You may have to sleep in shelters. However, if you are hiking through during thru-hiker season the rule is thru-hikers can tent or hammock within sight of the shelter if the shelter is full. My strategy is to hang back and not claim shelter space until the shelter fills up, and trust me it will fill up when the pack is coming through the Smokys. The only drawback is the shelter does have the potential to not fill up and then you are stuck staying in it to follow the rule.
That said. Some hammockers I know are doing the BMT through the park to avoid shelters and the crowds that come with them.
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