Do you have to pay for parking at Great Smoky Mountains National Park? You do now.

America's most-visited national park does not charge entrance fees, but starting today, it does charge for parking.

With few exceptions, all vehicles parking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 15 minutes now need a parking tag as part of the park's new Park It Forward program.

"100% of funds collected from these fees stay in the Smokies and go directly back into preserving the Smokies and ensuring the visitor experience remains first-rate," the national park said on its website.

Here's what travelers should know if they plan to drive to the park straddling North Carolina and Tennessee.

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How much does it cost to park in the Great Smoky Mountains?

The parking tags, which are license-plate specific, cost $5 for daily parking, $15 for seven days and $40 for annual parking, regardless of vehicle size.

Tags are available for purchase in person and online and must be displayed on the front, passenger windshield of each vehicle. They are non-refundable, non-transferable and ineligible for upgrades. Interagency passes may not be used as substitutes.

Drivers just passing through the area or parking for less than 15 minutes do not need a parking tag. There are also exemptions for school groups, drivers with disabled parking placards or license pate holders, and people with certain special use permits or who are conducting permitted research.

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Why is the park charging for parking?

While park visitation has jumped nearly 60% over the past decade, its funding hasn't grown proportionately, leaving the park with millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needs.

"All revenue generated through the Park it Forward program will remain in the park to support operational costs for managing and improving visitor services such as trail maintenance, custodial services, and trash removal," the park said in a press release. "The program will also support more resource education programs, emergency responders, and law enforcement staff across the park."

Contributing: Andrew Jones, Asheville Citizen Times

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Great Smoky Mountains National Park begins charging for parking