Sights Overview

Natural assets help make the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the most visited national park in the United States. No mountains in the world are older, and few places on earth can claim such biological diversity: more than 1,600 types of wildflowers and more than 140 species of trees flourish in this wildlife sanctuary. The Appalachian Trail runs along the crest of the mountains through the park, the largest protected land area east of the Rocky Mountains. Within its 800 square miles (276,000 acres lie in North Carolina, 244,000 in Tennessee) are 800 miles of trails, more than 600 miles of trout streams, and some 200,000 acres of virgin forest.

The Smokies are so named because of the frequently occurring smoke-like blue mist that hovers in the air and can get so dense as to obscure mountaintops. In actuality, the "smoke" occurs when vegetation releases water vapor and natural oils produced by plants into the air.

U.S. Highway 441 is the only road that passes all the way through the park. Fishing permits and visitor information are available at ranger stations at the north and south entrances.