Explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee & North Carolina (UNESCO site)

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most important natural area in the eastern United States, the most visited National Park in the USA, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. The park is frequently cited as a shining example of a temperate deciduous hardwood forest. With 130 species of tree found in the park, it has almost as many tree species as all of Europe. It harbors many endangered species of animals and has what has been called the greatest diversity of salamanders in the world. The Great Smoky Mountains presents 16 peaks over 6,000 feet, the tallest mountains in the Appalachian chain. The topography of the park is comprised of crested, steep-sided ridges separated by V-shaped valleys. Many of those ridges branch and subdivide creating a natural drainage system with a number of rapidly flowing clear mountain streams. Wildlife, in addition to the Black Bears, includes more than 50 native animals. Several species of bats and over 200 types of birds live in the park. Copious amounts of precipitation and the many streams make the mountains perfect habitat for a wide variety of amphibians and the park also contains a diverse collection of invertebrates with over 70 species of native fish, spiders, insects and other arthropods. This breathtakingly beautiful park is home to more than 3,500 plant species Evidence exists supporting the earliest inhabitants of the park were prehistoric hunters and gatherers. The park contains remnants of four pre-Columbian Indian cultures: Mississippian, Woodland, Archaic and Paleo-Indians, with the first evidence of organized farming in North America, to early European settlement in the 1800s to loggers and Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees in the 20th century. More than 150 archaeological sites have been identified within the park. Structures dot the landscape dating from the mid-1800s to 1920, including the the best collection of log buildings in the United States. The region had been the home of the Cherokee Indians for centuries, until most of them were forced from their land and sent to Oklahoma on what came to be known as the Trail of Tears. The Cherokees called the mountains the "Land of the Blue Smoke" because of the smoky fog that often shrouds the mountains. The fog is the result of warm humid air from the Gulf of Mexico as it cools rapidly when it enters the higher elevations. The fog is most prevalent after a summer rainstorm. After the Cherokees, other folks settled or hid-out in the remote mountain tops and hollows such as farmers looking for isolation, moonshiners, Confederate deserters and Union sympathizers during the Civil War, Cherokees who had evaded removal and other people wanting to escape civilization for one reason or another. Great Smoky Mountains National Park preserves the rich cultural fabric of Southern Appalachian history. Life for the early European settlers was primitive, but by the 1900s there was little difference between the mountain people and their contemporaries living in rural areas beyond the mountains. Earlier settlers had lived off the land by hunting the wildlife, utilizing the timber for buildings and fences, growing food and raising livestock in the clearings. As the decades passed, many areas that had once been forest became fields and pastures. People farmed, attended church, hauled their grain to the mill and maintained community ties as would be typically found in rural areas. The agricultural pattern of life in the Great Smoky Mountains changed with the arrival of lumber mills in the early 1900s. Within 20 years, the largely self-sufficient economy of the people here was almost entirely replaced by dependence on manufactured items like store bought food. Logging boom towns sprang up overnight at sites that have preserved their camp names: Elkmont, Smokemont, Proctor, Tremont. The fear was then that loggers were rapidly cutting the great forests that remained on these mountains and unless the course of events could be quickly changed, there would be little left of the region’s special character and wilderness resources. Intervention came when Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in 1934. The forest, at least the 20% that remained uncut within park boundaries, was preserved. More than 1,200 land-owners had to leave their land once the park was established. They left behind many farm buildings, mills, schools and churches. Over 70 of these structures have since been preserved so that Great Smoky Mountains National Park now contains the largest collection of historic log buildings in the East. The idea to create a national park in these mountains started in the late 1890s. The land that became Great Smoky Mountains National Park was owned by hundreds of small farmers and a handful of large timber and paper companies. Establishing most of the older parks located in the western United States, such as Yellowstone was relatively easy by comparison. Congress merely carved the parks out of lands already owned by the government, quite often in places where no one wanted to live in the first place. That was not the case for the Great Smokys. Acquiring park land in this area was a completely different story. The farmers did not want to leave their family homesteads; neither did the large corporations want to abandon huge forests of timber, the many miles of railroad track, extensive systems of logging equipment and entire villages of employee housing. The drive to create a national park became successful in the mid-1920s with most of the hard working supporters based in Knoxville, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina. The two groups had long been at odds over the location of the national park but they finally began working together for a park in the heart of the Smokys. The park was formally dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt in September, 1940. Visitors will find birds, mammals, reptiles and other forms of wildlife throughout the park. While viewing wildlife in the Smokys can be challenging because most of the park is covered by dense forest, the more open areas like Cataloochee and Cades Cove offer some of the best opportunities to spot white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoon, turkeys, woodchucks and other animals. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has about 2,115 miles of streams within its boundary and protects one of the last wild trout habitats in the eastern United States. The park offers a wide variety of angling experiences from remote, headwater trout streams to large, cool water smallmouth bass streams. Most of the streams remain at or near their capacity of fish and offer a great opportunity to catch fish throughout the year. A Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license is required to fish in the park. Hikers enjoy the park during all months of the year with every season offering is own special rewards. One of the most daunting tasks facing hikers is choosing just which trail to cover out of the 900 miles available. The suggestion is to plan ahead by deciding on just exactly what you would like to see. Perhaps some of park’s magnificent waterfalls would fulfill your fantasies of the perfect Great Smokys hiking experience. Treks through old-growth forests are popular as are some of the trails that are laid out to capture the incredible vistas. The park has trails appealing to every level of hiker. Many of the hikes pass or end at cascading waterfalls and scenic view points. A wide range of easy day hikes can be found throughout the park.The world-famous Appalachian Trailruns through the park and crosses many of the park trails. Some of the favorite trails within the park are Alum Cave Trail, Rainbow Falls Trail and Laurel Falls Trail. The park is also world-renowned for its fall foliage. Red, yellow and orange pallets enhance the already spectacular landscape. Throughout the year wild flowers are in bloom at different altitudes. The park boasts over 1,500 species of native flowering plants, making this a haven for all plant lovers and anyone that can appreciate nature’s beauty. Favorite destinations in the park are Cades Cove, an isolated valley that was once home to settlers where often explored Gregory’s Cave and Bull Cave are located, the Cataloochee Valley with its historic villages and significant reintroduced elk population, Clingmans Dome, the tallest peak in the Smokys and Roaring Fork, a huge rapidly flowing mountain stream through an old-growth forest. Auto touring through the park is the way most visitors garner the experience of the Great Smokys but alternative experiences including bicycling, hiking and backpacking. Le Conte Lodge, on top of Mount Le Conte, provides the only lodging within the park. The lodge is accessible only by trail (one way is a 5 mile hike). Summiting Mount LeConte is a great hike even if you aren’t going to be staying at the Lodge. Reservations are often made a year in advance. The surrounding communities offer a wide choice of accommodations including hotels, cabins, bed and breakfasts and commercial campgrounds that are conveniently located. No entrance fees are charged for visiting the park courtesy of guidelines developed when the park was established. There are ten developed campgrounds in the park. Each campground has restrooms with cold running water and flushable toilets. However, there are no showers or electrical or water hookups. If you require shower facilities those are available in the communities surrounding the national park but then again there are always the plethora of waterfalls. Each individual campsite has a fire grate and a picnic table. Park campgrounds are located in areas frequented by bears and other wildlife (here’s another one of those bear warnings!). All food, coolers, utensils, stoves, etc., must be stored out of sight in a closed vehicle when not in use. All visitors are reminded not to throw food scraps or packaging in fire rings. Feeding wildlife is prohibited in Great Smokys National Park and, frankly, everywhere. Four drive-in horse camps provide ready access to backcountry horse trails in the national park. Travelling by car is the best method to visit the park. The most popular entrance into the park is from the North through Gatlinburg, Tennessee. You can also enter from the South on the North Carolina side of the park, through Cherokee, Maggie Valley, or Bryson City. Airlines will get you to Asheville, NC (60 miles East) or Knoxville, TN (45 miles West) where car rentals are easily arranged. The closest train station is in Clemson, South Carolina, a two hour drive from the park entrance near Bryson City. So when you have finally made up your mind to add a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to your bucket list you would be well advised to read and memorize this advice we encountered about the Black Bears until its second nature: “Bears in the park are wild and their behavior is sometimes unpredictable. Although extremely rare, attacks on humans have occurred, inflicting serious injuries and death. Treat bear encounters with extreme caution and follow these guidelines: If you see a bear remain watchful. Do not approach it. If your presence causes the bear to change its behavior (stops feeding, changes its travel direction, watches you, etc.)—you’re too close. Being too close may promote aggressive behavior from the bear such as running toward you, making loud noises, or swatting the ground. The bear is demanding more space. Don’t run, but slowly back away, watching the bear. Try to increase the distance between you and the bear. The bear will probably do the same. If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing, or paw swatting, try changing your direction. If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground. If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it. Act aggressively and try to intimidate the bear. Act together as a group if you have companions. Make yourselves look as large as possible (for example, move to higher ground). Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear. Use a deterrent such as a stout stick. Don’t run and don't turn away from the bear. Don't leave food for the bear; this encourages further problems. Most injuries from black bear attacks are minor and result from a bear attempting to get at people's food. If the bear's behavior indicates that it is after your food and you areattacked separate yourself from the food and slowly back away. If the bear shows no interest in your food and you're physically attacked, fight back aggressively with any available object—the bear may consider you as prey! Protect others, report all bear incidents to a ranger immediately. Above all, keep your distance from bears!”

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