Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Created | Updated Apr 4, 2002
Straddling the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to
an astounding abundance of plant and animal life. The 800 square miles of the park are inhabited by an estimated
1500 species of flowering plants, 130 species of trees, 50 ferns, 330 mosses and liverworts, 230 lichens, 1800 fungi,
50 mammals, 200 birds, 80 reptiles and amphibians, 70 fish, and 25 species of salamanders.
It's a good place to go to get away from humans.
More people visit the Smoky Mountains each year than any other National Park in the U.S., yet few ever venture
farther than one half mile from their car. The seasoned hiker will take to the trails, and in so doing, experience a
small fraction of the marvelous bio-diversity that is the Smoky Mountains.
The heavily traveled Appalachian Trail follows the crest of the range for some 60 miles, through hardwood forests,
across open grassy summits, and through dark spruce-fir forests. The spectacular vistas along the AT make it a
popular destination for hikers of all kinds. Those seeking more solitude can easily escape the crowds by hiking
for an hour or two on one of the less popular trails.
By day, the high country can offer up spectacular views of distant mountain ranges, or envelop one in cool,
dense clouds, directing one's attention to the plants and animals along the trail.
The weather can give you a nasty sunburn, soak you to the bone with cold mists and torrential rains,
bombard you with lightning and hail, or all of the above.
By night, you must carry a permit to be where you are.
All camping is by permit only, and subject to subsequent approval by bears, who don't care if you have a permit or not.
The merely adventurous traveler will choose primitive trails and backcountry campsites, while the truly brave will
spend their nights in the shelters along the Appalachian Trail. In the shelters, visitors will bunk with fellow hikers,
scampering mice, wayward bats, and the occasional skunk*. (*WARNING: Let it sleep at your feet. Pretend it's a cat.)
After the wildlife has settled into its nightly routine of backpack plundering, the experienced hikers drift off to sleep
and the legendary snoring matches begin. Accomplished shelter snorers can easily drown out the midnight cries of owls,
coyotes, and even severe thunderstorms. Skunks have been known to get up and leave their comfortable sleeping bags
in order to escape the noise.
The fitful nights and strenuous hikes will leave the visitor tired and sore, but with a new sense of perspective,
and a new sense of appreciation for their old mattress.
an astounding abundance of plant and animal life. The 800 square miles of the park are inhabited by an estimated
1500 species of flowering plants, 130 species of trees, 50 ferns, 330 mosses and liverworts, 230 lichens, 1800 fungi,
50 mammals, 200 birds, 80 reptiles and amphibians, 70 fish, and 25 species of salamanders.
It's a good place to go to get away from humans.
More people visit the Smoky Mountains each year than any other National Park in the U.S., yet few ever venture
farther than one half mile from their car. The seasoned hiker will take to the trails, and in so doing, experience a
small fraction of the marvelous bio-diversity that is the Smoky Mountains.
The heavily traveled Appalachian Trail follows the crest of the range for some 60 miles, through hardwood forests,
across open grassy summits, and through dark spruce-fir forests. The spectacular vistas along the AT make it a
popular destination for hikers of all kinds. Those seeking more solitude can easily escape the crowds by hiking
for an hour or two on one of the less popular trails.
By day, the high country can offer up spectacular views of distant mountain ranges, or envelop one in cool,
dense clouds, directing one's attention to the plants and animals along the trail.
The weather can give you a nasty sunburn, soak you to the bone with cold mists and torrential rains,
bombard you with lightning and hail, or all of the above.
By night, you must carry a permit to be where you are.
All camping is by permit only, and subject to subsequent approval by bears, who don't care if you have a permit or not.
The merely adventurous traveler will choose primitive trails and backcountry campsites, while the truly brave will
spend their nights in the shelters along the Appalachian Trail. In the shelters, visitors will bunk with fellow hikers,
scampering mice, wayward bats, and the occasional skunk*. (*WARNING: Let it sleep at your feet. Pretend it's a cat.)
After the wildlife has settled into its nightly routine of backpack plundering, the experienced hikers drift off to sleep
and the legendary snoring matches begin. Accomplished shelter snorers can easily drown out the midnight cries of owls,
coyotes, and even severe thunderstorms. Skunks have been known to get up and leave their comfortable sleeping bags
in order to escape the noise.
The fitful nights and strenuous hikes will leave the visitor tired and sore, but with a new sense of perspective,
and a new sense of appreciation for their old mattress.
