Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth and are one of the most biologically diverse locations on the entire planet. No wonder this is America’s most visited national park.
Guide to Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Equally divided by the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Smokies are today estimated to be more than 200 million years old. While the range has seen many climatic changes over this great period of time, glaciers never reached their latitude and the Smokys have stood relatively untouched by major geologic forces for nearly a million years.
This has provided life forms here an ecological consistency not enjoyed by similar organisms in near-by environments, providing an opportunity to evolve and diversify without need to extirpate certain features or relatives.
Thus, the park is globally significant in terms of its biodiversity, and scientists estimate that around 187,000 acres of old-growth forest remain intact today. With terrain ranging from just below 900 feet to 6,643 atop Clingman’s Dome, flora and fauna here is blessed with a countless array of habitats in which many species of plant and animal thrive.
This area is home to at least 65 species of mammal, 200 varieties of birds, and nearly 70 native fish species exist in more than 700 miles of streams within the park, while more than 80 types of reptiles and amphibians accent the fact that these mountains are home to over 30 salamander species.
Included in these numbers exist the largest account of black bear east of the Mississippi River, with biologists estimating more than 1,500 within the park boundary. This equates to two such bears for every square mile. Keep an eye out…
Many types of flora exist here too, with more than 1,600 species of flowering plants and over 100 native species of trees as well as more than 100 types of native shrubs. In addition to these, the park is home to 50 different types of ferns and more than 450 species of bryophytes which include mosses, liverworts and hornworts.
With 270 miles of scenic roadways within its boundary, this park is an auto tour mecca, and most of the masses indeed, prefer to witness its beauty from their comfortable metal coffins while arguing over maps. Meanwhile, adventure nerds head out on over 850 miles of hiking trails that criss-cross this 512,000 acre park will likely enjoy space and dare we say, solitude…
The famed Appalachian Trail travels nearly 72 miles within the park and numerous other trail systems connect with the popular east-coast trail, offering overnight opportunities which reward the long-distance hiker with quiet camps under heavily leaved canopies with lushly vegetated surroundings.
Horseback riding is welcomed here as well with over 550 miles of the park’s trails open to equestrian pursuits and campsites on authorized trails welcome horses for overnight stays.
Opportunities also exist for short hikes from the car or longer, more strenuous day hikes. Popular destinations include the park’s many waterfalls and trailside vistas that look out upon distant mountain ranges that often appear to have thick columns of smoke billowing from their valleys…. The Smokies…
See ya there…
Guide to Great Smoky Mountains
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