Great Smoky Mountains
National Park (GSMNP)
The Great
Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), near Gatlinburg
TN, is the most visited (9 million plus) and popular
park in our Park System. It covers over
500,000 acres of preserved hiking trails, nature trails, trout fishing streams,
waterfalls, wildflowers, and wildlife. The GSMNP is so enjoyable that it has
fostered the development and growth of several towns and villages Gatlinburg,
Pigeon Forge, Townsend and Sevierville). Which provide lodging, dining and attractions
for millions of yearly visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lodging
accommodations include hotels or motels, or even luxury cabin rentals. All are
very convenient to the Park.
The idea for a national park in what is now the GSMNP
originated the 1920s and, with the support of groups from
Asheville,
NC and Knoxville, TN, who wanted to
preserve the beautiful scenery of the area. Most of the land at issue was held
and worked by lumber companies -- and the rest consisted of small farms. Finally,
on June 15, 1934, Congress officially established the GSMNP.
During the next 16 years, the Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the
trails, stone bridges, and campgrounds that travelers can still enjoy. The
Rockefeller
family donated $5 million needed to insure the Park would come about and President
Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the GSMNP in 1940.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park maintains approximately
77 pioneer structures, and more than 1,100 front country
campsites, 100 backcountry campsites,
800 miles
of trails, 700 miles of streams, 11 picnic grounds, and 3 visitor centers.
The plentiful wildlife protected here include the American black bear, whitetail
deer, and wild turkey.
Trail and Park maps, guidebooks, and videos are available
at the Park welcome center bookstores.
Cades Cove, only a few minutes from Gatlinburg, Tennessee,
is the most visited part of the National Park. Nearly
3 million happy tourists each year visit
Cades Cove to observe the settler homesteads, the blue-smoke mountains that
serve as
backdrop to Cades Cove, and the ubiquitous deer, wild turkey and black bear
which populate the area. The Park sells a self-guided tour book at the entrance
to
the Cove. The Cove’s 11-mile loop road takes approximately one hour to
complete in your car, and encircles the Cove. If you stop to explore each homestead,
some of which involve a short hike, it takes several hours longer, and also
depending on how traffic is. You can also take up an entire if you stop at
the Cable Mill
and visitor center plus include the 5-mile round-trip Abrams Falls hike.
Hiking
Trails – Arguably, the best part of the area
is the GSMNP itself—there
are more than 800 miles of trails. Park and trail maps can be bought at any
of the visitor centers in the GSMNP. In addition, several outfitters in or
near
Gatlinburg TN can provide them.
Fly Fishing – Trout fishing in the GSMNP requires
a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license. The
licenses are not available in the Park
itself, but can be obtained from outfitters (same as the trail maps above)
in the small
towns around the Park. Fishing is allowed year-round in the Great Smoky Mountains--one-half
hour before sunrise and up to a half hour after sunset. Know your fish--particularly
trout--before you fish, because there are some restrictions for certain fish.
Gatlinburg TN Cabin Rentals • Hotels • Gatlinburg
Wedding Chapel
Gatlinburg
Cabins Online
333 Ski Mountain Road • Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738
Toll Free 1.877.60 CABIN • Local 865.430.9068
FAX 865.430.9846
Directions
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