By: David H.
Submitted: 2010-01-28 21:48:13 | Word Count: 523
The Smokey Mountains inside the Great Smokey Mountains National Park is one of the major tourist destinations between Tennessee and North Carolina. It offers a ton of activities and attractions.
The Great Smoky Mountains rise up along Tennessee North Carolina border in southeastern US. A sub range of Appalachian Mountains they are known as Smoky or Smokey Mountains or even simply as Smokies. The name Smoky comes from the natural fog often hanging over the range, looking like large smoke plumes from a distance.
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The Great Smokies located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park are a protected preserve. The park established in 1934 draws over 9 million visitors each year and is the most visited national park in the US.
The Great Smokey Mountains and the a section of the Blue Ridge Mountains which encompass the Appalachian Mountain chain form the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It lies in between the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee. It is the United States most visited national park.
The Great Smokey Mountains National Park attracts millions of visitors every year – making it the major tourist attraction in between regions. With the high traffic of visitors, even nearby cities share in the region s bolstering tourism industry. This includes Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Townsend, Tennessee, Sevierville, Sylva, Cherokee and Maggie Valley as well as Bryson City, North Carolina.
Inside the park are two main visitor centers; namely the Sugarlands Visitors Center and the Oconaluftee Visitors Center in Gatlinburg and Cherokee, respectively. These ranger stations offer interesting exhibits on the geology, history and wildlife of the Smokey Mountains. There are no fees to be paid to enter the park.
The Great Smokey Mountains National Park has several historical attractions to offer. This includes Cades Cove with its preserved historic buildings like barns, churches and log cabins; Roaring Fork; Elkmont; and Cataloochee as well as Mingus Mill; and the Mountain Farm Museum.
Whether you re after the challenge of the hike towards the crest of a mountain or to just sit and awe the sun set, the Great Smokey Mountains National Park has so much to offer. It is every hiker and angler fisherman s dream vacation destination. It is also a great family retreat venue.
There are various ways to enjoy all the attractions and activities of this park. You can get an auto tour and see panoramic vistas, weathered historic buildings, majestic forests and rushing mountain streams. You can enjoy bicycling through famous Cades Cove; go camping in the Smokies wilderness for some backpacking adventure; try angler fishing on more than 700 miles of streams; go hiking on more than 800 miles of trails that range from multi day backpacking treks to quiet walkways; experience horseback riding on over hundreds of miles of drive in horse camps and horse trails; enjoy picnicking sessions with the whole family; and check out sightseeing venues for historic buildings, waterfalls, wildlife and wildflowers. Everything you want for your Smokey Mountains vacation is made possible with the help of its operators – a non profit Great Smokey Mountains Association whose proceeds from its store are donated to the scientific, historical and educational projects of this popular park.
