Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers a myriad of activities for nature lovers to enjoy. The park features trails, waterfalls, historic areas, auto tours and more to explore.

Whether you delight in the challenge of a strenuous hike to the crest of a mountain or prefer to sit quietly and watch the sun set, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has something for everyone to take part in. Between 8-10 million people visit the park each year, making it the most visited national park in the country.

The park presents many different sides of Mother Nature with ample recreational activities. Ride through Cades Cove on your bike on a misty summer morning for a truly memorable way to experience the park. Escape into the Smokies wilderness for a backpacking adventure or opt for a tamer excursion in one of the parks developed campgrounds. Anglers can match their skills against wily brook, brown and rainbow trout on more than 700 miles of fishable streams in the park. Choose from more than 800 miles of trails ranging from quiet walkways to multi-day backpacking treks through the backcountry.

The park has one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern region of the Unite States. Nearly 80 historic structures, homes, barns, churches, schools and grist mills, have been preserved in the park.

The park has hundreds of miles of horse trails and five drive-in horse camps. Eleven picnic areas are sprinkled throughout the park, with many of them having pavilions that can be reserved in advance. Enjoy the natural beauty in waterfalls that can be found on nearly every river and stream in the park. There are also hundreds of wildflowers and plants blooming year-round, offering spectacular colorful accents along roads and trails.

An auto tour of the park offers a chance to see panoramic vistas, rushing mountain streams and majestic forests stretching to the horizon. Inexpensive booklets are available to serve as your personal tour guides along many park roads.

- by Leah M. Caudle , Nashville Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Leah M. Caudle

Leah Caudle is a professional storyteller with experience in covering local, community and feature stories. While at newspapers such as The Tennessean in Nashville and The Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Ky., Caudle also has experience in shooting and editing videos and photos to accompany stories. The Western Kentucky University graduate received degrees in print journalism and Spanish in 2007 and also has expertise in the areas of public relations, copy editing and proofreading.