Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host the annual synchronous firefly viewing opportunity at Elkmont from Monday, June 3 through Monday, June 10, but securing a spot requires entering a lottery.

The event is one of the park’s most unique. Each year in late May or early June, Photinus carolinus, a firefly species, flashes synchronously. Since 2006, the park has limited access to Elkmont during the event’s peak to help reduce traffic and disturbances to the insects.

You can enter the lottery for a seven person maximum vehicle reservation by going to recreation dot gov starting Friday, April 26 at 10 a.m. through Monday, April 29 at 11:59 p.m.

A total of 1,120 vehicle reservations (140 per night) will be issued.

All lottery applicants will be charged a $1.00 application fee. Successful applicants will automatically be given reservations, and a $24.00 reservation fee will be charged to the same credit or debit card used for the application fee.

During the event, Elkmont will close to the general public after 4:00 p.m.; exceptions are made for passholders, Elkmont campers and campers headed to the backcountry.