A National Park Worth Exploring
The most visited national park in the
country, more than 9.7 million visitors choose the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park as their destination each and every year.
Located in the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, it is part of
the larger area known as the Blue Ridge Mountains, a division of the
Appalachian Mountain Chain. Encompassing over 520,000 acres or just
over 816 square miles, it is one of the largest protected areas in
the U.S. Dedicated by Roosevelt in 1940, it is not just a national
park but was also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for its
natural features.
Visited by European settlers in the
late 1700's with the arrival of the Frontiers men and women who moved
here for settlement, it was long before inhabited by local native
peoples. During the migration of the new European settlers however,
Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act and began moving all
native Americans off the land to make room for more settlers. While
most left without too much fighting, others stayed to fight. Renegade
warriors such as Tsali were known to hide out in the Mountains and
today, some of their decedents still even live here today.
Upon the formation of the park, more
than 1,200 land owners were forced to once again leave their land and
today, a number of structures including mills, farms, schools and
even churches still remain as a part of the parks changing history.
Home to over 17,000 species of
documented plants, animals and invertebrates, and a proposed 30,000
to 80,000 more undocumented, this part of the US is one of the most
diverse in the world. Mountains, glaciers and weather all played and
still play a roll in the Smoky Mountains National Park today.
Visitors who choose this amazing
national park enjoy a variety of activities including auto tours,
biking, hiking, camping, fishing as well as horseback riding, and
exploring. Waterfalls, historic sites, wildflowers, plants, animals
and much more make this one must see destination for travel.
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