 7 study days is $349, paid before you create it. Read about membership.

Can I change a confirmed conference?

Before you confirm, you can swap or remove sessions, or regenerate the plan. Choosing Confirm and lock itinerary locks the program. To change it after that, cancel the conference and plan a new one. Cancelled or incomplete confirmed conferences keep their confirmation.

See the complete FAQ

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Plan in Great Smoky Mountains National Park