The Great Smoky
Mountains National Park was established by Congress in 1934 and is the largest
national park in the Eastern United States, consisting of over 500,000 acres of
wilderness in the Appalachian Highlands of North Carolina and Tennessee. It
encompasses over 800 square miles, and it is the most popular of our national
parks with over 9 million visitors per year. The Park offers panoramic views,
many miles of unspoiled mountains, lush forests and tumbling mountain streams
like those found by the early American Settlers. The Great Smoky Mountains
National Park is renowned for the multitude and the diversity of its plant and
animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its
remnants of Southern Appalachian Mountain culture.
The Great Smoky
Mountains are a small portion of the 2,000 mile long Appalachian Mountain Range
that extends from Georgia to Maine. The Smokies are among the tallest mountains
in the Appalachian chain, with elevations ranging within the Park from 840 feet
at Abrams Creek to 6,643 feet at Clingmans Dome, the third tallest peak east of
the Mississippi River. The rainfall in the high country of the Great Smokies
averages over 85 inches per year, and feeds over 2,000 miles of rushing
mountain streams and rivers that flow through the park, including Chambers
Creek, Eagle Creek, Forney Creek, Hazel Creek, Lands Creek, Nolands Creek,
Pilkeys Creek, Twenty Mile Creek, and the Oconoluftee River. Over 700 miles of
those waterways support more than 50 native fish populations, including the
native Brook Trout. The elevation gradient presents many picturesque waterfalls
in the streams throughout the Smokies that are a big attraction to park
visitors.
The temperate,
deciduous forest of the Great Smoky Mountains is home to and protects 66
species of mammals, over 200 varieties of birds, over 50 native fish species,
and more than 80 types of reptiles and amphibians. The most commonly seen
mammals are bear, deer, groundhog, chipmunk and squirrel. There are 85 species
of migratory birds that visit the Park seasonally and 120 species that nest in
the Great Smokies. Thirty birds that are listed as "Species of Concern" breed
in the Park, making the Smokies an important source for repopulating bird
species that are declining in numbers in areas outside the park. The Great
Smoky Mountains National Park has the greatest diversity of salamanders of
anywhere on earth. The most famous resident of the Park, and the symbol of the
Smokies, is the American Black Bear with an estimated population of about 1800.
Extirpated species include bison, elk, mountain lion, and the gray wolf. Some
native species previously eradicated have been re-introduced to the Park
including the river otter, the elk, the red wolf, and the Peregrine Falcon.
Visitors have the best opportunity to see wildlife in open areas of the Park
like Cataloochee Valley and Cades Cove.
The Great Smoky
Mountains National Park is famous for its great diversity of plant life. The
variations in elevation, rainfall, temperature, and geology in the Park provide
ideal habitat for over 5,400 species of plants that have been identified,
including nearly 1500 species of flowering plants, 100 native tree species, and
over 100 native shrub species. Ephemeral wildflowers bloom profusely in the
deciduous forests of the Park in early Spring before the trees grow their
leafs. This spectacular display of flowering color against a still barren
forest is truly a spectacular site. Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, & Flame
Azalea shrubs present extravagant displays of beautiful flowers from mid-June
to mid-July. Autumn brings a parade of Purple Astor, Goldenrod, and other late
bloomers to complete the floral display of the Season.
Access to the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park is provided to motorists traveling U.S. Highway
441 (known in the Park as the Newfound Gap Road) between Cherokee, North
Carolina and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The New Found Gap, located near the center
of the Park, (5,048 feet in elevation) on highway 441 is half way between the
Sugarlands Visitor Center in Tennessee, and the Oconaluftee Visitors Center in
North Carolina, and offers spectacular long range views of the Park. The
Appalachian Trail crosses the Great Smoky Mountains at Newfound Gap. This
popular route through the Park offers long-range panoramic views of this
spectacular mountain range. The "smoky" vapor for which the mountains are named
can be seen draping the ridge tops and hanging over the valleys. The thin blue
haze or "smoke" is created by moisture from the park's lush vegetation.
Visitors can take walks on any of the over 800 miles of hiking trails
maintained by the Park. Walking and hiking are popular ways for visitors to see
the wildflowers close up, to smell the scent of evergreens, to hear the sounds
of birdsongs and cascading streams, and to experience a personal sense of the
harmony of the natural wilderness environment that is preserved in the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park.
THE GREAT SMOKY
MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK HAS 3 VISITOR CENTERS:
The OCONOLUFTEE
VISITOR CENTER is located one mile north of Cherokee, North Carolina and is
open daily except Christmas. This center provides an excellent presentation of
the early cultural history of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Mountain Farm
Museum includes an old homestead located near the Visitor Center that is a
recreation of a late 19th century mountain farm. It consists of a complete
collection of authentic log structures, including a house, barn, corncrib,
sorghum molasses mill, and blacksmith shop that were moved from their original
locations throughout the National Park to this exhibit so that visitors can see
a complete early American farm. Visitors can walk through and around the
buildings and get a very real sense of how it would have been to live in the
Great Smoky Mountains in the days when the country was first settled. This
homestead would have been an early American settlers dream come
true!
The CADES COVE
VISITOR CENTER is located in the Cades Cove area of the Park and is open
daily, except in winter when it is open only on weekends. This center provides
an excellent presentation of the early cultural history of the Great Smoky
Mountains. An old Grist Mill, Old Homes, Churches, Barns and other old displays
have been preserved to represent an isolated farming community of the 1800's
for the enjoyment of Park visitors. One can get a very real sense of the
community aspects of early American settlement in Cades Cove and the Great
Smoky Mountains.
The SUGARLANDS
VISITOR CENTER is located two miles south of Gatlinburg, Tennessee on U.S.
Highway 441 and is open daily except Christmas. This center focuses on natural
history and has very interesting and educational displays on the Parks plants
and animals. The Center is open year-round.
POINTS OF
INTEREST IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
CADES
COVE
This valley covering 6800 acres near Gatlinburg provides an
understanding of the natural and cultural history of the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. About 2400 acres of Cades Cove are open fields that are
surrounded by forests with mountains towering 5500 feet.
In Cades Cove the
Park Service has successfully preserved the cultural history of the early
settlement of the Great Smoky Mountains for all visitors to enjoy. There are
several historic buildings dating to the nineteenth century, including the
Peter Cable Grist Mill, The Becky Cable House, 3 churches, barns, and pioneer
log cabins. The Cove is rich in cultural History. The Geneology and History of
the early settlers of the Cove can be found in the many books sold in the Cades
Cove Visitor Center Book Store.
The 11 mile long
Cades Cove Loop Trail that winds one-way through the meadowlands and forests of
Cades Cove is popular with visitors. Wildlife is abundant in the cove, and easy
to observe from this road. It is common to see deer, woodchucks, and wild
turkey. Sometimes visitors are lucky enough to see a black bear.
CATALOOCHEE
VALLEY
Cataloochee was the largest settlement in the Smokies. Today it
is a popular location for viewing the Elk that were re-introduced to the Park
in 2001 and 2002. The Elk graze in the fields and can be observed most days
throughout the year.
CLINGMANS
DOME
Clingmans Dome rises 6,643 feet. It is the highest peak in the
Smokies and the second highest peak east of the Mississippi River. A forest of
spruce and fir trees covers the top of the mountain. Visitors can walk a
½ mile paved pathway to the 54-foot tall observation tower where they
are treated to a magnificent, 360-degree vista of the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park surrounding Clingmans Dome. Sunrises and Sunsets from this point
are truly spectacular. Take a sweater if you get cold easily, because the high
elevation means that the temperature will be cool at the Dome even in
Summer.
MINGUS
MILL
The Mingus Mill is a large water-powered mill that is still in
operation for grinding corn into meal using 19th Century equipment. From
mid-April through October, visitors enjoy watching the giant mill in operation,
and can buy cornmeal and flour for later baking.
CAMPGROUNDS IN
THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
DEEP CREEK
CAMPGROUND
Deep Creek offers recreational activities for the entire
family including camping, hiking trails, bicycle riding trails, swimming,
tubing & trout fishing. It is located about 2 miles from Bryson
City.
SMOKEMONT
CAMPGROUND
Smoke Mont offers recreational activities for the entire
family including camping, hiking trails, bicycle riding trails, horseback
riding trails, swimming, & trout fishing. It is located just North of
Cherokee, North Carolina on Highway 441.
DIRECTIONS TO
THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK FROM THE NANTAHALA RIVER
GORGE:
To travel to the
Deep Creek Area of the Great Smoky Mountains take Highway 19/74 East about 11
miles, take the Bryson City exit and follow the signs to Deep Creek. The Park
Boundary is located a few miles outside of Bryson City.
To Travel to
Smokemont Area take Highway 19/74 East about 15 miles to the Cherokee/Great
Smoky Mountains exit where you access Highway 441 North that takes you through
Cherokee and to Gatlinburg through the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park. |
