Welcome to Great Smoky Mountain National Park
“They die hard, those old ways, in
the mountains; some of them were good ways”
- Horace Kephart
Great Smoky National Park is one of the most visited
tourist attractions in the United States and is also one of
the most biologically diverse environments on Earth. These
are pretty bold statements to make but are actually born out
by fact and also by detailed inspection.
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The Cherokee, the original inhabitants and
custodians of the land called this territory
“Shaconage” (Shah-con-ah-jey) meaning in rough
translation “land of the blue smoke”. Later
inhabitants and settlers came from Scots-Irish
backgrounds soon to be joined by those of French
and German background. This mix of various
Western European settler characteristics you can
be assured gave a very interesting (if not as
one settler described, “a Heady brew”) mix of
inhabitants.
The Smoky Mountains are arguably some of the
oldest in the World and detailed inspection of
tectonic history will show that what we see now
is a vast difference from what was originally in
place and also a vast difference in location as
well. The history of the Smoky Mountains is such
that such is it’s history and bio diverse
ecology that it has been designated an
International Biosphere Reserve and a World
Heritage Site.
The apparent success of the present day park
does not accurately reflect the history and the
struggle that earlier Park Superintendents had
to wage with what was in effect land that had
been ravaged by uncontrolled logging and mineral
exploitation and land that had become a hostile
environment for a great number of the so called
native species.
The outstanding success of the Park Service in
re introducing Elk, Peregrine Falcons and river
otters has helped restore the parklands to a
state almost bordering on the primeval.
This is not to give the impression that the
battle is completely won and that the Park
doesn’t still suffer from and face daunting
challenges from the effect of life in the 21st
Century. Air Pollution, Traffic Congestion and
the continued destruction of what are called
high-elevation forests by persistent pests mans
that the Park service has to be ever vigilant.
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Latest Articles & Features |
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Cabin Rentals |
| What do you look for in a Smoky Mountain Vacation?
Luxury, breathtaking views, privacy, awesome
amenities? Click here |
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Smoky Mountain
Background |
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Ridge upon ridge of endless
forest straddles the border between North Carolina
and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
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Accessibility |
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Great Smoky Mountains
National Park is a wild lands sanctuary preserving
the world’s finest examples of plant and animal
diversity in a temperate deciduous forest. |
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Facilities |
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Parking Permits information, amphitheatre access and
information about Autotours |
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