The Great Smoky Mountain National Park celebrated its 75th anniversary as a national park in June 2009. Besides have fantastic soft rolling mountains, lush forests and beautiful streams and rivers the Smoky Mountains is also a place to discover Appalachian history. There are many places inside the National Park to see historic structures and artifacts. The park also has a lively animal population. More than 1500 black bears live in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Most bear encounters can be found at Cades Cove or Cataloochee Valley.
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is about 800 square miles of the Appalachian Mountains. Admission to the park is free. Here are some of the great things you can see and do while in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park… (Maps are available at the visitor center and at many visitor centers on the way to the park)
Newfound Gap: Is located at the center of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a gap that crosses through Sugarlands and Oconalufree. You can view this from Newfound Gap Road. The Newfoundland Gap crosses east to west across the Tennessee and North Carolina borders. The elevation at Newfoundland Gap is 5,046 feet.
Alum Cave Bluffs: Here hikers will enjoy the 2.5 miles of bluffs some reaching 100 feet high. The trail is strenuous and the trailhead is located on Newfound Gap Road.
Andrews Bald: Balds are large portions of the mountain ridges that have no trees. Andrews Bald is the easiest bald to reach in the park. It is located 1.8 miles south of Clingmans Dome. You can only reach it by hiking in. Instead of trees you will see a field of grass and flowers.
Charlies Bunion: is a 1000 foot rock cliff. There are great views of Mount LeConte and a portion of the Appalachian Trail goes through the area.
Cherokee Orchard Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail: Historic sites of the people who lived in the Smoky Mountains after the civil war. RVs and trailers will find the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail impassable.
Chimney Tops: The chimney tops are twin peaks that many enjoy visiting. There are overlooks on Newfoundland Gap Road where you can photograph the twin peaks. If you are a hiker you can hike a steep 4 mile round trip trail that will give you even better views of the peaks.
Clingmans Dome: is the highest spot in the Smoky Mountains at 6,643 feet. There is a ½ steep hike to the observation tower that will allow you to see more of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park than anywhere else. It is often colder up there then other part of the park so make sure to bring a jacket just in case.
Mingus Mill: Is on Newfound Gap Road. Here people can see two water powered mills that are still operating, in fact you can buy corn meal and wheat flour at Mingus Mill. It is a short hike through the trees to the first mill.
More pictures of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park can be found in my flickr album.
More information about the Great Smoky Mountain National Park can be found here . There is also a great booklet that can be found at many visitor centers in North Carolina and Tennessee called “Oh Ranger… Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains” that will give you history of the park and things to see and places to stay and eat.
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