Complete information on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now on available!
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in both North Carolina and Tennessee, with the two largest cities near the park being Gatlinburg and Cherokee. Known for its scenic beauty, the park is the most visited of any National Park, drawing around nine million people each year. That’s three times the number of visitors that Yellowstone receives and more than double that of the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
Most people think of the Smoky Mountains as a place of scenic beauty and outdoor recreation, and that is certainly no misconception. There are over 800 miles of trails in the park and all are open to hikers, while nearly 500 miles of these are available to horseback riders as well. There are nine campgrounds, nearly 100 backcountry campsites, and plenty of picnic areas, some that can even accommodate large groups such as a family reunion or a corporate outing. Visitors can fish in the streams and may catch a glimpse of bears, elk, deer, turkey, and other animals.
What people do not associate the park with is human history, yet there is plenty of that as well. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the only National Park not created with land already owned by the government or donated by private individuals. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, everyone who once lived here was forced to sell their land so that the park could be created (authorized in 1934 and opened in 1940). Many buildings from their mountain homesteads remain in existence. Also, over one hundred cemeteries, some small family plots and others larger church cemeteries, are within the park boundaries. Many can easily be found along the roads and trails, while others can only be found by those who know where to look.
DIRECTIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
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Last updated on February 25, 2021
