Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, protecting 522,419 acres of the southern Appalachian Mountains. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this park attracts more visitors than any other national park in America. The park contains some of the highest mountains in eastern North America, including Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome) at 6,643 feet. The park supports extraordinary biodiversity with over 19,000 documented species and scientists estimate that 80,000-100,000 species may live in the park. This incredible diversity stems from the park's varied elevations, abundant rainfall, and geographic location. The park protects the largest tract of old-growth temperate deciduous forest in North America, along with extensive wilderness areas that provide habitat for black bears, elk, and over 200 bird species. Great Smoky Mountains implements extensive conservation programs including elk restoration, air quality monitoring, and invasive species management. Despite managing over 12 million annual visitors, the park maintains no entrance fees and uses visitor education, trail maintenance, and infrastructure development to minimize environmental impacts. Research programs focus on forest health, climate change effects, and biodiversity conservation while cultural resource protection preserves historic log cabins, gristmills, and other artifacts of Appalachian heritage.

Water Features

Mountain streams, Waterfalls, Fontana Lake, Abrams Creek

Ecosystem

This destination features a temperate forest ecosystem.