Great Smoky Mountains National Park, National park in Tennessee and North Carolina, United States
Great Smoky Mountains is a national park straddling the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, covering forested ridges and valleys. The highest summits rise above 2000 meters (6600 feet), while lower areas hold dense woodlands and flowing rivers.
The park was founded in 1934 after more than a thousand landowners sold or ceded their properties. John D. Rockefeller Jr. contributed a major portion of the funding needed to protect the area from further logging.
The Cherokee, who named the range "Shalonage", the place of blue mist, hid in these mountains under the warrior Tsali during the 1838 Trail of Tears; their descendants live in the Qualla reservation south of the park. At Oconaluftee Valley an open-air museum gathers historic buildings from the region.
Visitors need parking tags for stays over 15 minutes, available at entrance stations or online. The Sugarlands and Oconaluftee visitor centers provide maps and guidance for exploring trails and overlooks throughout the park.
The park shelters around 1800 black bears, one of the largest protected bear populations in the eastern United States. Visitors can also witness synchronous fireflies in early summer, a rare phenomenon that occurs in only a few places worldwide.
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