The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee and is named due to the “smoke” that appears from the vapor that comes off of the vegetation located in the valleys. The Cherokee have an interesting name for this phenomenon and the park in general, “Shaconage” which translates into “Land of Blue Smoke.” Most National Parks in the U.S. are along the West Coast. In fact, there are only 7 National Parks along the East Coast.
Piece of History
The earliest people who inhabited the Great Smoky Mountains were, I’m sure you guessed, the Cherokees. In the late 1700s, white settlers first came to the area and began cultivating the land. In the 1830s most of the Cherokees were removed because of the Indian Removal Act that is now widely known as the “trail of Tears”. More settlers moved in and provided for themselves off of the land. In the early 1900s loggers came and life in the Great Smoky Mountains changed tremendously. People became reliant on manufactured goods. Loggers began removing many trees and would continue until there was little left. In 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the area a National Park.
How does this affect the park?
When the area became a National Park, over 1,200 land-owners had to leave. Around 300,000 acres of land were handed over to the government. Because of the unique way this park was created there are many buildings and man-made features you can explore. The Road to Nowhere is a cool, old highway that was used by many people to commute from their homes to work. When the park was formed and people had to move, the old highway was changed into a dam. A new road had to be made so the Road to Nowhere was started. Why is it called the Road to Nowhere? During construction the road was deemed an environmental hazard and so it was never finished. There are a lot of other cool historic sites that you can find while there!
Things to Do
With over 522,427 acres of land covered in trees and a huge assortment of plants and wildlife there is so much to do. Some favorites of people who visit are hiking, ziplining, fishing, backpacking, watching the wildlife, and even horseback riding. There are actually over 800 miles of hiking trails within the park! Check out this link for some of our favorite hikes!
Quick Tips
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited in the United States and so getting an early start on your day can be key. The National Park website says that most people tour from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The park receives the most visitors mid-summer (June 15 – August 15) as well as in October and so you can avoid crowds by planning around their busy months. There is also a cool phenomenon that happens during a two-week window in late May to mid-June each year. There is a synchronous species of firefly that put on displays during their mating season. The dates for this are announced in late spring every year on the official park website, but you will have to hop on quickly because they tend to sell out fast due to their limited capacity for the event.
Come Glamping With Us!
The Great Smoky Mountains is a new location for one of our glamping campsites. Located near the National Park, it is convenient and easy to make the commute so that you can get an early start on the day. Try Glamping with us during your next visit!
Post written by: Kailani Schulthies