Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Mountains....
, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains

Blue Ridge Mountains

The Blue Ridge, or Blue Ridge Mountains, is a Physiographic regions of the world of the larger Appalachian Mountains division. The province consists of the Northern and Southern physiographic sections, which divide near the Roanoke River gap....
, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains or , often called the Appalachians, are a vast mountain range in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians....
. The border between Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
and North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
runs northeast to southwest through the centerline of the park. It is the most visited national park in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. On its route from Maine

Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
to Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, the Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply The A.T., is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States, extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine....
also passes through the center of the park. The park was chartered by the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
in 1934 and officially dedicated by President

President of the United States

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Encyclopedia

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains

Blue Ridge Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
and North Carolina

North Carolina

United States

Maine

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, the Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

United States Congress

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940 . It encompasses 814 square miles (2,108 km²), making it one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States. The main park entrances are located along U.S. Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) at the towns of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Gatlinburg is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gatlinburg had a population of 3,828. The city is a popular vacation resort, as it rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S....
, and Cherokee, North Carolina

Cherokee, North Carolina

Cherokee is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, North Carolina, USA. It is the headquarters for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians....
.

History

Before the arrival of Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an settler

Settler

A settler is a person who has human migration to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonies the area. Settlers are generally people who take up Sedentary and agriculture it, as opposed to nomads....
s, the region was part of the homeland

Homeland

A homeland is the concept of the territory to which an ethnic group holds a long history and a deep cultural association with —the country in which a particular nationality began....
of the Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native Americans in the United States people orginally from the Southeastern United States . They are linguistically connected to speakers of the Iroquoian language....
Indians

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
. White frontierspeople began settling the land in the 18th and early 19th century. In 1830 President Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . He was List of governors of Florida of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy....
signed the Indian Removal Act

Indian Removal Act

The Indian Removal Act, part of a United States government policy known as Indian removal, was signed into law by President of the United States Andrew Jackson on May 26, 1830.-19), the U.S....
, beginning the process that eventually resulted in the forced removal of all Indian tribes west of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
to what is now Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a U.S. state and a sovereignty located in the South Central United States and Southern United States of the United States of America ....
. Many of the Cherokee left, but some, led by renegade warrior Tsali

Tsali

Tsali, originally of Coosawatie Town , was a noted figure at two different periods of Cherokee history, both of them vital.From which of the main divisions of the Cherokee prior to the American Revolution he came is not known, but records do indicate that as a young man he followed Dragging Canoe from the time the latter migrated southwest...
, hid out in the area that is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some of their descendants now live in the Qualla Reservation south of the park.

As white settlers moved in, logging

Logging

Logging is the process in which certain trees are cut down for forest management and timber....
grew as a major industry in the mountains, and a rail line, the Little River Railroad

Little River Railroad (Tennessee)

The Little River Railroad is a historic class III railroad that operated between Maryville, Tennessee and Elkmont, Tennessee during the period 1901 to 1939....
, was constructed in the late 19th century to haul timber out of the remote regions of the area. Cut-and-run style clearcutting was destroying the natural beauty of the area, so visitors and locals banded together to raise money for preservation of the land. The U.S. National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the List of United States federal agencies that manages all List of areas in the United States National Park System, many U.S....
wanted a park in the eastern United States, but did not want to spend much money to establish one. Though Congress had authorized the park in 1926, there was no nucleus of federally-owned land around which to build a park. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr.

John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son and descendant of the billionaire Standard Oil industrialist, John D....
contributed $5 million, the U.S. government added $2 million, and private citizens from Tennessee and North Carolina pitched in to assemble the land for the park, piece by piece. Travel writer Horace Kephart

Horace Kephart

Horace Kephart was an American travel writer and librarian, best known as the author of Our Southern Highlanders, about his life in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina....
and photographer George Masa

George Masa

George Masa , born Masahara Izuka, was a Japanese people businessman and professional large format photographer. Masa arrived in the United States in 1901....
were instrumental in fostering the development of the park. The park was officially established on June 15, 1934. During the Great Depression

Great Depression

File:International depression.pngThe Great Depression was a worldwide economic Recession starting in most places in 1929 and ending at different times in the 1930s or early 1940s for different countries....
, the Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

File:CCC constructing road.gifThe Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program for unemployed men, focused on natural resource conservation from 1933 to 1942....
, the Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was the largest New Deal agency, employing millions of people and affecting almost every locality in the United States, especially rural and western mountain populations....
, and other federal organizations made trails, fire watchtowers, and other infrastructure improvements to the park and Smoky Mountains.

The park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976, was certified as a UNESCO

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945....
World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 Sovereign state which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term....
in 1983, and became a part of the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve in 1988.

Natural features

Elevation

The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, often the above mean sea level. Elevation, or geometric height, is mainly used when referring to points on the Earth's surface, while altitude or geopotential height is used for points above the surface, such as an aircraft in flight or a s...
s in the park range from at the mouth of Abrams Creek to at the summit of Clingmans Dome

Clingmans Dome

Clingmans Dome is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, in the southeastern United States. At an topographical summit of , it is the highest mountain in the Great Smokies, the highest point in the state of Tennessee, and the highest point along the Appalachian Trail....
. Within the park a total of sixteen mountains reach higher than 6,000 feet (1829 m).

The wide range of elevations mimics the latitudinal changes found throughout the entire eastern United States. Indeed, ascending the mountains is comparable to a trip from Tennessee to Canada. Plants and animals common in the country's Northeast have found suitable ecological niche

Ecological niche

In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem to each other; e.g. a dolphin will be in another ecological niche to one that travels in a different school.....
s in the park's higher elevations, while southern species find homes in the balmier lower reaches.

During the most recent ice age

Ice age

The general term "ice age" or, more precisely, "glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers....
, the northeast-to-southwest orientation of the Appalachian mountains allowed species to migrate southward along the slopes rather than finding the mountains to be a barrier. As climate warms, many northern species are now retreating upward along the slopes and withdrawing northward, while southern species are expanding.

The park normally has very high humidity

Humidity

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. In daily language the term "humidity" is normally taken to mean relative humidity. Relative humidity is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor in a Air parcel of air to the saturated vapor pressure of water vapor at a prescribed temperature....
and precipitation

Precipitation (meteorology)

File:MeanMonthlyP.gifIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of Atmosphere water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface....
, averaging from 55 inches (1,400 mm) per year in the valley

Valley

In geology, a valley is a Depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge....
s to 85 inches (2,200 mm) per year on the peaks. This is more annual rainfall than anywhere in the United States outside the Pacific Northwest

Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America . There are several partially overlapping definitions but the term Pacific Northwest should not be confused with the Northwest Territory or the Northwest Territories of Canada....
and parts of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
. It is also generally cooler than the lower elevations below, and most of the park has a humid continental climate

Humid continental climate

The humid continental climate is a climate found over large areas of land masses in the temperate climates of the mid-latitudes where there is a zone of conflict between North Pole and Tropics air masses....
more comparable to locations much farther north, as opposed to the humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term "subtropical" may be a misnomer for the winter climate....
in the lowlands. The park is almost 95 percent forest

Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
ed, and almost 36 percent of it, , is estimated by the Park Service to be old growth forest

Old growth forest

Old growth forest is a type of forest that has attained great age and so exhibits unique biology features.Old growth forests typically contain large live trees, large dead trees , and large logs, as well as many other common characteristics representative of forests in general....
with many trees that predate European settlement of the area. It is one of the largest blocks of deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
, temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
, old growth forest in North America.

The variety of elevations, the abundant rainfall, and the presence of old growth forests give the park an unusual richness of biota

Biota (ecology)

Biota is the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period, from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet and whole-timescale spatiotemporal scales....
. About 10,000 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
of plant

Plant

Plants are Life organisms belonging to the Kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae....
s and animal

Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s are known to live in the park, and estimates as high as an additional 90,000 undocumented species may also be present.

Park officials count more than 200 species of birds, 66 species of mammals, 50 species of fish, 39 species of reptiles, and 43 species of amphibians, including many lungless salamander

Lungless salamander

The Plethodontidae, or Lungless salamanders, are a family of salamanders. Most species are native to the western hemisphere, from British Columbia to Brazil, although a few species are found in Sardinia and Europe south of the Alps....
s. The park has a noteworthy black bear

American black bear

The American Black Bear is the most common bear species native to North America. It lives throughout much of the continent, from northern Alaska south into Mexico and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean....
population, numbering at least 1,800. An experimental re-introduction of elk

Elk

Elk may refer to:* Various species of deer:** European Elk , also known as Moose** North American Elk , also known as Wapiti** Indian Elk , also known as sambar ...
(wapiti) into the park began in 2001.

Over 100 species of trees grow in the park. The lower region forests are dominated by deciduous

Deciduous

Fraser Fir

Abies fraseri is a species of fir native to the mountains of the eastern United States. It is closely related to Abies balsamea , of which it has occasionally been treated as a subspecies or a variety ....
. In addition, the park has over 1,400 flowering plant species

Wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains

More than 1400 species of Wildflowers are native to the Great Smoky Mountains. Every spring in late April Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the site of the week long annual spring wildflower pilgrimage to celebrate this diversity....
and over 4,000 species of non-flowering plants.

Attractions and activities

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a major tourist attraction in the region; over 9 million tourists and 11 million non-recreational visitors traveled to the park were recorded in 2003, double that of any other national park. Surrounding towns, notably Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Pigeon Forge is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. As of the United States Census, 2000, the city had a total population of 5,083....
, Sevierville

Sevierville, Tennessee

Sevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the United States Census, 2000; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101....
, and Townsend

Townsend, Tennessee

Townsend is a city in Blount County, Tennessee, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 244 at the United States Census, 2000....
, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, and Cherokee

Cherokee, North Carolina

Cherokee is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, North Carolina, USA. It is the headquarters for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians....
, Sylva

Sylva, North Carolina

Sylva is an incorporation town located in central Jackson County, North Carolina, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina, United States of America....
, Maggie Valley

Maggie Valley, North Carolina

Maggie Valley is a town in Haywood County, North Carolina, North Carolina, United States. The population was 607 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park....
, and Bryson City

Bryson City, North Carolina

Bryson City is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, North Carolina in the United States. The population was 1,411 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Swain County....
, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
receive a significant portion of their income from tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
associated with the park.

The two main visitors' centers inside the park are Sugarlands Visitors' Center near the Gatlinburg entrance to the park and Oconaluftee Visitors' Center near Cherokee, North Carolina

Cherokee, North Carolina

Cherokee is a town in Swain County, North Carolina, North Carolina, USA. It is the headquarters for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians....
at the eastern entrance to the park. These ranger stations provide exhibits on wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals, and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, geology

Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
, and the history of the park. They also sell books, maps, and souvenirs.

U.S. Highway 441 (known in the park as Newfound Gap Road) bisects the park, providing automobile access to many trailheads and overlooks, most notably that of Newfound Gap

Newfound Gap

Newfound Gap is a mountain pass located near the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States of America....
. At an elevation of 5,048 feet (1,539 m), it is the lowest gap in the mountains and is situated near the center of the park, on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, halfway between the border towns of Gatlinburg and Cherokee. It was here that in 1940, from the Rockefeller Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the national park. On clear days Newfound Gap offers arguably the most spectacular scenes accessible via highway in the park.

The park has a number of historical attractions. The most well-preserved of these (and most popular) is Cades Cove

Cades Cove

Cades Cove is an isolated valley located in the East Tennessee section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. The valley was once home to numerous settlers before the formation of the national park around it....
, a valley with a number of preserved historic buildings including log cabin

Log cabin

A log cabin is a small house built from loggings. It is a simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." "Log cabin" generally denotes a simple one, or one-and-one-half story structure, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less architecturally sophisticated....
s, barns, and churches. Cades Cove is the single most frequented destination in the national park. Self-guided automobile and bicycle tours offer the many sightseers a glimpse into the way of life of old-time southern Appalachia

Appalachia

Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the Eastern United States United States that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia ....
. Other historical areas within the park include Roaring Fork

Roaring Fork (Great Smoky Mountains)

Roaring Fork is a stream in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Once the site of a small Appalachian community, today the stream is home to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and the Roaring Fork Historic District....
, Cataloochee

Cataloochee (Great Smoky Mountains)

Cataloochee is a valley in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, located in the Southeastern United States. Now a recreational and historic area within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cataloochee was once home to a substantial Appalachian community and Cherokee hunting ground....
, Elkmont

Elkmont, Tennessee

Elkmont was a former community in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States. It was named for the numerous elk which once inhabited the area....
, and the Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill at Oconaluftee

Oconaluftee (Great Smoky Mountains)

Oconaluftee is the name of a river valley in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, located in the Southeastern United States. Formerly the site of a Cherokee village and Appalachian community, the valley's bottomland is now home to the main entrance to the North Carolina section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park....
.

Hiking

There are 850 miles (1,368 km) of trails and unpaved roads in the park for hiking, including seventy miles of the Appalachian Trail. . Mount Le Conte is one of the most frequented destinations in the park. Its elevation is 6,593 feet (2,010 m) — the third highest summit in the park and, measured from its base to its highest peak, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
. Its Alum Cave Trail

Alum Cave Trail

The Alum Cave Trail is an United States of America hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in Sevier County, Tennessee, Tennessee....
, which is the most heavily used of the five paths en route to the summit, provides many scenic overlooks and unique natural attractions such as Alum Cave Bluffs and Arch Rock. Hikers may spend a night at the LeConte Lodge, located near the summit, which provides cabins and rooms for rent (except during the winter season). Accessible solely by trail, it is the only private lodging available inside the park.

Another popular hiking trail leads to the pinnacle of the Chimney Tops

Chimney Tops

Chimney Tops is a mountain in the central Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 4,800 feet ....
, so named because of its unique dual-humped peaktops. This short but strenuous trek rewards nature enthusiasts with a spectacular panorama of the surrounding mountain peaks.

Both the Laurel Falls and Clingman's Dome trails offer relatively easy, short, paved paths to their respective destinations. The Laurel Falls Trail

Laurel Falls Trail

The Laurel Falls Trail is an United States of America hiking trail, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Sevier County, Tennessee, Tennessee....
leads to a powerful 80 foot (24 m) waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is usually a geology geologic formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a nickpoint, or sudden break in elevation....
, and the Clingman's Dome Trail takes visitors on an uphill climb to a fifty-foot observation deck, which on a clear day offers views for many miles over both the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains.

In addition to day hiking, the national park offers opportunities for backpacking

Backpacking (wilderness)

Backpacking combines hiking and Camping in a single trip. A backpacker hikes into the backcountry to spend one or more nights there, and carries supplies and equipment to satisfy sleeping and eating needs....
and camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity.The participants, known as campers, get away from urban areas, their home region or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or more nights, usually at a campsite....
, particularly via the placement of shelters along the Appalachian Trail; designated campsites are also scattered throughout the park. Permits are required for stays at both locales and are almost always valid for only one night.

Other activities

After hiking and simple sightseeing, fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
(especially fly fishing

Fly fishing

Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, most renowned as a method for catching trout and salmon, but employed today for a wide variety of species including Esox, bass , panfish, and carp, as well as ocean species, such as Red drum, Common snook, tarpon, bonefish and striped bass....
) is the most popular activity in the national park. The park's waters have long had a reputation for healthy trout activity as well as challenging fishing terrain. Brook trout are native to the waters, while both brown and rainbow were introduced to the area and are now regularly stocked. Partially due to the fact of recent droughts killing off the native fish, there are strict regulations regarding how fishing may be conducted. Horseback riding (offered by the national park and on limited trails), bicycling (available for rent in Cades Cove) and water tubing are all also practiced within the park.

External links

Official site:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

History

Natural features

Attractions and activities

Hiking

Other activities

See also

External links