The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited attractions in the United States as well as one of the largest protected sites in the eastern part of the country.
The park is an International Biosphere Reserve and since 1988 has also been included in the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve. In 1983 was listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The first settlers in the park area were the Cherokee Indians. They inhabited the region in the 18th and early 19th century. In 1830 the Indian Removal Act was signed which forced many of the Indians to leave the region although there were few who stayed. Some of their descendants still live in the Qualla Reservation south of the park.
The establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park became possible thanks to the financial support of John D.Rockefeller, Jr., the U.S. government and also some private citizens from Tennessee and North Carolina who were organized in assembling the park land, piece by piece. In 1934 the park was officially opened.
Total area of the park reaches 2,108 km², including sixteen mountains and over 10,000 species of plants and animals.
The height of the mountains varies from 26 m at the mouth of Abrams Creek to 2,025 m at the summit of Clingmans Dome.
Flora in the park is represented by more than 1,400 flowering plant species and over 4,000 species of non-flowering plants as well as above 100 species of trees, among which are the deciduous leafy trees and the coniferous trees.
The park is home to over 200 species of birds, 66 species of mammals, 50 species of fish, 39 species of reptiles and also 43 species of amphibians.
A great part of the park has a humid continental climate with a very high level of humidity and precipitation.
There are two main centers within the park area, the Sugarlands Visitors’ Center and the Oconaluftee Visitors’ Centre. Both centres offer visitors a wide variety of books, maps, souvenirs as well as many displays related to the wildlife, geology and the history of the park.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park host a significant number of historical monuments such as Cades Cove, Roaring Fork, Cataloochee, Elkmont also the Mountain Farm Museum and Mingus Mill at Oconalufte.
Address:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Park Headquarters Rd.
Gatlinburg
TN 37738
United States
Tel: 865 436 1200
1 comment:
The Great Smoky Mountains is one of my favorite riding destinations (journeys). I hope to go for a motorcycle ride in the smokies to see some of the remaining fall colors. There is some complimentary information at http://www.sightseeingreview.com/greatsmokymountainnationalpark.php
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