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Main Menu > Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
Cherokee lived here first, then mountain settlers. Today the Smokies, the western section of the Appalachian Mountains, include the most visited U.S. national park. This refuge is home to black bears, bobcats, 30 species of salamanders, and myriad birds, plus over 4000 species of plants. A look into pioneer life can be had at Cades Cove, where log houses, farm buildings, and more are preserved. Overlooking it all are the Smokies, rising to 6,643 feet (2,025 meters) at their highest point, Clingmans Dome. Most visitors travel through the park by car, along scenic drives that provide spectacular vistas, but more than 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) of trails wind through the park’s interior.
Photo: Sunrise lights up the sky over the mountains; the bluish haze that gives the Smokies their name is more evident as the day goes on. Photograph © Buddy Mays/Corbis.
Things to See and Do
Suggestions from National Geographic Guidebooks
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