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Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the largest U.S. natural park on the East Coast and is protected by UNESCO. The northeast-southeast border of North Carolina and Tennessee runs right through it, and Highway 441, the main north-south highway, is built along which the viewpoints and entrances to the park are located. It was founded in 1940 and covers 2,114.15 km2, making it one of the largest national parks in the United States, on par with Death Valley in California and Yellowstone Park in Wyoming.
Fun fact: At the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains from Cherokee, North Carolina, ends the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway (one of the most beautiful roads in the world), which begins at Shenandoah Park in Virginia.
Also in Great Smoky Mountains Park is part of the famous Appalachian Trail, which stretches more than 3,500 miles through the mountains from Maine in the very north to Georgia closer to the south. The Appalachian Trail on the East Coast of the United States is pretty much the same as the Pacific Crest Trail for those living on the West Coast. And we, by the way, dream of hiking it one day.
Great Smoky Mountains Park is also the most popular park in the United States. About twice as many people visit it as the famous Grand Canyon Park. In 2017, for example, 11.3 million tourists came here.
One of the reasons for that is that admission to Great Smoky Mountains Park is completely free all year round! So even though we had an Annual Pass to all the national parks in the States, we didn’t need it here, but it was very useful on our other trips to U.S. national parks.
But such huge attendance can’t be solely because of free admission, right? The fact is that Great Smoky Mountains has a huge variety of natural attractions.
There are many species of wildlife, stunning views from observation decks, and mountain streams that form a myriad of waterfalls. Most importantly, the park has a well-developed tourist infrastructure, with campsites, lodges, and visitor centers, as well as easy access to its attractions.
And there are more than a thousand kilometers of hiking trails, both easy and challenging, where experienced hikers and climbers can prove themselves. That’s why Great Smoky Mountains is so popular with hikers.
It is also very popular with motorcyclists, horseback riders, bird watchers and photographers from around the world. After all, its name the park of the Smoky Mountains did not get by chance. The famous haze, which is especially visible in the morning, is the main value of the park. Often wrapping the blue mountains in a milky cradle, the park has become one of the most photographed places in the United States today.
